Following a healthy diet can increase longevity, protect against disease, and improve your overall quality of life. Several nutrients in food promote health and protect your body from disease. The “Food as Medicine” concept generally refers to managing food and diet in an individual’s routine, with the aim of preventing, reducing symptoms of, or reversing a disease process. Research has shown that dietary habits can influence risk factors for disease. While certain foods can trigger and aggravate health conditions, others may offer significant medicinal and therapeutic advantages.
Headaches are a common occurrence that is encountered routinely by individuals. A study conducted by Biman K Ray in 2017 revealed that the one-year prevalence of migraine in an Indian population was found to be 14.12%. Headaches can be triggered by several small incidents that might not be considered significant. Sleepless nights, skipping breakfast, work pressure or stress, and excessive blue-screen exposure are all examples of irregular routines that can cause headaches. Migraine is a disabling primary headache disorder experienced predominantly by women and triggered by hormonal, emotional, physical, dietary, environmental, and medicinal factors.
In individuals, migraine triggers can include specific foods or types of foods. Eating a healthy diet can help prevent migraines and headaches. Alternatively, certain foods can decrease the frequency of migraine headaches or lessen the intensity of their symptoms. Though no definitive ‘migraine diet’ has been described,’ individuals may be able to reduce their migraines by monitoring the food that they eat.
Foods to avoid
Nuts and certain seeds: Tyramine, present in nuts and certain seeds, can induce headaches and migraines.
Cheese: Aged cheese consists of high levels of tyramine, which aggravates migraines and headaches.
Caffeine: According to clinical studies, drinking more than one to two cups of coffee per day can cause migraines in 14% of patients.
Chocolate: Chocolate is the most common migraine food trigger, and it has been epidemiologically linked to migraine attacks, so doctors typically advise migraine patients to avoid it.
Tomato-based products: They contain a high amount of histamine or tyramine that can aggravate migraines.
Avoid processed (packaged) foods: Nitrates and nitrites present in processed foods cause swelling of the blood vessels and can trigger migraines.
Foods to consume
Dark green leafy vegetables: Study published in BMJ Case report revealed that inclusion of leafy vegetables in meals can play pivotal role in relieving migraine or chronic headache .
Turmeric: Curcumin present in turmeric helps in relieving migraine frequency and duration.
Coriander: Consumption of coriander leads to a greater reduction in the duration, severity, and frequency of migraines.
Citron: It has reported several benefits in clinical trials however it also helps in reducing migraine intensity and duration.
Clinical trials of several herbal medicines indicate that various foods, through their multifactorial physiological influences, present potential options to improve migraine treatment.
The author is MD, Clinical Pharmacologist and Nutraceutical Physician, Founder and CEO IntelliMed Healthcare Solutions.