Foods to Relieve Migraines

For people who suffer from migraines, every sight and sound can be like torture. Most people will do anything to feel relief from the intense pain and nausea. Thankfully, while some foods can cause migraines, such as chocolate, citrus fruit and alcohol, others can also help to relieve migraine symptoms. Adding these foods to your diet, or taking them as vitamin supplements, can help to reduce the intensity of migraine symptoms and also help to prevent the onset of migraines.

Spinach

Any food high in magnesium will help to alleviate migraines. Common factors that cause migraines, such as stress, alcohol intake and menstruation in women, do so because they use up the body's stores of magnesium, leaving us drained and in pain. Eating foods high in magnesium, such as spinach and other dark green vegetables, will restore balance in the body and leave you feeling better.

Relieve-Migraine-Headache.com estimates that 80 percent of migraine sufferers feel nauseated during their migraines, but only about 30 percent actually vomit. This unsettled stomach can cause intense discomfort, and in some cases is accompanied by dizziness and disorientation. It can even be worse than the pain. Ginger has long been known for its ability to soothe stomachs. Doctors recommend at least one gram of ginger per day if you suffer from nausea, especially due to headaches. Ginger can be found in its raw form, as a vitamin supplement, in tea and even in candy form.

According to BNET, a subsidiary of CBS Corp., a study done in Germany in 1996 found that a solution containing 10 percent of peppermint essential oil was as effective in curing headaches as 1,000 mg of acetaminophen, the ingredient in pain relievers such as Tylenol. Peppermint is also known for its ability to settle stomachs. Drink peppermint in tea, or use the essential oil to distill or to massage into the temples oil to help relieve migraine pain and nausea.

Consuming more fish, or adding a vitamin supplement of fish oil to your diet, can help to relieve and prevent migraines. The National Headache Foundation found that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and fish such as salmon, mackerel and trout, reduced the frequency and severity of migraine attacks, compared with a placebo used in the same study. They found that nine of the 15 subjects in the study showed a 40 to 50 percent reduction in severity and frequency. The foundation advises that two eight-ounce fish meals per week would supply the same amount of fatty acids used in this study.