Do you suffer from headaches regularly? If so, then you need to look beyond stress and work pressure, and focus on your diet. Most nutritionists believe that there can be several foods that can cause headaches. Here are some of them.
1. Alcohol
Containing a high degree of tyramine, drinking alcohol results in dehydration and a massive hangover, the morning after. Tyramine is an amino acid, which is responsible for affecting blood vessel
dilations and serotonin levels. Coupled with the phytochemicals contained in alcohol, it helps trigger massive headaches. The resulting dehydration tends to heighten migraines.
2. Chocolate
While many nutritionists vouch by its serotonin boosting capabilities, chocolates invariably contain high amounts of tyramine as well. Thus, when eaten during extreme stress, the
tyramine compound blocks serotonin absorption and causes headaches. Chocolates are extremely detrimental for migraine patients on extremely high fat diets. The combination of fat with tyramine only hinders serotonin secretion, further.
3. Coffee
A sudden withdrawal from regular coffee consumption may trigger headaches as well. Given that the mildly addictive quality enhances alertness and helps your concentrate better, cutting off the caffeine consumption can cause unstable moods, headaches and irritable behaviour.
4. Artificial Sweeteners
People use artificial sweeteners to remove the empty calories contained in sugar and are still able to enjoy its great taste. Sweeteners containing aspartame display higher chances of inducing
migraines than sweeteners containing sucralose. Regular consumption cuts off the serotonin production of the body. Instead of using artificial sweeteners, use natural sugars to keep headaches at bay.
5. Cheese
A cube of well-aged cheese might be a great addition to your breakfast, but it isn’t good for migraines. Aging cheese is said to have higher tyramine content.
Consumption of cheese like blue cheese, cheddar, Gouda and parmesan leads to slower protein absorption causing greater tyramine release in the body.
6. Ice Cream
Who doesn’t love a cone of frozen milk-cream goodness? But when it comes at the cost of blinding migraines, one might want to moderate their consumption. Consuming ice-cream too
fast results in, what is colloquially termed as, ‘brain-freeze.’ The cold from the ice cream creates a nervous trigger for migraines. Thus, one should consume their cold desserts and beverages slowly. With this list in hand, you will be able to plan your diet successfully to keep headaches at bay.
