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Foods as Headache Triggers

Is diet at the root of your headache problem?

Headache triggers may be almost anything in your lifestyle or environment, but diet is often at the root of many headaches. With diet, as with other headache triggers, many factors often have come together for the headache to happen.

Think of food as an activator, not a cause. Anywhere from 8% to 25% of headaches are triggered by foods in people who suffer from migraines. But food can initiate headaches in other sensitive individuals as well. In either case, the headache doesn't happen because you are allergic to the food. Allergic reactions involve your immune system, causing such symptoms as red eyes, runny nose, a skin rash or difficulty breathing. If foods trigger headache, it's a food sensitivity. When a particular food is eaten, it brings on changes in your body chemistry that lead to a headache.

Usually, a headache isn't caused by one single thing that you've eaten. When food acts as a headache trigger, a combination of environmental and internal conditions have usually come together to put you into a state of increased susceptibility. So for some headache sufferers a glass of wine at a quiet dinner with friends may be no problem, but the same glass at a crowded, noisy cocktail hour under fluorescent lights may spell disaster. And for some women, a chocolate bar is fine for most of the month, but becomes a headache trigger during the week before menstruation.

How foods trigger headaches. The food we eat contains substances—some natural, some artificial—that trigger headaches in different ways. One way is by dilating the blood vessels in the head. This, in turn, sets off a series of events similar to those seen in migraine headaches. Alcoholic beverages and the nitrates used to preserve hot dogs are examples of foods that can trigger headaches by this mechanism. Tyramine is a natural substance that is an essential building block for the body. But because it constricts blood vessels, it may trigger headaches in susceptible people. Other foods trigger headaches by more complex changes in body chemistry.

While food triggers are a individual as the people who have headaches, certain foods are known trouble makers. If you think foods may trigger your headaches but aren't sure which ones, you can work alone or with a nutritionist to identify the foods that you should avoid. You may ultimately be able to make changes in your diet that will help you eliminate most or all of your headaches. One way to proceed is to cut out of your diet for one month foods that are often associated with headache. Then add one food back at a time, noting its effect on your headaches. The National Headache Foundation has compiled a list of foods known to trigger headaches, especially migraines (see list below).

Foods to Avoid

• Ripened cheeses (Cheddar, Emmentaler, Stilton, Brie, Camembert)

• Herring, pickled or dried

• Chocolate

• Anything fermented, pickled or marinated

• Sour cream (no more than 1/2 cup daily)

• Nuts, peanut butter

• Sourdough bread, breads and crackers containing cheese or chocolate

• Broad beans, lima beans, fava beans, snow peas

• Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG)—soy sauce, meat tenderizers, seasoned salt

• Figs, raisins, papayas, avocados, red plums (no more than 1/2 cup daily)

• Citrus fruits (no more than 1/2 cup daily)

• Bananas (no more than 1/2 banana daily)

• Pizza

• Excessive amounts of tea, coffee or cola beverages (no more than 2 cups daily)

• Sausage, bologna, pepperoni, salami, summer sausage, hot dogs

• Chicken livers, paté

• Alcoholic beverages (if you do drink, limit yourself to two normal sized drinks)

If you try this "elimination diet" but it has no effect, your headaches may not be food-related. Remember, if your headaches occur frequently or are interfering with your daily life, you should consult a doctor.

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