General Recommendations for Reducing Migraines

Here are a few recommendations for reducing the frequency of migraine headaches:

Balance your blood sugar: Hypoglycemia can trigger a migraine. It's important to keep your blood sugar fairly steady. To avoid peaks and crashes minimize the refined carbohydrates in your diet and try to eat every few hours.

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Avoid food irritants: Food sensitivities have been implicated as contributors to migraine headaches. Foods most often cited as triggers for migraines are artificial sweeteners, caffeine, citrus fruits, salt, lactose, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and food additives. Birth control pills have also been noted among the list of potential triggers.

Avoid any foods to which you have a known or suspected sensitivity, such as lactose or gluten. If you are unsure of food sensitivity, try an elimination diet. This can be done one of two ways. You can remove one food at a time for at least 2 weeks and then bring it back into your diet, or try removing all possible food triggers from your diet for at least two weeks, then try eating one food at a time and see what happens.

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Note potential triggers: If you don't want to try an elimination diet, try keeping a food journal to help identify any possible triggers. 

Reduce your stress: Stress plays a large role in migraines. Studies have found that meditation can reduce symptoms of migraines. Try taking a walk, a warm bath, or just get outside and take a few deep breaths, if you feel stressed.

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Stay hydrated: Dehydration is a common cause of headaches.  Try to drink half your body weight in ounces daily. So if you weigh 140 pounds, that would be 70 ounces or roughly 8 cups of water. 

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Increase foods that are high in magnesium and calcium. These minerals help prevent and relieve headaches. Such foods include a variety of fruits and vegetables, brown rice, wheat bran, wheat germ and soy beans. One of my favorite websites for food sources is www.nutritiondata.self.com. You can enter the mineral or vitamin you want to increase in 

your diet, and this website will give you an extensive list.