Headaches can be debilitating, and if you suffer with them frequently, you’ll be pleased to know that you can improve matters by altering what you eat and drink.
Eliminating toxins, or targeting certain vitamins and minerals can give your body the boost it needs to feel better. While some foods can cause allergy or sensitivity in some people, resulting in headaches, other foods can help to prevent them.
So add these foods to your shopping basket next time you’re in the supermarket.
Potatoes in their jackets, or baked potatoes, are a great source of potassium. If you’re prone to headaches when you’re dehydrated, then you’ll be losing electrolytes, all-important because the brain needs them to function effectively. Eating a potato with its skin on will boost your potassium intake. Bananas do the same thing to a slightly lesser extent.
Bananas are wonderful if you have a stubborn headache that has been around for a while. Containing magnesium, they will relax your blood vessels and ease the pain in your head while potassium will help you rehydrate, and prevent nausea and muscle fatigue. That’s why athletes love them!
Watermelon, and other water-rich foods such as berries, cucumber and grapes, are also great for headaches caused by dehydration. Not only do watermelons contain plenty of water, they also have magnesium, and other essential minerals and these will help to prevent headaches.
Speaking of cucumber, how about a salad to ease your pounding headache? All kinds of salad leaves such as lettuce and spinach contain high levels of water and fibre, which will help replenish the levels in your body and make you feel better in no time. For salads with a higher level of nutrient, try romaine lettuce rather than iceberg, or butter lettuce or escarole,
If you find salad a little bland, add some salsa too it! Spicy foods can help you recover form a headache quite quickly, particularly if your headache is thanks to a cold, flu or other virus. Sinus congestion responds well to spicy foods, by opening up the airways and giving you the space to breathe. If it isn’t really the season for salad, indulge yourself in a nice hot chili or curry. Chili powder is packed with vitamin E, that relaxes the blood vessels, and this provides relief for your headache.
A nasty headache can sometimes be your body calling out for calcium. As adults we do tend to avoid calcium rich diets, and yet the brain needs it to function efficiently. Calcium-rich foods, include fat-free plain Greek yogurt (which has no added sugars and yes contains beneficial probiotics for your gut). Add berries or bananas for a headache busting breakfast or snack.
Combine yoghurt, bananas, berries or watermelon with ice, honey and ginger and hey presto! You’ve conjured up a headache antidote that’s both delicious and good for you.
Strange as it may seem, coffee can help to alleviate headaches too! You have to consume it in small quantities, but the caffeine found in coffee is a vasoconstrictor. This means it reduces the size of your blood vessels which then soothes your headache. Too much caffeine will act as a diuretic, meaning you need the loo more, and you’ll become dehydrated which can increase your head pain symptoms.
Load up on the carbs if you want to prevent a headache. Many dieters find they experience headaches when they cut carbs out of their diet. This is because a low-carbohydrate diet, depletes your glycogen stores, a main source of energy for the brain. This depletion will increase fluid losses from the body too, leading to dehydration and that triggers headaches. Choose healthy carbs, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, fruit or yogurt. Even better – carbs boost your serotonin, the feel-good hormone, so you’ll feel happier.
The magnesium in some nuts, such as almonds can prevent headaches. Almonds are high in tryptophan, an amino acid that helps release serotonin, making you feel good, and they also contain magnesium, which will relax your muscles and blood vessels and help to alleviate tension headaches.
Seeds such as quinoa are an excellent solution to your headache. Quinoa is high in magnesium and is a great benefit for women suffering from menstrual migraines. Sesame seeds also have their uses. You can sprinkle them on salads, in breakfast cereal or on top of your soups and stir-fries because they are rich in vitamin E, which can help to stabilize oestrogen levels and prevent migraines.
Diets high in healthy fats will help to relieve chronic headaches. Salmon, for example, contains a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation and cure your sore head. Or you can try olive oils, avocado, and other fish products such as sardines. Fish contain naturally occurring anti-inflammatory and nerve protecting benefits, which reduce the frequency and pain of headaches.
As nice as it is for a person to celebrate New Year, it's not so nice for a dog, especially when the loud fireworks go off the whole night. This is really frightening for many dogs. Read our 7 tips on how you can help your dog with his fear of fireworks.
Can we learn from our mistakes and develop a stronger, healthier emotional bondwith our kids? To help you identify your weak spots, we’ve rounded up some of the most common mistakes parents make.
We all want to be successful but many of us find the path to achieving our dreams is blocked by our fear of failure. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, go backpacking around the world or start up a new business, you need to accept that you might fail many times over before you achieve success.
Sometimes it’s hard to notice when we've become trapped in familiar routines. Take our quiz to find out if you’re stuck in a rut and what you can do about it.
Read the complete article
No one knows what the future holds, so don't waste time and energy worrying about it. Read our tips and find out how to stop being afraid of what might never happen.
Read the complete article
After 25 years in the Bach flower world, we asked ourselves, is now the right time for our own new name? Not only have we grown, but so have you, along with the confidence you have in us. That's why we want to connect ourselves to our own name. That name is Mariepure.
What can you do if your kid doesn't want to go back to school? Here are our hints and tips to help if your child is expressing a refusal to go to school.
When you think about things that will make you happy, what are the images that come to mind? Wealth, beauty, a dream house, long holidays, a top of the range car? Happiness is not a constant and how happy we feel depends on the way we choose to live our lives.
Feel like you overthink too much? Having a hard time making decisions? Or feel like you don’t consider your options enough? Find out how to strike a balance.
Read some tips to get the challenge you're thinking about out of the way. Now is the time to do something, you can start right now. Read on to know more!
Read the complete article
Are you unsure which Bach flowers can help you? Contact Tom for free advice.
