Changes in hormone levels can lead to headaches, especially for women with menstrual migraine or headaches, says Brown. Falling levels of estrogen, which occur just before menstruation begins, can trigger an attack, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.Women who have this type of migraine would benefit from increasing their intake of cruciferous vegetables, because of their effects on estrogen, Brown says.Cruciferous vegetables contain hormonally active compounds called phytoestrogens, which can have estrogenic, or estrogen-like, effects in humans — or, conversely, antiestrogenic effects. It’s thought that the antiestrogenic effects of some phytoestrogens may lower a woman’s risk of certain types of cancer by lowering her exposure to her own estrogen.Some research indicates phytoestrogens improve bone mineral density and markers of cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women — effects that estrogen would be expected to have in premenopausal women.There’s also some evidence that phytoestrogens help to prevent menstrual migraine attacks in premenopausal women.“Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy — those can all be very helpful if you include more of them in your diet,” says Brown.