If you suffer from migraines, apart from other factors, certain food and beverages you eat or drink can also cause a headache. Learning about personal food triggers and making some dietary changes will help you prevent migraine attacks. Given below are some dietary tips to prevent migraines.

What to eat
A well-balanced and nutritious diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats is one of the dietary tips to prevent migraines. Include the following in your diet:

Foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, flaxseed, olive oil, and walnuts may help reduce migraines.

Fruits, vegetables, and legumes such as carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, quinoa, barley, figs, and bananas will keep you energized and prevent migraines.

Boosting carbs intake can help prevent migraines. Whole wheat bread and oatmeal are good options to increase the carbs.

Magnesium-rich foods such as almonds, cashews, dried apricots and leafy greens like kale and spinach will help in better managing migraines.

Calcium and Vitamin D from fortified products like dairy, soy milk, eggs, and orange juice.

For some people, even a little amount of coffee can help relieve migraine pain.

Ginger has a number of anti-inflammatory effects, and including ginger in your daily diet will help improve migraine symptoms.

Dehydration is also a major cause of migraine attacks. Drinking at least eight glasses of water and eating water-rich foods like watermelon will help reduce migraine attacks.

What to avoid
The foods listed below are the primary causes for triggering migraines. It is best to avoid them, as they contain substances not good for people prone to headaches and migraines. These important dietary tips to prevent migraines will help you live a healthier life.

Too much caffeine or cutting back suddenly can both be the reasons for your headache. Coffee, tea, cold drinks, sodas, and even chocolate can trigger a migraine.

One of the common culprits for triggering a headache is eating foods containing monosodium glutamate. This flavor enhancer is found in soy sauce and various canned vegetables and soups.

Chocolate also triggers migraine attacks in some people as it contains tyramine. Apart from these foods, one should stay away from the below listed foods in order to keep migraines at bay:

• Alcohol, especially red wine and beers
• Foods containing artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose
• Aged cheeses, which contain tyramine such as Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella
• Processed foods, which contain nitrates and nitrites, such as sausage, bacon, hot dogs
• High tyramine foods such as citrus fruits, fava beans, soy, kimchee, raw onions, and sauerkraut
• Cultured dairy products, which includes yogurt and sour cream
• Peanuts and peanut butter spreads
• Fresh baked yeast goods such as donuts, cakes, breads, and rolls.