Although there are far worse conditions out there, many of us are crippled by the amount of discomfort a headache brings. Everyone has experience at least one during their life and has found that its effects on the body and psyche can be quite disruptive. And when you’re dealing with migraines out of all things, the situation becomes ten times worse.
Although pain killers help, they are just a temporary solution. Fortunately, you can do something in the long run as well. Adopting a stricter food régime such as the Leptin diet program, which controls portions, limits cuisine variety, and imposes eating at fixed intervals can help. Here is how an efficient meal plan can help you combat migraines.
What are Migraines?
On a headache scale of 1 to 10, a migraine can be classified as a fifteen. Migraines are extremely painful headaches that occur on one side of your head. More than 38 million people in the United States suffer from migraines. What is more, almost 5 million individuals experience the dire effects of migraines at least once a month.
Migraines can cause a person’s quality of life to decrease, even to the point where they can’t work during a particularly unpleasant episode. These intense aches unfortunately affect women more than men. In fact, about 70% of migraine sufferers are women, which means that one demographic certainly struggles more than the other with this.
How Food Affects Migraines
Research has proven that certain foods can be a trigger for migraines. Although there are general foods that are known to cause this type of discomfort, the triggers vary from person to person. Not everyone will have the same reactions, and not all the foods are causes for everyone. In general, the foods that are known to activate migraines are:
- Dairy products
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Aspartame
- Caffeine
- Nuts
- Citrus fruit
- Cheeses with a high Tyramine content such as Parmesan, Feta, Blue Cheese, Mozerella, Cheddar, etc.
- Food additives such as dyes, monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, etc.
Even when consumed in a small amount, such as just one cup of coffee, a migraine could be triggered. Most people won’t know which foods affect them until they’ve tried them. When trying to figure out which of thesedetermines the onset of the condition for you, it is recommended to try one at the time to pinpoint exactly which ones are prompts.
Just as certain foods can trigger migraines, bad eating habits can also do the same thing. Skipping meals or not eating enough is a potential culprit behind this. Not drinking enough water and eating large meals can also lead to similar effects on the body. Thus, having a healthy, balanced diet with fresh foods rather than processed foods is a great way to fight off the affliction.
Meal Planning Can Combat Migraines
It is extremely important to keep a close eye on the food that you eat since an amount as low as one serving of a trigger food can cause a migraine. Since food has such a strong connection with migraines, following a pre-existing diet such as the Leptin diet, or planning your own meals according to certain conditions, is the best way to make sure that you avoid eating harmful foods.
Meal planning can keep a person from accidentally eating a trigger food. Many of the trigger foods can be hidden in other foods as additives. They can also have different names. For example, according to Paula Dumas, MSG can be called glutamic acid, monopotassium glutamate, or glutamate. MSG is also found in any food that has yeast extract.
Meal planning ahead of time allows you research foods that you intend to eat so that you won’t accidentally ingest something that will give you a migraine. Using pre-existing diet plans can aid in your meal-planning. Many diets cut out trigger foods for reasons of health or weight-loss. You could follow the diet plan or modify it to fit your needs.
Conclusion
Migraines can be a debilitating condition for many people. When considering how food can trigger migraines and how obesity can aggravate migraines, it is easy to see that meal-planning and healthy eating can reduce or even eliminate a person’s migraines.
By following the simple rules of a diet and carefully determining what goes on their plate, a person can achieve a migraine-free existence. Certain ingredients have the potential to activate the intense headache. Thus, avoiding them is the key towards a happier, healthier life.