Stop The Food-headache Cycle

You are what you eat! So many time we have heard this saying since were a child, but it's not just an old saying! Science has proven that the food that we eat makes a huge impact on our health and well-being. And if you suffer from chronic headaches as I use to, what you are eating could be the cause to your pain. I've listed some of the most common triggers.

Food Additives These are substances added to processed foods to preserve them and add more flavor.

Aspartame This is an artificial sweetener that you can add to foods or drinks yourself or buy already added to diet drinks and foods. NutraSweet and Equal are the two main brand names. Some studies have linked aspartame with migraine headaches.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) This is a flavor enhancer often reported by migraine sufferers as a migraine trigger. Although originally was associated with Chinese food, you can find it in many of you super market items such as in Accent, meat tenderizers, canned meat and fish, and last of all, packaged or prepared food. The FDA requires that manufacturers list MSG as an ingredient on the food labels.

Sodium nitrite You will find this in processed meats like hot dogs, turkey, ham and sausage. They are known to cause headaches in some people.

AlcoholWhy does alcohol give you a headache? Because of two chemicals, congeners and histamines that it contains. Congeners is what gives a special aroma and flavor to each type of alcohol. Red wine and beer contains the highest amounts, and since these two are associated with headaches, researchers think there is a connection.

Histamines are found naturally in the body and in certain foods. If your system is histamine intolerant and cannot break down these substances properly, one of the side effects include blood vessels in the brain to expand, causing a headache.

Histamines are found in all types of wine, but red wine has the most of 200 times more then white wine. You can also find them in beer, sardines, anchovies, ripened cheeses, pepperoni, salami and pickled vegetables. If you think you are histamine intolerant, talk to your doctor about a histamine free diet.

Tyramine This substance also can expand vessels in the brain which in turn can cause a headache.  You can find it in lima beans, fava beans, snow peas, freshly baked yeast breads or cakes, wine, beer, liver, including paté, and most cheeses.

Caffeine If you don't get your morning coffee, your head may start to pound.  That's the first sign of caffeine withdrawal.   Many people forget that this is a drug.  The more you drink, the more you become to depend on it.  When you finally do get that caffeine fix either by cola, tea or a mug of coffee, your headache will go away.  That is until tomorrow!