Living without pills: a nutritionist explains what foods cause headaches

There are a number of factors that can cause headaches, and one of them is an improperly formulated diet.

Nutritionist Svitlana Fus wrote about this on her Facebook page.

According to a nutritionist, headaches can be caused by various factors. Sometimes it is the result of stress, lack of sleep, fatigue, or hunger. Changes in the level of certain hormones, in particular, estrogen and progesterone, cause and aggravate headaches, which explains why women are more likely to suffer from headaches.

However, according to the doctor, approximately 20% of all headaches, including migraines, are associated with the consumption of certain food components.

Some people get headaches during or after meals. In this case, you need to pay attention to your diet, perhaps the food contains ingredients to which you are sensitive, namely

Biogenic amines

The most famous of these are histamine and tyramine. They are found in large quantities in cheese, yeast, sausages, beer, wine, chocolate, and nuts. Therefore, if you eat, for example, Roquefort or feta cheese with wine, and then a piece of chocolate or a chocolate dessert, you can expect a headache. It should be remembered that the amount of tyramine in foods increases with prolonged storage, and its content is higher in stale foods.

Sulfites

Preservatives that are added to food to stop the growth of bacteria. They can be found in wine, beer, dried fruit, marmalade, pizza, chips, seafood, and processed meat. This component has the ability to accumulate in the body with frequent consumption of such products.

Aspartame

It is a component of sweet soda, chewing gum, and breakfast cereals.

Monosodium glutamate

It is used as a food additive in the production of smoked and sausage products, various canned foods, sauces, dry seasonings, crackers, and chips. Monosodium glutamate can actually trigger severe migraines. Asian cuisine is not the best choice for people sensitive to glutamate.

Sodium nitrite

It is a coloring agent, seasoning, and preservative. Sodium nitrite is a stabilizer of the red color of canned meat and a flavoring agent. According to a nutritionist, nitrites are most likely to be found in sausages, canned meat, smoked and boiled sausage, smoked fish, bacon, and ham.

Caffeine

According to the nutritionist, caffeine can cause a sharp headache. "Coffee, strong tea, and energy drinks contain a lot of caffeine. Drinking two or three servings of such drinks a day significantly increases the chances of a headache," the doctor said.

"If you often suffer from headaches for which no cause has been identified, try to find the 'provocateurs' of this condition on your plate. Keep a food diary and record in it what foods cause headaches and feelings of unwellness. This will allow you to identify the provocative food, reduce its amount in your diet, or eliminate it completely. Foods that can cause headaches are most often highly processed foods with the addition of many different chemicals. Therefore, read the information on the label carefully," the nutritionist said.