Eating for Migraine Relief

By most accounts some 25 million Americans suffer from migraines. Physicians don't seem to know exactly what causes migraines, and they don't know how to prevent them. They have some theories. One of those theories is that vitamin and mineral deficiencies, particularly the vitamin riboflavin (vitamin B₂) and the mineral magnesium, may contribute to, or cause, some migraines.

There are two things that you can do to help reduce the number and severity of the migraines you get: Determine what triggers your migraines and avoid those triggers and increase your intake of magnesium and riboflavin.

Triggers

Different things tend to give people migraines. These are generally referred to as "triggers." Triggers can include:

• Alcohol
• The weather
• Chocolate
  
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Lack of sleep
• Lunchmeats and other foods high in nitrates and nitrites
• Perfumes or other strong smells
• Hormonal changes (like the monthly hormonal changes women go through and pre-menopause hormonal changes)

This is just a short list. The important thing is that you figure out whether or not there is a particular trigger (or triggers) for your migraines. You can do this by keeping a migraine diary (what you ate, did or experienced prior to the onset of your migraines). If you figure out there is something specific that triggers a migraine (and it can be multiple things), you can try to avoid the trigger(s) and reduce the number of migraines you experience.

Magnesium