Your skull is pounding like crazy right now? These foods for headaches work quickly and naturally!
Unpleasant pulling at the temples or the annoying throbbing at the forehead - popular complaint number one? Clearly headaches. Millions of people, or one in four Germans to be precise, suffer regularly from headaches and migraines.
Headaches always come when you need them the least. They rob us of our last nerve and force us to take a seat on the sofa, contorted in pain.
Pain in the head can range from a slight pulling sensation to a nasty twinge to an enormous feeling of pressure. It becomes extremely annoying when you are regularly afflicted by them.
Can you fight headaches with nutrition? That's a question you ask yourself at the latest when you're lying really flat again and can hardly move.
The good answer is: Yes, you can do something about it. Certain foods work against headaches while others actually promote the pain.
We'll now tell you why you shouldn't reach for a painkiller straight away, but rather for a date when your head is buzzing again.
Just eat away the pain? That sounds almost too good to be true. But it's not, because there are foods against headaches and we introduce you to the delicious helpers now.
Table of contents
The top 5 foods for headaches
Your head is pounding again? Then pack your tablet again. We present you directly the top 5 foods that can relieve headaches. They are the tastiest first aiders we know.
For those who have little time to read and a severe headache, here come the top 5:
- Coffee
- Dried fruit
- Bananas
- Mineral water
- Whole grain
Why this is so and how these foods help against headaches, you will now learn.
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What nutrients have a beneficial effect on headaches
It is indeed a fact that certain nutrients have an effect on the brain's performance. An adequate supply of vitamins and minerals can alleviate or prevent headaches.
Also Magnesium stimulates the performance of our gray cells. It provides higher performance of our brain and vitamin B2 helps it to build neural pathways.
In this regard, foods rich in magnesium should be on the menu if you are prone to headaches. These include:
- Wheat bran
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Flaxseed*
- Sesame
- Almonds
and many more.
Vitamin B plays a special role in headaches. It stimulates the formation of neurotransmitters and nerve pathways, which, among other things, improve concentration and memory and can have a positive effect on your sleep.
Our body needs it for the formation of messenger substances and neurotransmitters. Foods with a lot of B vitamins have an effect on our concentration and also on memory. They also have a positive effect on our sleep and nerves.
Using vitamin B foods for headaches is also a good idea because they are involved in regulating the pressure of the vessels. Anything that dilates the vessels and keeps them at a normal size works against the throbbing in the head.
Vitamin B2 is said to have a very special effect on headaches.
You can find it in
- Yeast
- dried mushrooms
- Almonds
- Soybeans
- or rye
And also complex carbohydrates can prevent painful headaches, as they balance our energy levels and prevent a drop in blood sugar.
You should therefore, if possible, not only make sure that you eat regularly, but also what. Consciously choose foods that provide you with necessary nutrients and energy. In this way, you can prevent headaches with food in no time.
You realize there's a lot to consider when it comes to food and annoying head buzzes!
The best foods for headaches
And since you surely want to know more foods for your culinary routine, we now show you the top 9 foods that can help with migraines and headaches.
A lack of nutrients can cause a really painful thunderstorm in the head. The next time you have a thunderstorm in your head, a trip to the kitchen can be very helpful.
So: a diet with the following foods can relieve headaches.
Headaches are a symptom of sugar withdrawal!
Whole grains as a preventive measure for headaches
When your brain gets too little energy, it is annoyed. This shows itself, among other things, through headaches.
So you should keep your blood sugar level constant and supply the brain with energy over a longer period of time. Unlike white flour products, which can easily spike your blood sugar level, whole grains keep it constant through complex carbohydrates.
In addition to the helpful carbohydrates, whole grains also provide minerals such as calcium and magnesium or vitamins such as vitamin B2.
So we recommend you rye, oats and brown rice in any form and color as food against headache.
Mmhh yummy: treat yourself to these DIY whole wheat rolls!
Coffee against headache
Who would have thought it: coffee is a time-tested home remedy for headaches! The rather exotic mixture with a fresh lemon stimulates blood circulation and can thus be an effective helper.
The caffeine stimulates your blood circulation and can thus relieve headaches. In addition, it also pushes the performance. However, these positive effects last rather for a short time.
Coffee junkies also react with a headache from time to time when the coffee pleasure is missing. I have to admit, I know this all too well. So it's no big surprise that coffee can also provide relief for caffeine withdrawal headaches. So coffee is a food for headaches that works especially well for those who rarely indulge in a cup.
But remember: Coffee dehydrates. So be sure to drink a glass of water afterwards!
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Dried fruit as food against headache
Dates are representative of dried fruit here. They are small and sweet and a real solution in the problem headache.
Dates are pretty packed with fructose, but still full of vitamins B and C, magnesium and iron. That's pretty good for our head.
The real miracle, however, is salicylic acid, which you can also find in raisins and dried apricots. Never heard of it? There's nothing wrong with that.
Salicylic acid is the same active ingredient used in aspirin. Dates are therefore a natural remedy for headaches.
However, you should enjoy the sugar bombers only in moderation. The calorie content is unfortunately quite high.
This DIY lavender cream helps with head hummers!
Mineral water for headaches
Not a big secret, but a big problem is lack of water. I am also one of those people who repeatedly drink too little. And that is unfortunately not good at all!
So don't take an example from me, do better. Headaches are very often due to dehydration.
If there is too little fluid in our organism, the cells are insufficiently supplied with oxygen. And with a flick of the wrist, headaches and migraines begin.
Just two percent too little fluid in the body weakens our concentration. So drink, drink, drink! We should definitely drink two to three liters of water a day.
I always try to pour myself a glass of water directly so that I don't just take a quick sip. It can also help if you always put a glass of water in your field of vision as a reminder.
Mineral water gives the body additional important minerals.
This is what happens when you don't drink enough!
Potatoes for headaches
Similar to whole grains, the principle also works with potatoes. The high proportion of carbohydrates in this vegetable keeps your energy balance balanced. It also prevents a rapid drop in blood sugar.
The yellow tubers have many beneficial properties on the organism. Potatoes provide, among other things, vitamins A, C and B6 and potassium.
Nuts & Co.
Who doesn't like to snack on a handful of nuts in the evening on the sofa? Almonds, walnuts or cashews are a good choice if you want to get rid of headaches.
Healthy fatty acids and a high dose of magnesium are particularly effective against the annoying pain in the head. Magnesium in particular is a wonder weapon against recurring headaches.
It also inhibits the release of stress hormones. Eat nuts and simply switch off the head.
With this still not enough. The small handful of nuts can be enough to prevent the unpleasant cranial hum.
Bananas make the head happy
The yellow happiness hormone can put an end to headaches. The well-known happiness hormone serotonin not only makes us happy, but also regulates the tension in the blood vessels.
The lack of serotonin can be a cause of annoying headaches. In addition, bananas contain particularly high levels of trytophaan, a precursor of serotonin.
You see, bananas are super tasty and can be an effective food against headaches. A good food that can really do something!
Omega-3 fat from fish
Healthy fatty acid can be a huge help with headaches but especially migraines!
Fatty fish such as tuna, salmon or herring have a high omega-3 content. This fatty acid is vital for your organism and has a hand in many processes in the body.
Furthermore, it also has an anti-inflammatory effect. Especially this aspect can help with headaches. The vitamin D contained in the fish additionally even improves this effect.
Ginger as a home remedy for headaches
You probably know ginger as a home remedy for colds, hoarseness and coughs. It can strengthen the immune system and regularly ends up in my teacup in the winter.
Ginger can work wonders even if your skull is really buzzing again. The pungent root can prevent vessels in the brain from dilating.
Prostaglandins, hormones that play a major role in mediating pain, are produced in reduced amounts. Prostaglandins can dilate brain vessels. This can lead to pressure in the head and also to headaches.
More importantly, ginger can inhibit the release of substances that cause pain or swelling.
In addition to the traditional ginger-lemon tea, I can also recommend the following recipe:
- Grind 1 cm long piece of ginger.
- Mix it with 200 milliliters of your favorite juice. I like to use mutlivitamin juice for this.
- Drink the mix in one gulp.
You don't like the taste of ginger? Then we also have a solution for you.
You need to crush a ginger root and put it in a screw-top jar with pure alcohol. Put so much alcohol on it until the ginger is completely covered.
Leave this mixture in a cool and dark place for two weeks, shaking it several times a day.
After the two weeks, strain the small ginger pieces out of the liquid and bottle it. With a swish, you're ready to go!
For headaches, you can put few drops of this tincture on your fingertips and massage it on your forehead or temples.
Or, if you prefer, you can simply cut open a fresh ginger bulb and add it to the tap water. After about 30 minutes of infusion, the drink is ready.
Cherries work for pain in the head
If it's cherry season, you should really savor it. The sweet red fruits contain a compound that is converted into nitric oxide. This makes your muscles and blood vessels dilate.
And this, in turn, causes blood pressure to drop, which often causes headaches. The red pigment in cherries, the anthocyanins, are said to additionally help against pain.
The darker the cherries, the stronger the effect.
Garlic as food against headache
Garlic keeps away not only vampires, but also the grumpy head. The bulb lowers cholesterol, improves blood circulation, relieves fatigue and stimulates digestion.
Also, garlic has a blood thinning effect, which means it can fight headaches. If you're not sensitive and don't have a date tonight, you should eat two cloves of raw garlic. Feel free to cut them up small and put them on your salad, it's a little easier that way.
Yogurt and kefir as home remedies
Those who are prone to headaches should always have a cup of natural yogurt in the refrigerator. Natural yogurt and kefir without additives improve the absorption of magnesium. Add some dried fruit and nuts to your yogurt and you've got yourself the perfect anti-headache meal.
Oregano tea soothes the buzzing head
Most people only know oregano as a pizza seasoning. But the herb has a lot to offer. It contains many essential oils, including carvacrol. This oil has an analgesic effect and can soothe stinging headaches.
Oregano is most effective when you mix the leaves with hot water and make a tea from it.
How eating behavior can influence headaches
When we suffer from headaches, we want quick help and relief. Often, even small things can help to reduce the discomfort.
Of course, diet is also important, because you can improve everyday symptoms just by eating regularly.
Our brain has to work all day long. So it's no wonder that it wants to be supplied with enough energy. If you forget a meal or skip it (diet or fasting), you annoy your brain by denying it important nutrients and energy.
A regular rhythm can reduce headaches. This applies to your everyday life, but especially to your diet.
Approximately every two hours, you should eat foods that your body can consume for a long time and that keep the blood sugar level constant. This is how you can prevent headaches with food.
Take plenty of time for your snacks. Stress is probably one of the best-known triggers for headaches. Eat in peace and also switch off sometimes.
When a change in diet can help
There are foods that can promote headaches. These include, above all, those that drive up blood sugar levels and then quickly drop them again.
The classic examples of this are white flour and household sugar. If you consume a lot of it, it may taste delicious at first, but you get the bill for it in the form of a headache.
For some people, a special diet can help. However, you also need to know that headaches are very rarely caused by an allergy or even triggered by food.
Some foods are considered triggers for headaches. These include chocolate, cheese, citrus fruits and chocolate. In fact, they can promote headaches. If so, an intolerance to histamine or tyramine is usually behind it.
If you suspect that some foods are triggering your headache, then you should keep a food diary. In it, you'll write down everything you've just eaten and you'll be able to see a pattern. It's just as important that you note how bad your headache turned out to be. By the way, there are also great apps for this, which support you in recognizing a connection.
Our conclusion
There are many foods for headaches. The selection is varied and rich in good nutrients. Instead of reaching for a pill the next time you have a headache, you can first take a look at what your kitchen has to offer.
Drinking enough is the be-all and end-all for headaches. And such a delicious fruit salad with dates and bananas sounds super tasty, right?
If you regularly have severe headaches, you should of course talk to your family doctor about it.
Get well soon!
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