FIT 1 : The Chinese restaurant syndrome : Next time you go in to a Chinese restaurant try to avoid adding additional soya sauce to meals, always ask the person taking your order to ensure they do not add ajinomoto to your dishes as you are allergic. The Reason : Mono sodium Glutamate which is another name for Ajinomoto: the chinese salt is a known headache trigger for many individuals. I Love Chinese food and I am sure so do you but if you the outcome of your love leads to a headache I suggest you take caution.
FIT 2 : Aged Cheese : Is that you who always says - 'Ah I Love cheese' or is this you who says 'I would like to order a cheese burst pizza with extra cheese along with garlic bread and a cheese dip' Next time you consume cheese take note of it, is it the cheese that's causing you a shooting pain if it is remember you can always switch to fresh cheese like cottage cheese also called as paneer. Cheese to restrict includes Blu cheese, Chedder, Feta, Mozarella, Parmesan, Swiss, Processed cheese and other aged cheese. Point to remember here is the longer the cheese ages the more is the tyramine content in cheese, and this tyramine is the culprit for your headache. Avoid aged cheese and stay ageless and lively free from frequent headaches.
FIT 3 : Red Wine Headache (RWH) : If you thought its the loud music at friend's party that gave you a headache, think again, it might also be the Red Wine that you had. There are several researches which suggest different reasons for this cause and time and again there have been researches which are conflicting. some suggest the sulfites present in red wine leads to headache conflicted by the research which suggests white wine to have more sulfite than Red wine and yet not causing any problem. Others regards Histamine, Tannins, Prostglandines present in red wine to be the causative factor. However, a majority suggest its the Tyramine present in Red wine which leads to headache. Tyramine is a basically an amine produced naturally when a product is aged as the protein present in it breaks down scientifically stated as decarboxylation of an amino acid called Tyrosine. Whatever be the main cause, the gist that we need to understand is that if you suffer a headache after red wine consumption make note of it in your food diary and the next time you have similar headache problem check if you had red wine some time back.
FIT 4 : Hot Dog Headache : Nitrites present in certain foods makes them the cause for your headache. It increases the blood flow to brain causing headache. It is added to Ham to preserve it. Sodium nitrite are largely present in processed meat : in cold cuts and in hot dogs. Try to avoid additives containing foodstuffs to stay Fit and away from Headache triggers.
FIT 5 : Chocolate : Some of you might disagree with me and say instead if you have a headache you lean towards chocolates and feel good about it, but the truth is caffeine and phenyl ethyl amine present in chocolates might constrict the blood vessels leading to pain. Some suggest phenylethylamine along with tyramine causes migraine and severe headache in those consuming too much of chocolate at a go, others might say its the chocolate spree hangover.
If you suffer from frequent severe headache, always ensure that you keep a food diary handy and everytime you have a headache mention it along with the foodstuffs that you consumed past 24-48 hours, also mention the quantity consumed. You will be surprised to know that often its been a certain food which was consumed beyond your threshold that acted as the trigger for you.
If you have severe headache and need a quick diet suggestions chart : Contact me and I shall provide you with the Anti Headache Diet options chart.
Stay Fit in five
Priyam Ahuja
Diet and Nutrition Expert