Usually when a headache strikes, only thing you can think about is painkiller in busy day to day schedule. But did you know that certain foods may ease, and even prevent, headaches? Add these soothing foods to your shopping list and find out for yourself.
1. Baked Potatoes: The side you love with dinner could help soothe your aching head, especially if your headache is alcohol-related. Since alcohol is a diuretic, it can not only cause dehydration, but also cause you to lose electrolytes such as potassium. So eating potassium-rich foods can help to alleviate hangover-related headaches. Surprisingly, a baked potato (with the skin) is one of the most impressive sources of potassium, containing a whopping 721 mg. By comparison, a banana serves up 467 mg.
2. Watermelon: Dehydration is a major cause of headaches. So instead of popping a painkiller pill next time your headaches strikes, consider reaching for water-rich foods, like watermelon. The natural water contained in both fruits and vegetables contains essential minerals, like magnesium, that are key in headache prevention.
3. Coffee: For centuries coffee have been a remedy for headaches. Alcohol can cause blood vessels to expand, resulting into extreme headaches. Since the caffeine in coffee is a vasoconstrictor, it can help alleviate a headache by helping to reduce the size of the blood vessels but too much coffee could make matters worse. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which can increase dehydration and increase the severity of a headache. The bottom line: One cup of coffee may be helpful for decreasing hangover-related headaches, but drinking coffee throughout the day would not be the best choice for curing a headache.
4. Whole Grain Toast: Too little carbohydrates and you might bring on a headache so low-carb dieters beware. When you follow a low-carbohydrate diet, you begin to drain glycogen stores, which are a main source of energy to the brain. This also causes an increase in fluid losses from the body, which can trigger dehydration. By reducing energy to the brain and causing dehydration, these low-carbohydrate diets can trigger severe headaches. When one hits, consider reaching for healthy carbs foods items such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, fruit or yogurt.
Tip: A healthy boost of carbs may also improve your mood, as they help your body to release serotonin, the feel-good hormone.
5. Almonds: Magnesium found in almonds may protect your body from the brunt of a headache by relaxing blood vessels. Migraine sufferers may also experience relief by following a diet rich in magnesium. To increase your magnesium intake, try consuming magnesium-rich foods such as bananas, dried apricots, avocados, almonds, cashews, brown rice, legumes and seeds.
6. Spicy Salsa: it may sound so unusual, but spicy foods like salsa and hot peppers help’s in reducing headache only, if the headache is due to sinus congestion. Spicy foods may help to decrease congestion and open the airways, helping to decrease pressure and the accompanying headache.
7. Yogurt: When your head is pounding, your body may be calling out for calcium. The brain depends on calcium to function efficiently. Make sure you are consuming calcium-rich foods, like fat-free plain Greek yogurt, which is a great source of calcium, with no added sugars and beneficial probiotics for your gut.
8. Sesame Seeds: Sprinkle them on salads, in oatmeal or on top of soups and stir-fries. Sesame seeds are rich in vitamin E, which helps to stabilize estrogen levels and prevent migraines during your period. It also improves circulation, which helps prevent headaches. Plus Point: Sesame seeds are also rich in magnesium, which gives them added headache-preventing power.
9. Spinach Salad: Spinach has been shown to help decrease blood pressure, prevent hangovers and may help to alleviate headaches. Try using spinach leaves instead of lettuce for a headache-preventing power salad.