A host of foods contain chemicals that can cause severe headaches. Here's what nutrition experts say to avoid.
SAY NO TO MSG
A flavor enhancer used in restaurants and in prepared foods such as soups, salad dressings and lunchmeats, monosodium glutamate (MSG), even in small amounts, can provoke severe headaches as well as flushing and tingling in headache-prone people, says Seymour Diamond, M.D., director of the National Headache Foundation and director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. In fact, one study showed that roughly 30 percent of those who eat Chinese food suffer these same symptoms. Although more research needs to be done, MSG seems to act as a vasodilator, which means it opens and then closes the blood vessels in the head. This process is exactly what happens in a migraine.
Because of all of the bad press, spotting MSG on food labels is harder than ever. "Natural flavor" and "hydrolyzed vegetable protein," for example, substitute for MSG in everything from frozen dinners, potato chips and sauces to canned meats.
NIX THE NITRITES
Commonly used as a preservative in hot dogs, salami, bacon and other cured meats, nitrites have been known to provoke migraines, says Dr. Diamond.
CORRAL THE CAFFEINE
The experts are divided here. Coffee, cola and tea all contain caffeine, which can act as a vasoconstrictor and, as a result, limit blood flow through the blood vessels in your head.
"A little bit of caffeine may help a headache, but you get either withdrawal or a rebound phenomenon from having too much," says Herbert C. Mansmann, Jr., M.D., professor of pediatrics and associate professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Still, even two cups of a caffeine-containing beverage a day removes precious magnesium from your system, he says.
The bottom line: If you're having a problem with migraines, try avoiding caffeine and see if it helps, advises Dr. Mansmann.
CONSIDER ASPARTAME
Although few studies show a direct link between this artificial sweetener and headaches, some people do report problems with it, says Dr. Diamond. "My advice to people is that it probably won't bother you, but if you can relate a headache to it, you should not use it," he says.
To test whether this or any other food is causing your headaches, keep a diary of your meals as well as any headaches for a month. If it looks like one of the foods you're eating is causing the problem, cut it out of your diet and see if it helps, advises Dr. Diamond.
KEEP TRACK OF TYRAMINE
A whopping 30 percent of migraine sufferers seem to have sensitivity to an amino acid called tyramine. Found in stronger aged cheeses, pickled herring, chicken livers, canned figs, fresh baked goods made with yeast, lima beans, Italian beans, lentils, snow peas, navy beans, pinto beans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, tyramine means migraine pain for many, says Dr. Diamond. Try eliminating these foods and see if it helps, he suggests.
Cut your kisses. Chocolate contains a chemical called phenylethylamine that, like tyramine, can cause headaches, says Dr. Diamond.
BAN THE BOOZE
The alcohol in drinks can dilate the blood vessels in your brain and cause a headache, warns Dr. Diamond. And drinking hard liquor can give you a double whammy. Chemicals known as congeners as well as impurities in scotch and other hard liquors have the same effect, he says.
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