You may have heard that certain foods can trigger migraine headaches. Foods like cheese, alcohol, and cured meats, for example.
The reason these foods cause migraines is they’re high in an amino acid called tyramine. But there’s another food that’s high in tyramine that most people don’t know about. It’s watermelon.
Yes, watermelon!
A group of researchers recently discovered this when they gave watermelon to nearly 4,000 participants.
Within minutes of eating the watermelon, 29.5% of the participants developed a migraine. That’s about 1,200 people who got a migraine!
Does that mean you have to give up watermelon? Thankfully, the answer is no!
Here’s how to eat as much watermelon as you want without getting migraines:
It’s easy to do. All you have to do is eat the watermelon when it’s perfectly ripe. If watermelon is under ripe or over ripe, don’t eat it. Here’s why:
When watermelon is over ripe, the sugar breaks down and turns into tyramine, which causes migraines.
And when watermelon is under-ripe, it’s highly acidic. And that too can trigger a migraine.
So the solution is to eat watermelon that is neither under-ripe nor over-ripe. You want your watermelon to be in the “Goldilocks Zone,” where it’s “just right.” You can tell if a watermelon is just right by looking at the color. Perfectly ripe watermelon will have a consistent pink color all the way across.
If the melon is largely white and very light pink, it’s not ripe enough. And if it has dark red spots on it, that’s a sign that it’s over ripe. Another sign that it’s over ripe is if it tastes too sweet, with a slight bitter aftertaste.
Once watermelon is perfectly ripe, cut up what you can eat and put the rest in the refrigerator right away. Eat it within a day or two. Reason: Leaving the watermelon at room temperature will make tyramine levels go up. And so will keeping cut watermelon in the fridge for more than two days.
If you follow these simple instructions, you’ll be able to enjoy watermelon throughout the summer without worrying about migraines.