Migraine-fighting Foods

Debilitating pain, tight pressure, feeling like your head is going to explode. Migraine headaches can take a girl down for days. While certain foods are notorious for triggering these crippling headaches, others might actually help fight the battle.

While these foods won’t cure your headaches, they might reduce their frequency. One other side benefit? They’re healthy!

5 Foods That Help Fight Headaches

Add these foods to your regular diet:

• Water and/or low-fat milk – Stay hydrated; dehydration is a major migraine trigger
• Cantaloupe — A good source of magnesium, which regulates blood sugar levels
• Cherries — Contain anti-inflammatory compounds that have a similar effect to taking aspirin or ibuprofen
• Fatty fish (salmon, tuna) — Vitamins B6 and B12, folic acid and Omega-3 all help headaches

Keep in mind that just like figuring out which foods to avoid, sorting through which ones can help involves some trial and error.

When to Call the Doctor

If your migraine pain sticks around for more than 48 hour, gets increasingly worse or causes blurred vision or progressive numbness or weakness in your arms or legs, let your doctor know. If you have chronic migraines (15 headaches a month for at least three months), Botox, the popular injectable wrinkle reducer, could bring you relief. Read Botox Revolutionizes Migraine Treatment, opens new tab, featuring Steven Kosa, MD, opens new tab.