Diet gun

 

Migraines are a clinically recognized condition that affects 8-20% of the population.

Factors associated with migraines include hereditary monoamine oxidase (MAO) deficiency, stress, unbalanced diet, skipping meals, crash diets, hormonal changes (which is why women suffer more), changes in sleep habits or lack of sleep, jet lag, and certain medications.

Approximately 15% of migraine cases are due to a food intolerance.

It is known that during a migraine attack, the concentration of serotonin in the blood decreases, resulting in the release of substances called neuropeptides, which cause headaches.

Serotonin plays a key role in many physical and psychological functions such as mood management (high levels of serotonin are associated with good mood and well-being, while low levels are associated with depression, anxiety and stress), sleep regulation, concentration and learning (it helps a lot at high levels), appetite and digestion.

High levels of histamine, tyramine, phenylethylamine, glutamate, aspartame, caffeine, sulfites – nitrates can also cause migraines. They have been linked to the release of chemicals that can cause varying degrees of vasodilation or vasoconstriction, resulting in migraines.

The types of foods that contain the above ingredients and should be avoided are the following:

1. Cold cuts, sausages and other processed meats that contain nitrates and tyramine

2. Dairy products and especially mature cheeses, such as blue cheese, parmesan, cheddar and roquefort due to the large amount of tyramine they contain

3. Salted fish such as sardines, anchovies, herring, cod due to the tyramine they contain

4. Chocolate, nuts, soy foods, vinegar due to the Phenylethylamine they contain

5. Processed foods due to the addition of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to them

6. Artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame and sucralose

7. Alcoholic beverages because they increase histamine

8. Coffee and caffeinated beverages, such as tea

9. Tomatoes and tomato Sauce because of glutamic acid

10. Foods that increase histamine

Foods that help produce serotonin WITHOUT causing or affecting migraines are the following:

Chicken, turkey, green vegetables.

In the The Mindful Migraine blog you can find many helpful articles about migraine like, Mindfulness for migraines, Swimming for migraines, Daily persistent headaches(a summary of another fascinating interview from the World Migraine Summit) and much more.