OPTIMIZE YOUR HEALTH
Healing Headaches

Nutrition and Headaches
By Sharon Hardy, RD, CDE

Do you suffer from frequent headaches? If so, you are probably willing to try anything to alleviate the problem. Headaches can be caused by a number of triggers and can be a sign of other medical problems such as iron deficiency anemia, depression and hypoglycemia. For many headache sufferers, changing eating habits may be an option to get some relief from headache pain.

Dietary triggers are largely variable among headache sufferers and include, but aren’t limited to, cured meats, aged cheese, dried fruits, yogurt, pickled and marinated foods, aspartame (Equal and Nutrasweet), monosodium glutamate (MSG), alcohol, caffeine, avocado, nuts, bananas, onions, and beans (including soy) and tyramine. Using a food log and working with a Registered Dietitian is the best way to discover what foods are triggering your headaches. Discovering which foods are an issue may require some serious detective work.

Headache sufferers often find they get some relief by avoiding trigger foods that contain caffeine such as coffee, tea, chocolate. Alcohol is also a frequent irritant related to headaches. For some, red wine is especially troublesome. Additionally, chewing gum can exasperate a headache.

For those who suffer from migraine headaches, following a low-tyramine diet have shown to ameliorate headache symptoms. Patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOIs) for depression should also follow a low-tyramine diet to avoid serious side effects related to hypertension. Tyramine occurs naturally in some foods and is produced in foods from the natural breakdown of the amino acid tyrosine. Eating the freshest possible foods will help insure a low tyramine diet. To reduce tyramine in your diet:

• Purchase meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and milk products that are properly packaged, refrigerated, frozen or canned.
• Don’t eat food beyond its freshness date. Check the label.
• Avoid eating leftovers.
• Avoid eating in restaurants that make their food ahead of time.

Low-tyramine Diet

The following list shows foods to avoid or limit. (Source: Mayo Clinic Diet Manual)

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

• Avoid sherry, vermouth and red wines, including chianti
• Limit beer to no more than 12 – 24 ounces day
• Limit white wine to no more than 4 to 8 ounces per day

MEAT, POULTRY & FISH

• Avoid caviar
• Avoid pickled and dried herring
• Avoid liver
• Avoid smoked and cured sausages
• Avoid luncheon meats

VEGETABLES

• Avoid f ava beans
• Avoid Italian green beans
• Avoid sauerkraut
• Avoid snow peas

SOUPS

• Avoid miso soups
• Avoid soups packaged with yeast products

MILK PRODUCTS

• Avoid cheeses, both aged and processed

OTHER

• Avoid concentrated yeast extract
• Avoid Brewer’s yeast
• Avoid yeast supplements
• Avoid miso
• Avoid large amounts of soy sauce
• Exception: leavened products made with baker’s yeast are allowed

—June 2007

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