15 Foods That Will Relieve Headaches

Sufferers of headaches know just how debilitating they can be. Headaches occur in millions of individuals across the country, and they have a mirad of different causes. The consumption of different foods can be the cause and the cure of headaches. Food allergies and sensitivities are a leading cause of headaches and migraines. The symptoms of headaches and migraines are not only pain, but can include vertigo, fatigue, malaise, and auditory and visual auras. Auras are a change in perception that can accompany severe headaches.

Individuas who suffer severe headaches and migraines may find themselves bedridden from the pain. A condition called chronic migraines sees sufferers in pain more than 50% of the time. There are a variety of medications available to treat headaches, but some people find that medication does not lessen the severity of their pain. Alternative treatments include lifestyle changes, stress management, and dietary changes. Improper nutrition can easily be the cause of a headache. 

Here are 15 foods that could relieve your headache and get you back to feeling good in no time:

1. Salad

If you wake up with a pounding headache from partying too hard from the night before, your pain may be in part from dehydration. One great meal to make to help rehydrate yourself is salad. Lettuce leaves are high in water and fiber, which will make your body feel great. Iceberg lettuce has a high water content but low level of nutrients, so consider a blend of different lettuce types.

2. Coffee

In moderation, coffee can be a great fix for a pounding headache. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, which means it can reduce the size of blood vessels. In excess, this can cause a headache. However, one cup of coffee could help tame a difficult migraine. If your headache is caused by seasonal allergies, coffee will have an even greater effect. Coffee can reduce the release of histamine in your blood, which will calm allergic reactions and save your head from pounding pain.

3. Bananas

Bananas are a great food to eat when trying to relieve a stubborn headache. They are high in magnesium, which can relax your blood vessels and ease head pain. They are also high in potassium, which is an essential part of your electrolyte balance. A night of heavy drinking can leave you with a painful hangover and you may need to replace your lost electrolytes due to dehydration.

4. Spicy Foods

If seasonal allergies or the flu have your head pounding, try snacking on spicy foods. Consuming spicy foods can relieve congestion, which will reduce sinus pressure and open up your airways. Chili powder is also packed with vitamin E. This nutrient can relax your blood vessels, helping give relief to a sore head. Vitamin E supplements pills can cause headaches, so consult with your doctor before taking high doses of this vitamin.

5. Bread

Whole grain bread is a great food for people suffering with headaches or migraines. The unprocessed grains release carbohydrates slower than white bread, which can replenish your physical energy. If you have started a new diet, headaches can be common as your body gets used to its new fuel sources. Remember to consume healthy carbohydrates for complete nutritional health. Some simple toast with butter could be the ticket to a pain free head.

6. Potatoes 

Enjoy your potatoes with their skin on for the best headache relief. The skin of a large potato is packed with potassium. Potassium deficiencies are very common, with the majority of people never reaching their daily recommended levels of the vitamin. A diet with excess salt can further exacerbate the problem. Enjoy potatoes, with their skin, as a potassium rich food for easy headache care.

7. Yogurt

Having a snack high in calcium can help relax your body and take care of a sore head. Low calcium levels can cause painful headaches, so make sure you are consuming your daily recommended doses of this vital nutrient. Yogurt is a delicious way to get a boost of calcium. Look for 0% fat Greek varieties for one of the healthiest yogurt available. Yogurt with berries for breakfast would be an ideal way to start battling a tough hangover.

8. Almonds

Start helping your sore head by eating a handfull of almonds. This healthy snack is high in tryptophan, an amino acid that helps release serotonin, the feel good brain chemical. Turkey is another great option for consuming this amino acid. Almonds are also full of magnesium, which can relax your muscles and blood vessels. Physical pain and mental stress can cause tension headaches, which would benefit from consuming extra magnesium.

9. Watermelon

Watermelon is a delicious way to quickly rehydrate and consume healthy sugars. Watermelon has a very high water content, thus its name. You can enjoy watermelon cut up, frozen, or blended into drinks. Dehydration can quickly cause a pounding headache so if you find it difficult to drink enough water throughout the day, try snacking on high water fruits and vegetables. This is especially importent in the summer months when heatstroke is a danger.

10. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are high in vitamin B2, also called riboflavin. This nutrient is importent in making celular energy. Riboflavin deficiencies can occur due to poor diet or genetic predisposition. Eating a diet high in B2 can help relieve and prevent headaches. Mushrooms have high levels of riboflavin, along with broccoli and spinach. Many cereals also come fortified with B2.

11. Salmon

Diets high in healthy fats have been shown to help relieve chronic headaches. Salmon contains a large amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation and stop a sore head. Other healthy fats include olive oils, avocado, and other fish products. Sardines are a great option. Some studies have found that regularly consuming olive oil can reduce the number of headaches, the length they last, and the severity of the pain.

12. Cucumber

Prevent getting headaches in the first place by drinking water throughout the day. Cucumbers are a great high water vegetable that can quickly rehydrate a sore body. If you’re battling a painful hangover, make a green smoothie to start your day. Blend together cucumber, apples, and spinach for a high water, high nutrient drink. Other high water foods include berries, tomatoes, and celery.

13. Liver

Beef liver is very high in vitamin B3, also known as niacin. Slight deficiencies of niacin can cause pounding headaches and migraines. Niacin is a water soluble vitamin, which means that you can eat it in excess without worries of overdoses. Enjoy liver as an entree, sausages, or as pâté. Liver fried with onions is a popular home style dish served at diner restaurants. This healthy food is also high in B6, B12, folate, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K.

14. Quinoa

This health food is a popular new food on the market. Quinoa is a seed, not a grain, which means it’s high in protein and relatively low in carbohydrates. Quinoa is also high in magnesium. This nutrient is of great benefit to women suffering from menstrual migraines. Other foods high in magnesium include sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, and brown rice.

15. Spinach

Spinach is a powerhouse of migraine relief. It has been shown to reduce blood pressure, which can prevent chronic headaches. It can also help tame a killer hangover. Spinach is also high in magnesium. This leafy green has a high water content, which can help with dehydration or hangovers. Enjoy this vegetable raw in a salad or lightly cooked. Overcooking this green could destroy some of the beneficial nutrients.

Read More

6 Foods To Help Boost Your Metabolism

Processed foods filled with chemicals and calories are not going to help you reach your weight-loss goals. 

Who has time to cook these days? Our fast-paced lives has made many of us resort to drive-thrus, frozen dinners, and other processed foods that offer our bodies very little nutritional value. While you may not be able to promise me you'll start preparing home-cooked meals daily, you can certainly start making an effort to eliminate all of those unhealthy foods from your diet and replace them with some of the following six power nutrients. Not only are they healthy and nutritious, but they'll also stimulate your metabolism by triggering your fat-loss hormones.

Red Beans

I'm not referring to the re-fried beans you get alongside tacos at your favorite Mexican joint. Stay away from those! Instead, pick up some dried red beans the next time you're at the grocery store.

"Resistant" starch — a key starch in beans — known as resistant starch, repairs the lining of your intestine to help you fight inflammation, cancer, and harmful bacteria; in addition, it's been shown to help lower insulin levels. The hefty fiber content of beans also helps you feel fuller, and store less fat, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, and improves insulin sensitivity. The B vitamins and zinc in beans boost testosterone, which is a good thing! Testosterone helps to increase our energy and build more calorie-burning muscle.

Don't know beans about beans? Here are a few key facts:

• Dried beans are better for you than canned beans, plus you avoid concerns about possible BPA in the lining of the cans. Soak them for six to eight hours in room temperature water, then drain before cooking.
• Look for no-salt varieties.
• Rinse thoroughly before cooking — especially if you end up using canned.

Garlic

Garlic and other foods in the allium family (onions, leeks, chives, shallots, and scallions) work to stimulate the production of glutathione, an antioxidant that is especially important in the liver, where it helps remove hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Alliums also lower total cholesterol while raising the level of HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind). Preliminary research suggests that garlic may boost testosterone, giving you more energy, while onions have anthocyanins, effective free-radical destroyers that might also help combat obesity and diabetes. Crushing, chopping, or chewing garlic helps release enzymes that trigger many of its beneficial actions.

How to fit garlic into your diet:

• Pair garlic with olive oil to release even more disease-fighting compounds.
• Let chopped garlic stand for ten minutes before cooking; this will allow the enzymes to be activated.
• Add garlic to homemade salad dressings, marinades, soups and sautóed vegetables for a flavor kick.

Berries: Raspberries and Strawberries

If you really need an excuse to indulge in these delicious berries, then I've got a couple. These juicy red berries contain anthocyanins, which some studies have found stop individual fat cells from getting larger, while also encouraging them to release adiponectin, a hormone that helps reduce inflammation, lower blood sugar, and reverse leptin and insulin resistance. Certain polyphenols found in raspberries and strawberries block the digestive enzyme activity of specific starches and fats, reducing your body's absorption of them.

All these great metabolism-boosting qualities make these berries serious power foods. Add strawberries to a yogurt or cup of cottage cheese for breakfast, cut some up for a dessert, or mix them into a smoothie.

What you need to know about berries:

• Always purchase organic berries and rinse them well before eating.
• Fresh berries — and frozen ones in the off seasons — berries are best. You'll lose all the awesome anthocyanins when you eat berries in processed foods.

Broccoli

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage pack serious nutritional power in just a few calories per bite. They have high water and fiber content; this combination helps you feel full and increases your body's ability to burn fat by as much as 30 percent. Plus, studies have consistently shown that people who eat the most fiber gain the LEAST amount of weight and these veggies are a great fiber source.

Other helpful hints for cooking:

• Always cook cruciferous vegetables before serving them — even if you are serving them cold, like in a veggie dip.
• By cooking broccoli in the microwave, you'll preserve 90 percent of the vitamin C, versus 66 percent with boiling.
• Don't overcook cruciferous veggies, they will lose their nutritional power — and flavor!

Whole Grains

Stop thinking that carbs are the enemy. Whole grains like oats and barley have great nutritional value and can even help control your appetite. The short-chain fatty acids from whole grains help us eat less because they stimulate fat cells in our stomachs to release leptin, the satiety (or "I'm full") hormone. The high levels of fiber in whole grains also help us feel full by slowing blood-sugar release and steadying insulin levels. The trick is to eat grains that are truly whole — no refined carbs like white bread.

Other tips about whole grains:

• If you're buying a processed whole-grain product, look at the list of ingredients — whole grain should be the first one listed.
• Sprouted breads, such as Ezekiel, are dense and packed with nutrients.
• Oatmeal is a perfect breakfast because it keeps your blood sugar stable longer than many other foods.

Green Tea

It's time to put the coffee pot down. When caffeine is abused, it damages your metabolism and hormone balance. On the other hand, caffeine, when used correctly, can be an excellent energy and metabolism boost. When you overdose on it, it taxes your adrenal glands, stressing you out, leaving you tired and run down. The key with caffeine is to not consume more than 400 mg in a day. That's the equivalent to two strong cups of coffee. 

The healthier choice? Green tea. You will still get a caffeine boost, but green tea has been shown to promote fat oxidation at rest and is believed to prevent obesity and improve insulin sensitivity. Limit yourself to one or two caffeinated beverages a day, and drink one extra glass of water for each caffeinated beverage you consume.

Read More

Why You Should NOT Throw That YOLK

Are you one of the people that swears by egg whites or avoids eggs altogether? Scared that the yolk is high in cholesterol and bad for your heart? Although this is partially true, by tossing the yolks you’re missing out on one of the most nutritious, healthy, and beneficial foods available. 

What’s even more promising is that more and more research is beginning to show that cholesterol from animal sources may no longer be detrimental to cholesterol levels, but in fact may actually help improve blood lipid ratios. Yolks are also jam packed with heart-healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which further benefit cholesterol levels.

Nutrient /  White/ Yolk /  %Total Yolk / %Total-White

• Vitamin A  /  0 / IU / 245 IU /  100% /  0%
• Vitamin E /  0mg /  0.684mg /  100% / 0%
• Vitamin D  /  0 IU /  18.3 IU / 100% / 0%
• Vitamin K / 0 IU / .119 IU / 100% / 0%
• DPA (Omega-3) / 0mg / 20mg / 100% /  0%
• AA(Omega-6) / 0mg /  75mg /  100% / 0%
• Lutein and Zeaxanthin / 0.mcg / 166mcg / 100% / 0%
• (Antioxidants)
• Zinc  /.01mg /  .4mg /  99.8% / 0.02%
• Choline / .4mg / 116mg /  99.7% /  0.03%
• Fat / .05mg / 4.5g /  99% /  1%
• Vitamin B6 / .002mg / .059mg / 96.7% /  3.3%
• Folate / 1.3mcg / 24.8mcg / 95% / 5%
• Iron / .4 mg / .03 mg / 93.8% /  6.2%
• Phosphorus / 5 mg / 66.3 mg / 93% /  7%
• Calcium / 2.3 mg /  21.9 mg /  90.5% /  9.5%
• Niacin / 0.035 mg / .004 mg / 89.7%  / 9.3%
• Pantothenic Acid / .1 mg / .5 mg /  83.3% / 16.7%
• Manganese /.004 mg / .009 mg / 69.2% / 30.8%
• Copper / .008mg /.013mg / 62% / 38%
• Selenium / 6.6mcg / 9.5mcg / 59% / 41%
• Protein / 3.6g / 2.7g / 57% / 43%
• Riboflavin /.145mg / .09mg / 48.3% / 61.70%
• Potassium / 53.8mg / 18.5mg / 25.6% /  74.4%
• Magnesium / 3.6mg / .85 mg / 19.2% / 80.8%
• Sodium / 54.8mg / 8.2mg / 13% / 87%

So Why Should I Eat Eggs

Besides tasting great, egg yolks are the nutritional heart of the egg. The majority of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in eggs are concentrated in the yolk…and there are a lot of them. Under the impression that eggs only contain protein and fat? Think again. The chart below breaks down the varying nutritional contents in the egg yolk and white.

Yolks exclusively contain the antioxidant vitamins A and E, as well as two powerful carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients help fight nasty free radicals which are responsible for causing over 60 health conditions, including cancer and premature aging. Yolks also house all of the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content.

Additionally, yolks house over 80% of the daily required amounts of zinc, choline, vitamin B6, folate, iron, phosphorus, calcium, niacin, and pantothenic acid. All of these vitamins and minerals are essential to good health and responsible for the proper functioning of the body. Iron, zinc, and calcium deficiencies are highly prevalent worldwide in different populations, simply eating egg yolks could help fix these issues.
The only nutrients in which the white contributes significantly higher amounts than the yolk are sodium, magnesium, and potassium–electrolytes abundant due to the egg white’s high water content. Other than electrolytes, the whites are largely devoid of nutrients.

The Bottom Line

Start adding yolks back to your diet. By skipping the yolk you’re cheating yourself out of one of the world’s best nutritional powerhouses.

Read More