Many migraine and headache sufferers avoid certain foods or groups of foods that may trigger headaches. While this is important, it’s critical to take a few steps back and start from the beginning: eating healthfully.
One of the most common food triggers for migraineurs is skipping meals and/or skimping on the quality of meals. Commonly, people will eat no (or very little) breakfast, followed by a catch-as-you-can lunch, then a big supper and nighttime snacking. Because of the heavy evening intake, they aren’t hungry the next morning—and so the pattern continues.
People with a threshold for migraine are often sensitive to variations in blood sugar levels and food deprivation in general. So, while healthy eating is good for all, it is critical in migraine prevention.
Follow these tips to healthy eating:
- Eat three regular meals per day.
- Eat meals with a good protein source to help you feel fuller longer. Protein sources can be red meat, poultry or fish, but can also include dairy, eggs, or nuts/dried beans or legumes (e.g., tofu or nut butters).
- Avoid meals loaded with sugar and without much protein (e.g., donuts and sweet tea), which may give you a temporary lift but get digested quickly and generally lead to rebound hunger.
- For some, eating six small meals (or three meals and three snacks) is necessary to avoid hunger headaches. If you fall in that category, just make sure your meals are small enough to compensate for the calories in the snacks and also be sure to include some protein with all six meals.
Do you experience head pain when you skip meals or eat unhealthy? What tips do you have to avoid the hunger headache? Try trigger-free recipes from the blog for another way to avoid the hunger headache and eat healthfully.
Leslee Carver, RD, MSPH, LDN, is clinical nutrition manager at Saint Joseph Hospital, Provena Health-Resurrection Health Care in Chicago.
