Headache it can be an annoying travel companion who gets up with us in the morning and does not abandon us until the end of the day. There are different types, caused by various factors, including the stress, the lack of sleep or eye strain. Even nutrition can play an important role: some foods contain substances that can trigger it (in this case it is migraine, pulsating pain and localized in one part of the head), others can instead relieve the pain.

The foods to avoid

Assuming that each of us is sensitive differently to the influence of nutrition on headaches, there are different foods and substances from which anyone should stay away to dodge headaches. First of all thealcohol, which accelerates the blood flow and releases harmful toxins: a prolonged headache is not by chance the most frequent memory of an evening with a high alcohol content. But to increase the pressure also contribute tyramine and phenylethylamine: we must not therefore exaggerate with aged cheeses, yogurt and sausages. Salami and red meat are also a source of nitrates, preservatives capable of stimulating headaches. A little surprise, also attention to chocolate: cocoa is a concentrate of histamine, which has more or less the same effect. To be taken in small doses monosodium glutamate: a substance that abounds in kitchen nuts, in the soy sauce (very common in oriental cuisine) and in cheeses. Net of sudden headaches caused by the ingestion of cold food (better to drink water at room temperature and eat ice cream slowly), a good advice related to nutrition is to never skip breakfast nor remain fasting for a long time: it is often the lack of glucose in the blood that causes pain.

Allies against headaches

In contrast, eating certain foods can help fight the symptoms of headaches. It starts from potatoes (better if you eat with the peel): i complex carbohydrates they generally promote nerve relaxation by releasing serotonin and long-range energy, while the potassium it's great for blood vessels. As well as the magnesium, which together with salicin makes the almonds one of the best natural remedies for headache. Acts also against pain chili pepper, thanks to capsaicin, le bananas, i spinach and i flax and sesame seeds. But the real panacea in these situations is ginger, a spice used since ancient times as an analgesic: an infusion or a toffee can have the same effects as traditional medicines. It is also important to drink a lot: a liter and a half of water a day, associated with the consumption of fruit is vegetable fresh, keeps dehydration away, one of the main causes of headaches.

Coffee, but not too much

Coffee, on the other hand, is a double-edged sword, because it can fall into both categories: caffeine is in fact a prompt remedy capable of reducing the pain caused by the headache, but at the same time, if taken in large quantities, it causes addiction. Drinking more than three coffees a day can therefore have the opposite effect and cause painful withdrawal headaches when the appointment with the espresso is skipped.