Not now...I've Got a Headache.

Bite This: According to relieve-migraine-headache.com (I cannot make this up), 303 million people worldwide suffer from migraines. A 2004 article stated that there are almost 20 million migraine attacks each day. (They could be making this up.)

Speaking of being stressed out in my last post - let's talk about migraines. Why not? It's the holiday season and migraines commonly accompany the jolly season. In fact, as I write this, I, myself, have a headache. Not a migraine though. It may be the wine I am drinking, but just saying...
Migraines - they are their own pain in the ass. They are much different from regular headaches like the one I currently have. Personally I have never experienced a migraine. However, migraines have still had a big impact on my life as my father has experienced migraines so frequently and so painful that they have made him sick to his stomach. In fact, migraines are a huge part of my dad's life and have prevented him from being able to enjoy certain activities - like drinking red wine knowing he'll feel fine tomorrow.
There was a recent article about how migraines may actually be caused by a magnesium deficiency. There are several other theories about what causes migraines, but seeing as I am a dietitian and interested in the nutrition aspect, I will specifically discuss food and vitamins and minerals in association with migraines.
Researchers have thought that certain foods may trigger migraines and one who is experiencing such gut-wrenching pain should avoid these foods. The list includes:

• chocolate
• aged cheeses 
• nitrates (in some meats including pepperoni, salami, hotdogs...)
• peanuts and peanut butter
• gluten (any wheat, rye or barley product)
• MSG (a flavor enhancer found in a lot of chinese and processed foods)
• tyramine (found in aged cheeses, red wine, smoked fish and some beans)
• some fruits
• dairy products
• onions 
• dairy foods

So, according to this list, sounds like it could be caused by a food allergy? And if you avoid all of these foods, you would be eating...pretty much nothing other than vegetables and oatmeal and rice.  Or according to a recent article, you may just have a magnesium deficiency. 

As discovered in a 2006 census by the World Health Organization, most Americans are magnesium deficient. This is serious. Mainly because magnesium is responsible for over 300 metabolic processes in the human body. Without magnesium, muscle and nerve functions are compromised. (Hey, dad, while writing this, I learned that a magnesium deficiency is also linked to bowel disease. - PS I can write specific notes to people in my blog since I only have 10 followers.)

According to a recent article, migraine sufferers have been found to have a relative magnesium deficiency in their bloodstream in between migraine attacks, and magnesium levels drop even further during migraine attacks. Researchers believe that we are deficient in magnesium because magnesium was found in a diet that was common thousands of years ago - nuts, seeds and grains. Apparently because this was a common diet, our bodies did not evolve the ability to store magnesium. Now fast food and other processed foods have taken over and we have become magnesium deficient. 

So, people, increase your magnesium!! Foods that are high in magnesium include:

• nuts (like peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts - wait, what? don't peanuts trigger migraines? Only if you have a peanut allergy, I guess...) (PS - Dad, maybe you should avoid peanuts and peanut butter? Your daily peanut butter and honey sandwich may actually be the trigger, not the gluten. - Don't judge me people, I can write notes to my dad on my own blog because you're certainly not reading it....)
• and pretty much everything else that has been known to trigger migraines  - chocolate, beans, yogurt
• but also -brown rice, green leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach
• potatoes, sweet potatoes
• milk
• pumpkin seeds
• acorn squash

This is becoming too long of a post to be considered a "post." So I'll end it here.  Something useful out of this post - if you are suffering from stomach issues, headaches or any other illness...keep a food diary. Yes, it is tedious and it sucks, but it can tell you a lot. I truly believe that pretty much all of our ailments are due to genetics and poor diet/nutrition or food allergy. Our bodies have not adapted to this fast food, processed food, chemically enhanced world we now live in. 

Sound bite: This week, being Thanksgiving and all, see if you can find your migraine trigger. Or just try to eat more magnesium-containing foods.