Table of contents:
- List of foods that help prevent migraines
- 1. Dark green leafy vegetables
- 2. Seeds and nuts
- 3. Red meat
- 4. Eggs
- 5. Whole grains
Having migraine that recurs frequently is tiring. Don't worry, you can actually prevent migraines from coming back by eating certain foods. Yes, healthy food can actually make you free from migraine symptoms, you know. Then, what should be consumed so that migraines don't recur?
List of foods that help prevent migraines
To prevent migraines, you need to have a healthy diet which consists of eating fresh foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Fresh, unprocessed foods tend not to contain flavorings such as monosodium glutamate (MSG). The reason is, flavorings are among the ingredients that can trigger migraines in some people. Here are various migraine prevention foods that you can consume:
1. Dark green leafy vegetables
Dark green leafy vegetables are very rich in nutrients. Spinach, kale, lettuce, and broccoli are among the healthiest vegetables that you can consume to prevent migraines. Spinach, for example, is rich in vitamins B2, B6 and omega 3 which have been shown to reduce migraines. Vitamin B2 or riboflavin has been shown to be effective in reducing the frequency and duration of headaches including migraines.
2. Seeds and nuts
Seeds and nuts help prevent headaches including migraines. Quoted from Prevention, research shows that people who suffer from migraines and cluster headaches tend to have lower levels of magnesium in their bodies.
However, the frequency of a person's migraine attacks was reduced by 41 percent after taking magnesium supplements. Therefore, it is recommended that you consume nut and grain products that are rich in magnesium such as sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, and peanuts.
3. Red meat
Even though it seems unhealthy, The American Academy of Neurology and the Canadian Headache Society states that red meat can help prevent migraines. Red meat is a type of meat that has a red color due to the pigments contained in these animals such as cows, goats, and buffalo.
Red meat is rich in CoQ10, a natural compound in your body, as well as vitamin B2. CoQ10 or coenzyme 10 is an antioxidant that is needed in the development of human cells. In addition, these compounds also help protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules, including the solution to headaches that never end.
However, the National Headache Foundation recommends that you do not eat meat products that are not fresh, such as those that have been dried, fermented, pickled, salted, or smoked because they can actually trigger migraines.
4. Eggs
Eggs are a nutrient-rich food source. One of the nutrients contained in eggs is vitamin B, including vitamin B2. As previously mentioned, vitamin B2 is very effective in helping reduce headache frequency, intensity, and duration.
In two large chicken eggs, there is usually 24 percent riboflavin, which is able to meet your daily nutritional intake. Therefore, eggs are considered as a nutrient-rich food that can help prevent migraines.
5. Whole grains
Did you know that whole grains are one of the headache cures that you probably never thought possible. Whole grain is a type of grain that has not been processed or milled. Thus, it still contains all parts of the seed itself. Therefore, the nutritional content is still complete, such as fiber, B vitamins, iron, copper, selenium, potassium, and magnesium.
The food groups that are included in whole grains are wheat, oatmeal (whole oats), brown rice, brown rice, black rice, and also sorghum.
