Vegan Headaches | Causes And Remedies

Veganism is a growing trend, and many people are switching to the diet in search of better health and lower animal welfare issues. The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people identifying as vegans. In fact, according to one recent study, nearly one-fourth of all Americans now identify as vegan or vegetarian.

To understand why this is happening and what it means for our society, we must first understand why people are choosing to adopt this lifestyle in the first place. The vegan diet is a lifestyle choice, not a fad. It’s about making choices for the animals, the planet, and your health. When people make this choice, they begin to see the many benefits of eating plant-based foods.

Following veganism as beginner can be hard at first. You might feel guilty or confused about not eating certain things anymore. But remember: It was never about being perfect—it was about making better choices for your health and the environment! Whatever your reason for adopting a vegan diet, a few challenges may arise during your first few weeks of eating vegan.

This is because vegan diet causes nutrient-deficiency, meaning they’re missing specific vitamins and minerals. This can lead to headaches and other unpleasant symptoms—but there are ways to help! We’ve put together a list of some of the most common causes of headaches that vegans face, along with some simple solutions.

Vitamins And Minerals Deficiency That Cause Headaches

1. Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is the most common cause of chronic headaches. Vitamin D is a vitamin that’s essential for the body’s calcium absorption. It is also vital for our immune system, helps maintain healthy bones and teeth, and regulates blood pressure.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause joint stiffness, muscle cramps, and fatigue. While most people get enough vitamin D from sunlight on their skin or fortified foods like fish and eggs, Vegan diets often lack vitamin D.

In addition to causing headaches, vitamin D deficiency may also contribute to migraines and depression by lowering immunity levels and increasing inflammation levels in the body.

Though there various vegan sources of vitamin D such as tofu, mushrooms, various plant-based milk, etc but these sources sometimes are not enough to contribute to your daily nutritional intake and that’s why many vegans support their diet with vegan vitamin D supplements.

2. Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps keep your muscles and nerves healthy. It also helps regulate blood pressure and the release of energy from food. Magnesium deficiency can cause headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps and spasms, low moods and depression, irritability, constipation, or diarrhea.

To avoid deficiency of magnesium try inculcating foods such as avocado, peanuts, spinach, quinoa or oatmeal in your diet or you can even have vegan magnesium supplements to fulfill your magnesium intake.

3. Salt

Vegan diets tend to be lacking in sodium, potassium, and chloride. These electrolytes help regulate the body’s electrolyte balance and maintain fluid levels in the body.

Without these minerals, you may experience headaches and other symptoms of low sodium levels, such as fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea, dizziness, and fainting. To prevent headaches from not eating meat, try adding more salt to your meals and snacks by sprinkling some on your food.

4. Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies that cause headaches in a vegan diet. Vitamin B2 is responsible for forming red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all body parts.

Vitamin B2 deficiency can cause a lack of energy, fatigue, and dulled senses such as taste or smell. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is essential for vegans who want to avoid headaches! This vitamin helps prevent stress-induced muscle soreness by keeping the immune system strong.

Other Causes Of Headaches After Going Vegan

1. Dehydration

Headaches can be caused by dehydration. Dehydration happens when you don’t drink enough water. You may not notice it if you’re used to it, but if you’re not getting enough fluids, your body will start to slow down and feel tired. This can lead to headaches that you don’t even know are happening. You should aim for at least ten glasses of water per day.

2. Consuming Highly Processed Protein Foods

There are plenty of reasons why you might experience a headache after going vegan. The most common causes of headaches after going vegan come down to one main factor: consuming highly processed protein foods.

Protein is made up of amino acids, the building blocks for all proteins in your body. Amino acids are found in every living thing on Earth, but some forms trigger migraines more than others. These forms include soy and wheat proteins, often “highly processed,” which can cause headaches when consumed regularly.

There is also evidence that MSG (monosodium glutamate) contributes to headaches after eating certain foods like soy sauce (check vegan status here). This is why many people develop headaches after going vegan—they’re not just eating less meat anymore but also eating processed foods that contain MSG!

3. Reaction To Certain Fruits And Vegetables

You are not alone if you’re a vegan and love your veggies but find yourself with a headache every time you eat certain fruits and vegetables. There are many reasons why this happens. The most common one is a reaction to the food component called tyramine.

You may also be experiencing an allergic reaction to the histamine in those foods. Onions, avocados, bananas, and citrus are all considered common migraine triggers by some people with migraines—and both histamine and tyramine can cause headaches for some people.

4. Not Consuming Enough Food

Going vegan can be a great way to improve your health, but it doesn’t always mean you’ll get all the nutrients you need.
One of the biggest reasons people get headaches after going vegan is because they aren’t getting enough food in their diet. When you’re transitioning from an omnivorous diet, it’s essential to ensure you’re consuming enough calories and nutrients to have a healthy life as a vegan.

5. Food Withdrawal

When you go vegan, you may experience headaches. This is not because of some diet deficiency but because your brain is changing and adapting to the new foods you are eating.

One of the most common causes of headaches after going vegan is “food withdrawal” or “dietary rebound headache.” This happens when you stop consuming certain foods that were part of your diet before going vegan.

Vegans report having headaches soon after they begin their new diet—their bodies are reacting to the lack of certain food groups they were used to eating.

How To Get Relief From Vegan Headache

1. Exercising

Getting vegan headache relief is no joke. The first thing you need to do is exercise or practice yoga. Yoga is excellent for headaches because it increases blood flow and circulation, which allows for better oxygenation of the brain—and if that isn’t enough, it also helps release endorphins (feel-good hormones).

These two things alone are enough to make us feel better when we have a headache! Plus, Yoga helps you relax your muscles and ease your mind while working out. This makes it easier for you to get rid of headaches naturally.

2. Ginger

Ginger is a popular ingredient in many headache remedies, but not just for its spicy kick. Ginger contains an essential oil called gingerol, which effectively reduces inflammation and can help relieve headaches, migraines, and sinus pressure. The best thing about ginger is that it can also help with nausea, so if you’re experiencing both, try adding some ginger to your food or drink.

3. Lavender Essential Oil

Not only does lavender have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, but it also has a calming effect on the nervous system. If you’re someone who gets headaches often or has trouble sleeping due to migraines, try adding a few drops of lavender essential oil to your bath water before bedtime!

This will help you relax and fall asleep faster than usual. Lavender oil also reduces anxiety and depression, which may also be associated with headaches.

4. Peppermint Essential Oil

When it comes to getting rid of headaches, you’ve got a lot of options. One of the most effective is peppermint oil.
Peppermint essential oil contains menthol, which is known as an effective remedy for headaches. The menthol in peppermint oil helps relieve muscle tension and improve blood circulation—both critical factors in reducing pain and improving overall health.

Peppermint essential oil also works as a muscle relaxant and helps ease cramps in various body areas (including the head!). This means it can help reduce the frequency or severity of migraines by relieving pain caused by muscle spasms caused by stress or anxiety.

Final Thoughts

We know adjusting to a new way of eating can be challenging, especially if you’ve been eating certain foods your entire life. We get it! That’s why We’ve broken down some of the most common causes and remedies for headaches that come from going vegan so that you can feel better about trying something new.

It starts with eating good food and getting enough sleep—these are two things that will ensure that your body has everything it needs to function correctly so that you don’t end up suffering from headaches due to changing your diet.