Migraine Headache Diet

Some migraine sufferers have an abnormality of blood-sugar regulation known as reactivehypoglycemia. In these people, improvement in the frequency and/or severity of migraines resulted from dietary changes designed to control the blood sugar. For the treatment of reactive hypoglycemia, many healthcare practitioners recommend strict avoidance of refined sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, and eating small, frequent meals (such as six times per day).

Migraines can be triggered by allergies and may be relieved by identifying and avoiding the problem foods. Uncovering these food allergies with the help of a doctor is often a useful way to prevent migraines. In children suffering migraines who also have epilepsy, there is evidence that eliminating offending foods will also reduce the frequency of seizures.

Some people who suffer from migraines also react to salt, and reducing intake of salt is helpful for some of these people. Some people with migraines have been reported to improve after removing all cows’ milk protein from their diet. The presence of lactose intolerance was found to be a strong predictor of improvement in that study. In addition, some migraine sufferers have an impaired capacity to break down tyramine, a substance found in many foods that is known to trigger migraines in some people. People with this defect are presumably more sensitive than others to the effects of tyramine. Ingestion of the artificial sweetener, aspartame, has also been reported to trigger migraines in a small proportion of people. ...