Many things can cause you to have a headache – the lights in your office or home, stress, hormones, or even the weather. However, many people don’t realize that their diet or what they eat may be directly related to their incidences of headaches.
How Food Plays a Role in Headaches
Certain foods will release chemicals once digested that will make your blood vessels swell, giving you a headache. It’s not necessarily a food allergy that causes the headache, it’s simply just a natural bodily effect from whatever you ate. The reason why some people experience headaches with some foods that others don’t is because some people are just more sensitive to those chemicals. Usually, people who are prone to headaches are more susceptible the reactions of some foods and especially if those people have other factors in their life that also affect the development of a headache.
Common Headache Foods to Avoid in Your Diet
- Cheese
Cheese is an important source of dairy. Moderation is key and try to stick with ricotta, cream and cottage.
- Alcohol
Again, moderation is important because if you’ve ever drank too much alcohol, you know how bad of a headache you can get.
- Caffeine
Increasing or decreasing your consumption rapidly usually causes a headache in most people.
Other Potential Headache Foods
- Deli meats
- Gravy
- Soup
- Soy beans
- Green beans (Italian mostly)
- Broad bean pods
- MSG
- Peanuts
- Yeast
- Sauerkraut
- Tyramine
- Tannins
To figure out how you are affected by certain foods, keep a headache diary. Track what you eat and how much and then if whether or not you get a headache – then you’ll know what to eat in moderation or avoid completely.
Photo: Heliotrop3
Wed, Apr 7, 2010
Headaches, Health