Foods Causing Migraine Headaches and Migraine-related Depression
Experience migraine headache relief and find triggers for migraine pain by discovering which foods and food additives contribute to migraine causes.
Migraine headache causes are varied and include stress, hormonal imbalances, unpredictable sensory stimuli, changes in sleep or environmental patterns and wide variety of foods and food additives. Migraine headaches caused by certain foods can be prevented and eliminated by avoiding trigger foods unique to each patient, bringing immediate and long term relief for migraine headache sufferers. The list of offending foods may seem long and discouraging, but the good news is that many of the offending foods contributing to the onset of migraine headaches are processed and can be easily identified and replaced with fresh, healthy alternatives.
Mitigate migraine headache symptoms by avoiding certain foods and food of additives. Processed foods containing MSG and other preservatives are some of the greatest offenders, as are foods containing tyramine, chemical additives, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, chocolate and caffeine.
Common Migraine Headache Trigger Foods and Food Additives
Learning which groups of foods commonly trigger migraine headaches helps individuals identify these problem-causing substances easily.
* Alcohol, especially red wine and beer
* Caffeine in coffee, tea, sodas
* Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
* Artificial Sweeteners
* Processed and smoked meats (MSG and other migraine sensitive chemicals)
* Aged cheeses
* Peanuts and peanut products
* Legumes such as lima beans, broad beans lentils, soy, peas
Migraine patients should eliminate the above foods and food additives from their diet initially for a period of several months, reintroducing them one at a time to ascertain which may be contributing to the onset of migraine headaches.
Migraine Headaches Symptoms Caused by Food Additives and Chemicals
Symptoms of food-additive induced migraine headaches are easy to recognize. The onset of most symptoms will occur in about 25 minutes after consuming foods containing additives and in some cases, sooner.
* Headache pain in face, forehead and on sides of head (migraines)
* Pressure in the chest and face with sensation of tightening
* Burning pains
* Flushing of the face and neck
* Dizziness
* Disorientation
* Depression
* Weakness
* Tingling and numbness anywhere in the body
Check all packages for MSG in any of its forms. MSG is a flavor enhancer and preservative in most packaged and processed foods and a major cause of migraine headaches and other health problems. Nitrates and nitrites, food additives and preservatives should also be eliminated from the diet. Check all labels.
Replace Offending Food Additives with Natural Products for Migraine Cures
All offending food additives should be removed from the diet and if desired, replaced with healthier alternatives. For example, eliminate all products containing artificial sweeteners including aspartame (Equal), saccarrin and Splenda. Use stevia, a natural plant sweetener, honey or cane sugar to sweeten foods and eliminate migraine headache symptoms.
Stop eating processed and packaged foods which contribute to migraine headache causes due to the presence of added chemicals. Avoid shopping in the center aisles of the grocery stores and limit purchases to those foods found around the outer edges of the store where fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, poultry and dairy products are found. These healtherier foods help to prevent migraine headache symptoms.
Tyramine Causes Depression and Symptoms of Migraine Headaches
Avoid aged cheeses that are a known cause of migraine headaches. Most age cheeses contain tyramine, a substance formed by the breakdown of protein as foods age. The longer the food has aged, the higher the tyramine content. Persons taking MAO inhibitors for migraine treatment are advised to avoid all foods containing tyramine from their diet. Tyramine not only contributse to migraine headache causes, but also to high blood pressure.
Foods that contain tyramine are all aged cheeses and “stinky” cheeses including blue cheeses, Brie, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Muenster, Swiss, Parmesan, Feta and especially processed cheese slices which are also loaded with MSG. Other foods containing tyramine are red wine and alcoholic drinks, and certain processed meats especially those that are aged, cured or canned. Add to the list onions, pickles, raisins, garbanzo and lima beans, avocados.
Eliminating Cold Foods Brings Migraine Headache Relief
Avoid consuming cold foods and drinks. Some patients report cold foods and icy drinks as triggers for migraine headaches. Consume foods and drinks at room temperature or heated to ward off migraine headache attacks. It is much more likely that cold foods and drinks will aggravate a migraine condition if a person is overheated before eating. More than 90% of migraine sufferers have found that icy cold foods like ice cream are a problem. Add foods to the diet thatpromote relaxation, sleep and calmness to reduce migraine headache symptoms.
Always decrease offending foods, especially foods containing caffeine, slowly to avoid a rebound of migraine headache symptoms.
Keep a food journal and write down everything eaten. Observe whether migraine headaches arise from eating certain foods. If so, eliminate those foods from the diet for the time being. People may experience a range of emotions from giving up favorite foods, from sadness to anger or grief. If this happens, remember how much better life is without experiencing the agony of migraine headaches.
Sources:
Relieve-migraine-headache.com, “Find the connection: diet headache migraine -Simple and easy food choices”, (Accessed May 2010)
Mayo Clinic,”Migraine causes”, (Accessed May 2010)
Family Doctor.org, “Migraine Headaches, Ways to Deal with the Pain”, (Accessed May 2010)
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by Susan Laverie
Natural Medicine