Download The Headache Diet

The Headache Diet
Try to eat only freshly prepared foods to avoid the risk of eating foods that may have been
aged, fermented, pickled, or marinated, Tenderizers, Monosodium glutamate and nitrate
or nitrite compounds are likely headache triggering agents. Tyramine content may vary
among brand names available in the market because of preparation, processing or
storage. Read the labels carefully when shopping and ask questions when eating out.
Food
Foods Allowed
Decaffeinated coffee, club sodas,
non-cola sodas (7-Up, Ginger Ale
and Sprite).
Beverages
Caffeine should be limited to 2
cups (16 oz) per day.
Fresh or frozen: Turkey, chicken,
veal, fish, beef, lamb, pork, egg as
meat substitute (limit is 3 eggs a
week).
Meat, Fish,
Poultry
Tuna, Tuna salad and salmon
Milk: Homogenized, 2% or skim.
Dairy
Cheese: American, cottage
cheese, cream cheese and
Velveeta
Foods to Avoid
Caffeine sources: coffee, tea, colatype soda in excess of 2 cups
(16oz) per day. Chocolate or
alcoholic beverages.
Foods and beverages containing
aspartame (i.e. Nutrasweet,
Splenda, Equal)
Aged, canned, cured or processed
meats, canned or aged ham,
pickled herring, salted dried fish,
chicken livers, aged game, hot
dogs, fermented sausage (no
nitrates or nitrites): bologna,
salami, pepperoni, peanuts and
peanut butter, any meat prepared
with meat tenderizer, soy sauce or
yeast extracts.
Cultured dairy products such as
buttermilk and sour cream.
Aged cheeses: Blue types,
cheddar, Swiss, gouda, Roquefort,
mozzarella and parmesan.
Yogurt: Limit to ½ cup
Breads and
Cereal
Potato or
Substitute
Revised 2/15/2012
Commercial breads: White, whole
wheat, rye, French, Italian, English
muffin, melba toast crackers, rye
krisp, bagel.
Hot fresh homemade or yeast
bakery breads, and crackers with
cheese.
Any containing chocolate or nuts.
All hot and dry cereals: Cream of
Wheat, oatmeal, corn flakes,
puffed wheat, rice, all-bran, etc.
Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes,
rice, macaroni, spaghetti and
noodles.
Vegetables
Asparagus, stringbeans, beets,
carrots, spinach, tomatoes,
squash, corn, zucchini, broccoli,
green lettuce, etc.
Any juice (such as prune, apple,
etc), applesauce, cherries,
apricots, peach, pear, fruit cocktail.
Pole or broad beans, limas, pea
pods, snow peas, navy beans,
pinto beans, etc.
Onions (except for flavoring),
olives, pickles and sauerkraut.
Avocados, bananas (1/2 allowed
per day), figs, raisins, papaya,
passion fruit, red plums.
Fruit
Soups
Desserts
Sweets
Limit intake to ½ cup: orange,
grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple,
lemon or lime.
Cream soups made from foods
allowed. Homemade broths.
Sherbets, ice cream, cakes and
cookies (without chocolate or
yeast) and Jello
Sugar, jelly, jam, honey and hard
candy.
Salt in moderation, lemon juice,
butter or margarine, cooking oils,
whipped cream.
Miscellaneous
White vinegar and commercial
salad dressings.
Nuts and seeds: Peanuts and
peanut butter, sunflower and
sesame seeds
Canned soups, soup cubes,
bouillon soup with yeast or MSG.
Chocolate flavored Ice cream,
pudding, cookies and cakes.
Mincemeat pie.
Chocolate candies, chocolate
syrup, Aspartame (i.e. Nutrasweet,
Equal, Splenda, etc)
Pizza, cheese sauce, soy sauce,
monosodium glutamate (MSG),
yeast, meat tenderizers, and
seasoned salt (i.e. Accent, Lawry’s,
etc)
Mixed dishes: Macaroni and
cheese, beef stroganoff, cheese
straws, lasagna, frozen TV dinners.
Any foods pickled, fermented or
marinated.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is an established headache trigger. It has become quite
prevalent in canned, packaged and prepared foods. MSG in foods may be difficult to
determine since the terms “natural flavor”, “flavoring” or “hydrolyzed vegetable protein
(HVP)”, all may appear on labels to refer to MSG. HVP contains about 10-30-% MSG.
Elimination of food sources of MSG does result in decreased frequency of headaches.
Revised 2/15/2012
Food Categories Usually Containing Large Amounts of MSG
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Frozen Foods (especially dinners)
Canned and dry soups
Potato chips
Many diet foods
Cured and luncheon meats (salami, bologna, pepperoni)
Most sauces in jars and cans, such as tomato and barbecue sauces.
Most salad dressings and mayonnaise
Terms indicating MSG Content
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MSG
Hydrolyzed Vegetable protein (HVP)
Hydrolyzed Plant protein (HVP)
Natural Flavor (almost always)
Flavoring (almost always)
Kombu extract
Additional Hints
1. Avoid dietary vasoactive substances acting directly on blood vessels, such as:
- Tyramine (aged cheeses and meats)
- Phenylethylamine (chocolate)
- Nitrites (hot dogs and pepperoni)
- MSG in Chinese Food
- Alcohol
2. Eat three well-balanced meals per day
3. Don’t skip meals of fast
Revised 2/15/2012