Can Your Diet Be Causing Your Headache?
Headaches
Did you know there is a diet to help prevent headaches? There is. It turns out that certain foods will make you more susceptible to headaches and migraines.
Not only are there foods that will promote headaches but there are foods that will help make them go away. Who knew?
There's nothing as annoying as a headache. You're unable to concentrate or think clearly when your head is pounding and your eyes feel like they want to fall out of your head.
Maybe it's time to try changing your diet instead of reaching for that bottle of pain relief next time you have a headache.
The good news is that headaches are rarely caused by a serious ailment. It doesn't make your head hurt less but it's good to know.
Foods That Can Trigger A Major Headache
Cheese is one of the foods that can trigger a major headache for those with a sensitivity to tyramine.
The cheeses you need to avoid are:
- Blue Cheeses
- Brie
- Cheddar
- Feta
- Gorganzola
- Mozzarella
- Muenster
- Parmesan
- Processed cheese
- Stilton
- Swiss
Certain foods can be the culprit for your severe headaches. Foods that contain nitrates, tyramine, monosodium glutamate can lead to migraine. Chinese foods contain more MSG that cause severe headaches, hot dogs, French fries, burgers are some deadly foods for your irritating migraine.
More Foods That Can Trigger A Headache
Wait, these are not the only foods that should be avoided by tyramine sensitive people.
- artificial sweetener
- avocados
- bananas
- beans (some types)
- beer
- buttermilk
- canned soups
- chocolate
- citrus fruit
- dried fruit
- kiwi
- MSG
- nuts
- organ meats such as chicken livers
- papaya
- peanut butter
- pickles
- pineapple
- pizza
- potato chip products
- processed meats
- olives
- onions
- raspberries
- red wine
- sauerkraut
- smoked or dried fish
- sourcream
- fresh baked yeast goods
- yogurt
Some Other Causes of Headaches
Believe it or not being overweight, or mildly obese (body mass index of 30), increases your chance of having headaches by 35%. If your body mass index is 40 or above your chance of having a headache increases by 80%.
If you are a rigid, obsessive person, this too can increase headache susceptibility. You need to relax a little.
Certain odors can trigger a headache, such as paint or a strong perfume.
Dehydration is also one of those causes of headaches. So grab a bottle of water and sip it throughout the day.
Skipping a meal can often cause headaches, I know it does for me. Keep a protein bar or healthy snack close by just in case,
Too much caffeine as well as trying to stop intake of caffeine can cause terrible headaches. One of the worst headaches I ever had (beside migraines) was when I stopped drinking caffeinated coffee.
Not getting enough sleep can make your head pound a bit. Try to get your 7 to 8 hours a night.
Foods to Help Your Headache
Fortunately there are foods out there that can help with headache pain. They help dull it or take the edge off. Some of these foods even help banish your headache.
To help your headache try eating;
white beans
baked potato
cucumbers
sunflower seeds
oat bran
tofu
pumpkin seeds
tomatoes
salmon
sardines
spinach
fish oil
barley
watermelon
Foods that fight headaches
Foods high in potassium, such as a baked potato.
Foods high in a potassium and magnesium combination such as bananas.
Foods that help you re-hydrate quickly such as watermelon or cucumber.
Foods containing the natural enzyme bromelain, a natural pain reliever, such as pineapple
coffee can help get rid of headaches by helping reduce the size of blood vessel, but be careful too much coffee can make it worse.
cherries have a compound called quercetin, which has strong anti-oxidant, anti-allergy, and anti-inflammatory properties. This compound helps block pain
salmon is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce the frequency, duration and severity of headaches.
Spicy foods such as salsa and hot peppers can help ease the pain of a sinus headache. The spiciness helps clear your sinuses.
Magnesium rich food such as cashews, avocados, bananas help relax tense blood vessels
Taking too much of headache drugs and medications can also give you bad headaches which is called rebound headache. It won’t stop until the person stops taking the medications and drugs completely.
- The Relationship Between Headaches and Stress
A headache, known by the medical term cephalalgia, is pain located in the head or neck area, but not all headaches are created equal. There are several different types of headaches, but this article will focus on tension-type headaches and the effect - Ice Pick Headaches: Causes and Treatment
Information on the risk factors and causes of ice pick headaches including steps to follow for treating them. - Cluster Headaches
The pain of cluster headaches can be devastating. Understand what cluster headaches are, possible treatment options and methods for coping. - 10 Home Remedies for Awful Migraine Headaches
Here are 10 home remedies for migraine headaches that have either helped me get rid of my migraines or that I have researched. For a migraine headache, home treatment may be as simple as resting the right way instead of the wrong way, or as complex a
© 2013 Susan Hazelton
Comments
AUTHOREddy, it really does help headaches to watch the type of foods you eat.
So useful KK G and thank you for sharing.
Enjoy your day.
Eddy.
- AUTHOR
Twin, my headaches have been help by the diet. Believe me, it's worth it to give up certain foods to banish the type of headaches I was having.
- AUTHOR
rose, I find that just about anything that you really really like is pretty much thought of as bad for you.
- AUTHOR
Kathryn, I had an interesting time with the research. I found that many of the things that cause headaches were things I was already slowly giving up.
- AUTHOR
aviannovice, thanks. I wonder also if they had ever thought of diet as a cause. I'm sure they must by now.
- AUTHOR
DDE, thanks for your comment. I guess the answer to most of our health problems to healthy eating.
- AUTHOR
Masison22, you'd be surprised by how the food you eat effects your body.
- AUTHOR
Audrey, it's great knowing you can limit headaches by watching what you eat.
- AUTHOR
RTalloni, thanks for the pinning. I adjusted my diet because of headaches. It works for me.
- AUTHOR
Hi Twin, lucky you, no headaches. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I too am so glad you added foods that you can eat to help the headache sufferer. Excellent, Useful information KGal and much appreciated. Hope your not suffering from headaches these days. Have a great week my friend.
- AUTHOR
ChitrangadaSharan, I'm glad you don't get the headaches, they're a pain. Thanks for sharing.
- AUTHOR
always exploring, maybe you don't have headaches because you already follow the headache diet. ;-)
- AUTHOR
Peggy W, I had to include foods you can eat. As I was writing this I was beginning to wonder myself if there was anything left that I could eat.
Yikes........all the good foods give you headaches, lol! This was a great article with some very interesting information. Thank you for sharing. (Voted Up) -Rose
This is an awesome post! I like that you provided a list of foods that may help cause headaches for some people, as well as other causes for headaches, and foods that help a headache go away. This is very handy, and I am bookmarking to come back to when I really need it. It's a good reference!
I hope you have a wonderful week.
Voted up and sharing.
~ Kathryn
Great work. I have known many people over the years with severe migraines, and sometimes even expensive, prescription meds would do no good. I wonder if they ever challenged diet? This was well done, and from personal experience, you certainly know what works.
Great hub, with such awesome foods and so well explained. An interesting outlook on foods to be eaten so by eating correctly headaches can be a thing of the past so helpful information
An amazingly informative hub. I did not know of all the foods associated with headaches. Thanks!
Madison :-)
What a great hub! I used to get more migraines--now they are infrequent--but still, I get them! So this is very helpful!
Such helpful info on several counts. Thanks for highlighting how our diet can cause headaches as well as for the good reminder about how what we eat influences our overall health and wellbeing. I'm glad I love, love, love watermelon! :) Pinning to Solve It: Health and Safety Tips/Recipes.
Hi KKGal~What a wonderful, informative hub on headaches. I've never been one to get headaches, but I know from friends that it can be so miserable to have them. Your article is very useful and people will get a lot out of this, especially the food lists on what helps ease headaches and what can cause them. Voted up and hit many buttons.
Very useful and informative hub!
Normally I do not have headaches, but some of my relatives do have this recurring problem of headaches. I am going to share this hub with them.
Many thanks for sharing this useful information!
Voted up!
Thank goodness i rarely have a headache. I notice that i like and eat the foods that fights headaches. Thank you for sharing..
This is interesting to know. As I was reading this hub about all of the headache triggering foods, I was thinking to myself...what is left to eat? Fortunately you gave us that list as well. Going to drink more water now and get a bite of lunch! Up, useful and pinning to my "Do you know this? board.
Exactly what I wanted, as I suffer from headaches quite a lot. Sad to see many of my favourite foods on the list of foods to avoid. Thank you for sharing this with us. Very useful. Voted up and sharing.
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