| As someone who suffers from recurring, painful | | | | anything from champagne or wine, mixed drinks |
| headaches, you know that the one thing you | | | | or hard liquor, dehydrates you, and dehydration |
| want to avoid more than anything, is triggering a | | | | can cause pretty serious headaches -- even in |
| headache through your own actions. | | | | people that aren't regularly dealing with headache |
| Though it may seem a little cliche, "the more you | | | | pain. The worst triggers, though, are brandy and |
| know", the more you can make a conscious | | | | red wine. I never drink red wine--a sip or two is |
| effort to avoid that miserable throbbing in your | | | | enough to send me to bed for the night with a |
| head. | | | | cold cloth on my forehead. |
| Along with the standard triggers, like changes in | | | | |
| the weather, or your normal sleep habits being | | | | More Than the Usual Suspects |
| disrupted, the foods and drinks you ingest can | | | | There are other foods that might trigger |
| also be causes of your headache pain. | | | | headaches, but there isn't really a good way to |
| Chemical Triggers: Nitrates and Tyramine | | | | categorize them. Some of the usual suspects are: |
| Tyramin and nitrates are a 1-2 punch when it | | | | - milk and other dairy products |
| comes to setting off your headaches. Tyramine is | | | | - seafood |
| the worse of the two offenders. | | | | - wheat- and soy-based products |
| Both are found in many foods that are likely part | | | | - foods high in fat |
| of your daily life. Some of those foods include: | | | | - citrus fruits, like oranges or grapefruit |
| - liver (well, it may not be part of your daily diet!) | | | | - artificial sweeteners. |
| - red wine | | | | Even a high intake of vitamin supplements can |
| - chocolate | | | | give you a doozy of a headache, especially |
| - soy sauce | | | | vitamins A and B. Just because they're good for |
| - yogurt | | | | you, doesn't mean they can't be bad for you. |
| - sour cream | | | | Caffeine: Should it Stay or Should It Go |
| - aged cheese | | | | Caffeine is an interesting conundrum. While it can |
| - vinegar, including condiments that have vinegar | | | | be a cause of headaches, it's also found in many |
| as an ingredient | | | | headache remedies -- especially migraine-specific |
| Food Additives: Monosodium Glutamate | | | | remedies like Excedrin Migraine. |
| MSG is a commonly used flavor enhancer. Experts | | | | Think of it as too much caffeine being the |
| estimate that over 20,000 tons of MSG are | | | | headache trigger. Drinking too much coffee or |
| added to our foods each year. Most of us are | | | | cola, or eating too much chocolate might cause |
| familiar with the MSG found in Chinese food, but | | | | your headache. |
| it's also present in: | | | | But... if you are a heavy coffee or cola drinker, |
| - roasted nuts | | | | and you try to cut back, or you go without your |
| - processed soups, sauces & dressings | | | | "fix" for too long, you can get a headache from |
| - mayonnaise | | | | caffeine withdrawal as well. |
| - frozen foods | | | | No Chocolate, No Coffee, No Chinese Food? No |
| - potato chips | | | | Fun! |
| Stomach discomfort is a common complaint of | | | | After looking over the list of trigger foods, it |
| people that are sensitive to MSG--so much so | | | | certainly might seem like many of the foods you |
| that most Chinese food restaurants are either | | | | enjoy are on the list of things you have to avoid. |
| MSG-free, or they offer MSG-free options on | | | | If you truly enjoy a food, just remember that it's |
| their menu. | | | | likely to trigger a headache, and be prepared. |
| But for others, ingesting Monosodium Glutamate is | | | | Often knowing that the headache is coming |
| a prescription for a splitting headache. | | | | makes it a little easier to deal with than if it |
| Bar-Hopping = Headaches | | | | comes out of no where. |
| Another common trigger for headaches is alcohol. | | | | If you make a conscious effort to avoid food |
| While in some cases this is due to the Tyramine, | | | | triggers that you can live without, you may find |
| as discussed earlier, it's also because of the | | | | that you have less headaches overall. |
| impact drinking alcohol has on your body. Alcohol, | | | | |