Wednesday 30 May 2012

Must Read: Foods That Cause Headaches

Headaches disrupt daily life without warranting any special care. We tend to take them for granted simply because they are seldom attached to any serious or debilitating health conditions. Whether the real cause of your excruciating headache is a mild cold or extreme stress, you don't think twice before popping a pill to quell its crippling effects. Most experts are of the opinion that routine headaches can be solved with attention to detail regarding diet and fitness. Today i bring you the top seven headache triggering food items, which you're best off avoiding. 
Aged Cheese: Milk is pretty high in protein content, which is an essential component of cheese. Protein, when broken down in the body, leads to production of tyramine. So be sure of the type or kind of cheese you are consuming and stick to moderate quantities when eating.
Alcohol: Alcohol of any sort tends to cause heaviness and headaches because alcohol thins the blood. So keep a tab on the amount of alcohol you drink and stay away from mixing drinks - a common cause behind hangovers that ultimately result in dull headaches for days.
Artificial food colours: Colouring agents present in dessert items, process food items and tinned foods can often lead to allergic reactions or headaches. So, the best bet is to stick to fresh produce and stay away from processed food items as much as you can.
Chocolates: This may sound a bit unusual, but if you are allergic to cocoa then you may have sinus headaches, even if you consume a bit of chocolate. Phenylethylamine and theobromine are the two key components present in chocolate which can lead to dilation of blood vessels.
Coffee: Coffee can work in both ways - for some it can be the chief reason for treating their headaches and for some just the opposite, one of the main triggers of headaches. Caffeine when mixed with magnesium in the body can lead to headaches. And let us not forget how withdrawal symptoms of coffee can also lead to the headaches.
Junk Foods: The chief component in junk foods is mono-sodium glutamate which is one of the worst headache triggers. Also, junk food takes extra time for the body to digest, often leading to a sudden rush of blood to the brain, again leading to headaches.
Nicotine: Nicotine leads to an onset of vascular activity in the brain which could lead to a sharp tingling feeling in the head. Several studies have shown that people who reduce their nicotine content, tend to reduce their recurrence of headache by 50%.









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