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Monday, September 07, 2009

Foods that Could Trigger a Nasty Headache




My friend Charlene
pinged me. She had a miserable headache over the weekend. It wasn't just any miserable headache -- it was a miserable headache caused by citrus.

After retracing her day, Charlene realized that the three delicious tangerines were the culprit. She thought she was just enjoying a very tasty, healthy snack, but she was also triggering pain.

Some experts say that citrus and other foods may trigger headaches because the people consuming them may have an enzyme deficiency. The enzyme they are lacking is necessary for neutralizing amines in foods. Some foods have large quantities of amines, and without the enzyme, headaches (and even migraines) can be stimulated.

Still, gobbling up an orange (or three) might seem harmless. If you are one of the 28 million Americans who suffer from migraines, taking note of how foods affect your body could be critical in preventing future headaches. One new theory is that craving certain foods could also signal a coming migraine. These kinds of migraines are also made more unpredictable because eating the food may not trigger pain every single time, and because food could team up with other triggers (like bright lights or stress) to induce a migraine.

Some other foods and beverages thought to trigger headaches include:



There is a long list of foods that headache and migraine sufferers say cause their pain. Some of them might surprise you, including:



posted by Rachelle
at 7:53 PM

6 Comments