Happy Thursday everyone!
Today we have a special guest blogger, Susan Conley from Cook The Stone, joining us. 🙂 Susan is an aspiring food blogger and Bee in DC reader! Be sure to check her blog out for recipes and healthy eating tips. I think you will find her post today very helpful and useful. Enjoy!
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Is a headache slowing you down? Treat the common health problem by eating any of
these foods that can help soothe a headache.
Suffering from a headache is one of life’s little annoyances. Don’t you just hate it
when a headache can ruin what is an otherwise great day? When a headache suddenly
strikes, what can you do to somehow manage the pain?
Why don’t you try to eat foods that are proven to help soothe headaches?
In this post, I will focus on foods that are capable of minimizing the discomfort caused
by headaches. Of course, these foods are only for occasional headaches. If you’ve been
suffering from chronic daily migraine, then it might be time to see a doctor.
Top foods to soothe a headache
Yogurt
Yogurt is not just a nutritious snack but can also serve as a quick fix for headaches. It is
loaded in riboflavin, a vitamin B complex that studies have shown to reduce the
number of migraine attacks in individuals who usually suffer from them.
So if you suddenly feel a throbbing pain in your head, grab a cup of yogurt in the
fridge. Just make sure that the yogurt isn’t spoiled!
Cherries
When I was younger, my mom used to say that cherries are enough to soothe a
headache. I just dismissed that as a baseless claim. But apparently, my mom was right.
Cherries contain quercetin, a compound that has anti-inflammatory properties. This can
enable your body to fight off sensitivity and pain. You may want to sip a glass of cherry
juice or consume some tart cherries if you have nagging headaches.
Watermelon
Dehydration is one of the potential reasons why you have a headache. According to
experts, fluid loss can cause the brain to temporarily contract or shrink. In turn, the
brain pulls away from the skull resulting in pain associated with migraines.
If dehydration is the cause of your headache, then eating watermelon can greatly help.
This water-rich fruit will rehydrate you and even provide potassium and magnesium.
The former is an ingredient typically found in painkillers. Magnesium, on the other
hand, is also used in medicines for curing menstrual-related migraines.
Potatoes
As mentioned earlier, potassium is a mineral that is usually used in many pain killers.
And potato is another food that is rich in potassium. So you should not be surprised
that potato is a type of food that experts say can help in treating headaches.
A headache caused by a hangover is particularly curable when you eat potatoes. You
can have baked potato to treat a migraine. Don’t remove the skin as it contains much of
the mineral. In fact, a serving of baked potato with skin has a whopping 721 milligrams
of potassium which is a lot higher than the 467 mg found in a banana.
Kale
This superfood has plenty of health benefits, including treating migraine. Like
watermelon, kale is packed with magnesium that can treat a migraine. Plus, it has
omega 3 fatty acids that can reduce inflammation and blood clotting which can reduce
pain and other migraine symptoms.
Aside from being super nutritious, kale is very much valued for its versatility. It can be
tossed into a salad, sautéed as a side dish, or whipped into a smoothie. If you have
time, you can also bake it as a chip or even mix it in a cocktail. This post can give you
more ideas on how to enjoy kale.
Spinach
Another leafy green that has been found effective in curing headaches, spinach is also
rich in magnesium. As I have mentioned earlier, magnesium has been proven to be
powerful enough to stop headaches. A cup of spinach has 24 milligrams of magnesium.
Spinach also contains vitamin B2. Similar to what riboflavin does to the body, vitamin
B2 has a calming effect on the brain and thus ease any pain that you may be suffering
from.
You can have a spinach salad dish for lunch or even as a mid-afternoon snack during
those days when headaches slow you down.
Almonds
Another magnesium-packed food comes in this list. An ounce of almonds contains 80
milligrams of magnesium, which basically explains why this food could treat nagging
pain caused by a headache.
You can eat almond as it is. Or you can use them as salad toppers, or grind them and
use as topping for pancakes or cereals.
Cantaloupe
This fruit is very similar to watermelon regarding nutrition profile. It is rich in both
water and potassium. This is thus a good remedy for headaches due to dehydration and
even high sodium.
Conclusion
Headaches can slow you down. The pain may be too much for you that it can prevent
you from performing well in school or at work. And it can cause you to get irritated.
But any of the foods I tackled above could help soothe a headache. The next time that
you feel pain in the head or neck, I suggest you try the foods I listed above.
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Thanks so much for sharing this post Susan! I look forward to working together again!
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