Migraine Diet: Diet Rules, Allowed and Prohibited Foods

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Migraine is a periodical attack of severe headaches, the characteristic feature of which is localization in a certain part of the head. This problem is very common. It is known to almost every person on this planet. Statistics show that about 90% of women, as well as about 70% of men, periodically experience severe pain in the head. Polls show that for 20% of the world's population, such a problem seriously impairs the quality of life.

Very interesting is the fact that women are more prone to migraine at a young age. This pathology has the peculiarity of being inherited, in particular, if the mother suffered from the disease, then the disease will be transmitted to the child with a probability of 70%. In adult patients, the disease is diagnosed much more often, but about 8% of children also suffer from migraine.

Treatment of the disease will be prescribed by the doctor after fullexamination of the patient. However, a migraine diet is mandatory.

A little about migraines

A migraine attack in a person begins to appear when the following changes occur:

1. Metabolic disorder.
2. An imbalance in the amount of serotonin and histamine, which are involved in the immune system and also regulate the functioning of the nervous system.

Serotonin is responsible for vasoconstriction, and histamine is involved in their expansion. Those people who know firsthand about the horrors of headache that are characteristic of migraine, they should also know that the disease occurs when the body produces large amounts of histamine and less serotonin. But what factors can influence the concentration of these substances? They can be very diverse. The main ones include:

1. Duration of sleep.
2. Prone to allergic reactions.
3. Stressful situations.
4. Physical and mental overwork.
5. Sex life.
6. Food.

Types of migraines

It is customary to distinguish between migraine with aura and migraine without aura. Migraine with aura is characterized by the appearance of gustatory, visual, and olfactory disturbances shortly before the attack. This type of disease occurs in almost every fourth patient.

As for migraine without aura, in this case, pain in a person occurs absolutely suddenly, without anyharbingers. This type of disease is the most common.

Provoking factors

Before considering the features of the diet for migraine, you need to know what factors provoke the development of this disease. As a rule, these include the following:

1. Physical fatigue.
2. Emotional stress.
3. Tobacco smoking.
4. Weather changes.
5. Wrong diet.

Diagnosis

If you have a recurring headache, be sure to seek medical attention. Diagnosis of migraine will be carried out on the basis of clinical manifestations, as well as indicators that have been studied in an oral survey of the patient, as well as a general examination. It must be taken into account that paroxysms of a condition relevant to migraine may be the first symptom that a patient has a vascular malformation or brain tumor.

Taking into account the seriousness of the patient's condition, it is necessary to carry out a detailed examination, during which an organic process is excluded. Therefore, the patient should visit an ophthalmologist who checks the fundus, visual acuity and its field. Also, during the diagnosis, magnetic resonance and computed tomography, as well as electroencephalography are used.

Migraine Diet

Therapy of the disease should be directed primarily to the elimination of the factors that provoked this disease. In many patients, the treatment of the disease is reduced only to the relief of painfulseizures. Many do not even suspect that the appearance of migraines and malnutrition are closely related. But as mentioned earlier, some products can provoke the appearance of an ailment. What will be the diet for migraine in adults?

Diet rules

Before answering the question of what foods are allowed to be consumed, it is necessary to consider in more detail the rules for observing special diets. Diet for migraine in adults implies compliance with the following recommendations:

1. The patient should eat fractionally, in small portions. The number of meals in this case can reach 5 per day. There should not be long intervals between meals. A long break can trigger a headache on its own or cause constipation, which can also lead to an attack and pain, no matter how strange it may sound.
2. Another rule of thumb for migraine diets in adults with or without aura is to avoid fasting. 5 hours after eating, the amount of sugar in the blood begins to decrease, the vessels gradually narrow, which is one of the provoking factors for the appearance of a headache.
3. You should also monitor the reaction of your body to each food eaten. The fact is that the effect of food on headache will be different for each patient.
4. Never overeat.

What should be eliminated?

What will be the diet whenmigraines in adults? From the menu it is necessary to exclude those foods that contain the following substances:

• Tyramine. This organic substance is strictly forbidden to use in case of migraine. This element is found in many foods. The concentration of tyramine may increase in the case of long-term storage of products, as well as during heat treatment. A diet for migraines in children and adults must necessarily exclude from the diet those foods that contain tyramine due to the fact that it increases pressure and narrows blood vessels. Most of this substance is found in chocolate, overripe fruit, as well as in some varieties of cheese, such as feta, brie, mozzarella, parmesan. A small amount of this substance is found in legumes, meat, wine, nuts, kefir, beer, and yogurt.
• Serotonin. A diet for migraine with or without a visual aura also implies the exclusion from the diet of foods that contain serotonin. It is a hormone that is produced in the human body after eating certain foods. A large amount of serotonin is found in cheese, confectionery, oyster mushrooms, beans and soybeans, buckwheat, cottage cheese, yeast, oatmeal, dried apricots, prunes, sea kale.
• Nitrates. A diet for migraine with or without aura implies the exclusion from the diet of those foods that contain nitrates in their composition. This is the name of s alts of nitric acid, which adversely affect the body of both adults and adults.children. A large amount of nitrates is found in dyes and preservatives. Therefore, such foods should be avoided.
• Histamine. Speaking of nutrition for migraines, it is imperative to exclude histamine, which is a biologically active substance that can provoke an allergic reaction. This element can cause a severe headache attack. That is why a person who suffers from this pathology should definitely exclude histamine products from his diet. These include: cheese, smoked meats, as well as pickled vegetables. In addition, histamine is found in large quantities in alcoholic beverages. If there is a tendency to frequent headaches, then the use of alcohol will have to be excluded altogether.

What is allowed?

What are the features of nutrition for migraine in women and men? By eliminating foods that can cause headaches, it may seem like all the delicious food is left behind. But do not be upset ahead of time. Nutrition for migraines in adults and children can be not only tasty, but also he althy. You just need to learn how to properly combine allowed products.

So, how to fight migraines with nutrition? What products must be present in the diet of patients? First of all, the daily menu should include those foods that contain a large amount of magnesium. Based on numerous studies, it was found that the lack of this element in the humanbody is one of the main causes of migraines. Therapy with magnesium-based drugs is also very effective in combating this ailment.

Another important component in the diet is protein. Those foods that are rich in this element must be consumed fresh without fail, because after daily storage they lose all their positive properties.

So, what foods should be included in the diet? These include: vegetable oil, sea fish, low-fat dairy products, lean meat, processed cheese, stewed vegetables, boiled eggs.

Sample diet menu

Migraine nutrition should look like this.

The first two days - a hunger strike, from drinks you can only juice grapes, beets, grapefruit, orange, celery, spinach or cucumbers. On the following days, you can eat cereals for breakfast, drink juice. For lunch, for example, vegetable or meat soup, mashed potatoes and rosehip broth are used. For dinner, you can drink a glass of fermented baked milk or kefir, have a snack with fruit.

For the third day of the diet, the following dishes are suitable:

1. First breakfast: oatmeal, cheese, bran toast, ginger tea.
2. Second breakfast: cottage cheese and juice.
3. Lunch: potato soup with chicken, buckwheat, compote.
4. Snack: kefir and cereal bread.
5. Dinner: boiled rabbit, pumpkin puree.

On the fourth day you can use:

1. First breakfast: buckwheat casserole,cottage cheese, biscuit, ginger tea.
2. Second breakfast: baked apple and cookies.
3. Lunch: chicken borscht, vegetable salad, juice.
4. Snack: yogurt.
5. Dinner: fish and mashed potatoes.

Example diet for the fifth day of the diet:

1. First breakfast: oatmeal with apple and raisins, breadcrumbs, cheese, tea.
2. Second breakfast: cucumber and cabbage salad.
3. Lunch: cabbage soup with chicken, vegetable stew.
4. Snack: herbal tea with honey and crackers.
5. Dinner: rabbit meatballs, boiled potatoes, tea.

Headaches and coffee

This drink has been the subject of controversy over the years. Some experts include this drink in the list of prohibited foods for various diseases, and migraine is no exception. However, many people say that drinking a small amount of the drink reduces headaches and can also prevent a migraine attack.

It has recently been found that drinking this drink in reasonable amounts can actually alleviate pain. However, the dose of caffeine should not exceed 250 mg per day. In such quantities, the use of coffee will only benefit the human body. However, it should be remembered that people who suffer from high blood pressure should not drink coffee, even in small quantities, as this will harm them.

Decoctions and infusions

Alternative medicine recipes can also be used to relieve migraine headaches. Considerthe most effective of them:

1. One tablespoon of peppermint should be infused in a glass of boiling water for 30 minutes. The finished product is taken after straining 50 ml 3 times a day. To improve the taste of this drink, you can add a small amount of honey to it.
2. One tablespoon of elderberry must be infused in a glass of boiling water for 60 minutes. After that, the drink is filtered, the finished product is used 20 minutes before eating in the amount of 50 ml.
3. Very effective for migraine is blackcurrant juice, which must be consumed in an amount of 50 ml 3-4 times a day.
4. If you have a severe headache with a migraine, then lemon slices should be applied to the sore temples, which should first be peeled.
5. A fresh cabbage leaf must be cleaned of a thick vein, then applied to the forehead if you suffer from migraine attacks.

Migraine Prevention

As a preventive measure for headache attacks, you can also use some traditional medicine recipes. Chamomile tea is quite effective. It should be drunk on a regular basis. Drink 1-2 glasses of this drink throughout the day.

Also, you can insist one spoonful of lemon balm in a glass of boiling water for a quarter of an hour. After that, the infusion is used after straining. For a more pleasant taste, you can add a small amount of lemon juice.

If you do not want to prevent the development of migraine, you should normalize sleep, exclude from the dietall the unhe althy foods that were described above. You will also have to give up smoking, drinking alcohol. It is very important to observe the drinking regime, as well as the absence of overwork.

You should seek medical help in a timely manner if you have the first symptoms of the disease. Only a qualified doctor can help you cope with this disease, while preventing the development of possible complications.

Conclusion

Many people suffer from migraine attacks. Do not ignore this symptom, it is better to seek help from a medical institution. After a complete examination, the specialist will prescribe a treatment for the patient, which will necessarily include the diet described in our article. If you want to get rid of this unpleasant symptom, you will have to follow some nutritional recommendations.