You Are What You Eat: Food That Cause Migraine Headache
A migraine headache is a serious, painful and debilitating illness. Symptoms of an impending episode vary with each individual affected.
Some of those symptoms include double vision, nausea and then severe head pain. Often the individual is completely incapacitated and requires the individual to take heavy doses of pain medication and lay at rest in a dark room.
Sufferers of migraine headaches are from all walks of life regardless of their social backgrounds, economic status, or ethnic background. In addition, episodes of migraine headaches can be brought on by a number of factors. Some of those factors could include a certain smell, stress and the eating of certain foods.
Some of the food that cause migraine headaches can be grouped into two categories. When a migraine sufferer wishes to identify what food brings on a migraine episode it is best to keep a food log. Also, it is important to know those groups of food that cause migraine headaches and processed food that can trigger a migraine headache. Finally, it is important for the sufferer to know that there are added migraine triggers that can work in concert with food eaten or stand alone in bringing on an episode.
Food Log
One of the most important tools that a migraine sufferer can benefit from is a dietary log. This dietary log is kept by the migraine sufferer and is simply a discipline action where the individual keeps track of each item of food that is eaten every day over a period of time. If and when the migraine sufferer experiences a headache, then the food log for that day can be reviewed to see what may have triggered the episode.
Some common foods that have been known to trigger migraine headaches are fruits such as bananas or citrus fruits. Other common foods that have been known to bring on migraine episode are peanut butter, avocados, beans, dairy products, yeast, sauerkraut, pickled herring, etc.
Processed Foods
In addition to natural food that cause migraine headaches are processed foods. Processed foods are those foods that contain additives or preservatives. Those additives or preservatives could be MSG or nitrates.
Examples of food that cause migraine headaches and contain the additive MSG could be soy sauce or canned meats. Nitrate is a preservative that is commonly used in such products as hot dogs, luncheon meats or other meats that are heavily processed.
Added Migraine Triggers
It is important however to note that food that cause migraine headaches are not necessarily the sole trigger that precipitates a migraine headache. There are other factors that are involved and may work in conjunction with foods that are eaten or may act alone in bringing on a migraine headache.
Those added migraine triggers coupled with food that cause migraine headaches could include stress, not eating a meal or other changes experience by the individual. One of those changes could be too much sleep or not enough sleep or, for a woman, a change in her menstrual cycle.
