(NaturalNews) According to the National Headache Foundation, about 37 million Americans suffer from migraine, with approximately one-fifth of them experiencing visual disturbances such as zigzags, flashing lights and blind spots (1). Forty-seven percent of adults have headaches annually (1). In addition to being bothersome, both migraines and headaches may also be an indication of underlying health problems stemming from a host of issues ranging from lack of sleep and stress to hypoglycemia, tumors and lupus (2).

So serious are these health conditions that June has been deemed "Migraine and Headache Awareness Month," with many organizations urging people to wear purple and learn more in order to create informed communities and show support (3).

As Natural News readers are aware, it's often best to pursue natural options before turning to prescribed, or even over-the-counter, medications to keep headaches at bay. Clearly, speaking with a medical professional is helpful, but it can't hurt to explore avenues that maintain the body's natural harmony without the disturbance of medications or potentially high medical visit costs.

Top three foods to eat to stave off headaches

There are plenty of fresh, healthy foods that have the ability to help fight migraines and headaches.

1) Spinach. Loaded with riboflavin, a B vitamin, spinach has been associated with migraine prevention and is therefore an ideal food to incorporate in meals (4). It can be enjoyed raw in salads, blended into smoothies or steamed as a side vegetable served with other healthy foods.

2) Watermelon. Headaches caused by dehydration are common, so it's important to maintain proper fluid levels in the body. Dehydration involves many factors, such as perspiration, urine output and loss of body weight (losing as little as 1 to 2% of body weight can result in dehydration), and untreated diabetes, kidney diseases and alcoholism can exasperate problems associated with dehydration (5). As such, foods with a high water content can help keep the body hydrated and keep headaches away. In addition to having a lot of water, watermelon replenishes a dehydrated body with important minerals including magnesium and potassium.

3) Almonds. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, a 1 oz serving of almonds has 78 mg of magnesium, and since people who get migraines have been found to have lower than normal levels of magnesium, eating foods rich in the mineral has been suggested as a possible way to help migraine sufferers (6).

Eating such healthy foods may help provide migraine and headache relief, in addition to providing the body with the many other overall health benefits that fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds always provide.

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://www.headaches.org

(2) http://www.headaches.org

(3) http://www.prnewswire.com

(4) http://www.huffingtonpost.com

(5) http://www.healthcentral.com

(6) http://www.livestrong.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. >>> Click here to see more by Michelle