Your Diet Can Be Causing Your Headaches

Ever thought that it could be your diet that is causing your headaches? While doctors urge headache and migraine sufferers to avoid certain foods and drinks, sadly only about 20% of patients see any benefits from changing the way they eat. Regardless, it is still a good idea to stay away from foods known to trigger migraines.

If you suffer from regular and painful headaches and migraines, it is a good idea to stay away from the six Cs:
• Coffee
• Cola
• Chocolate
• Cheese
• Citrus
• Congeners

Along with these culprits, other foods known to trigger headaches and migraines include the following:

• Nuts and cheeses that contain Tyramine. This is an amino acid that triggers headaches. Tyramine can be found in aged cheeses like parmesan, cheddar and brie.

• Beer and red wine, both of which contain histamine.

• Processed meats including hot dogs, lunch meat, sausage and cured ham. All of these meats contain nitrates which are used to preserve the meat.

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a chemical generally found in Chinese food.

Researchers say those who suffer frequent headaches should avoid these foods because they contain what is known as ‘vaso-active’ amines. These chemicals cause the blood vessel to enlarge and press on the surrounding nerves. This pressure causes the pain and discomfort associated with a headache or migraine. In order to find which foods are your own personal migraine triggers, you should experiment and try each food out one at a time.

One exception to the rule that migraine sufferers should stay away from amine containing foods is chocolate. Even though chocolate does contain amines and has long been thought to be a migraine trigger, new research has shown this is not always true. If you are a chocoholic, this is great news; however, it is still not a good idea to go on a chocolate binge.

Dehydration: A Hidden Cause of Headaches

While avoiding foods known to trigger headaches and migraines can help prevent the onset of headaches, head pain can be brought on by other aspects of your diet, including not drinking enough water. Dehydration is one of the most common, and sometimes most surprising, causes of headaches. If you suspect you suffer from headaches brought on by dehydration it is easy to avoid these headaches by drinking plenty of water and keeping your body properly hydrated.

If you have a child who often comes home from school complaining of a headache, it may be because they are dehydrated. This can happen because while your child is at school, he or she typically does not have time or opportunity to drink as much water as they would if they were at home. Giving your child a small bottle of water to carry around while at school will easily solve this problem.

It is also easy for adults to forget to drink enough water when they get engrossed in activities at home or the office. A solution to this problem is to plan regular water breaks or drink while you work. You might be surprised at the difference this intake of water will make in your headaches. If you need any more persuasion that you should drink more water, you should know that it is not only good for your body, but will also improve your skin quality.

Low Blood Sugar and Headaches

A bad headache can also be brought on by fluctuating blood sugar levels. For instance, if you eat a lunch high in sugar and refined carbohydrates your blood sugar will rise rapidly making you feel highly energetic. Just like your blood sugar levels went up quickly, however, they will also come down quickly. This drop will leave you feeling dopey and drowsy, and will often give you a bad headache. Instead of eating sugars and refined carbohydrates, you should choose foods with complex carbohydrates (e.g., cheese, whole meal bread, turkey and fruit) because it takes loner to digest them. When you eat these types of foods, you will find you will experience headaches less frequently. This type of diet will also give you more energy as well as a healthier digestive system.

Conclusion

There are certain foods which can cause you to have more migraines. You should learn to avoid these headache causing foods whenever possible. Also, try to keep yourself well hydrated as dehydration can also cause headaches. You should also eat a diet high in complex carbohydrates instead of sugar and refined carbohydrates which causes a spike and the fall in blood sugar which may also cause a headache.

Next time you have a headache, consider that it may be because of the foods you are eating. By taking simple steps to determine which foods trigger your headaches, you may learn to follow a diet that will not only cause fewer headaches, but will also leave you healthier in general.

Diets That Cause Headaches