Headaches can worsen around menses, and have a tendency to run in families. Sometimes headaches are caused by food allergies, and anyone with severe migraines should avoid foods that have been noted to trigger headaches. Salted foods are frequently noted as a trigger, as are chocolate, cheese, ice cream, nuts, eggs, banana, herring, fatty foods, citrus fruits, NutraSweet (aspartame), MSG (monosodium glutamate), nitrates (often present in processed meats), and concentrated sweets. MSG and aspartame have similar chemical structures, and frequently those who react to one also react to the other. Alcohol is a frequent offender, not only because it can act directly to trigger headaches but also because it contains chemical amines added as flavorings that are potent migraine producers.
Since MSG can cause severe headaches and migraines,8,9 as well as other
symptoms, foods containing this ingredient should be totally avoided by headache sufferers and possibly challenged (reintroduced as a test) at a later date when the person is doing well and is headache-free. Delayed symptoms may occur even 72 hours after MSG is ingested, so it is sometimes difficult to trace the symptoms back to the offending substance. Some researchers estimate that only 1 to 2 percent of the population is sensitive to MSG, while others believe the figure is closer to 25 percent.10,11
Unfortunately, if you are trying to rely on food labels to disclose the presence of a substance that you wish to avoid, you will frequently be deceived. Since MSG and other food additives can sneak into so many processed and packaged foods, it is best to avoid all such food items completely if you are a chronic headache sufferer. Since such avoidance is extremely difficult for most people, the table below may be helpful for those sensitive to MSG.
Food Additives That Always Contain MSG12
Monosodium glutamate Hydrolyzed protein
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein Sodium caseinate
Yeast extract
Hydrolyzed oat flour
Yeast nutrient Autolyzed yeast
Textured vegetable protein Calcium caseinate
Yeast food
Food Additives That Often Contain MSG Malt extract Bouillon Barley malt Broth Stock Flavoring
Malt flavoring Natural flavoring Natural beef flavoring
Natural chicken flavoring Natural pork flavoring Seasonings
A high-protein diet is one of the most common reasons people suffer from chronic migraines. Protein breakdown and digestion causes the production of multiple toxins, especially nitrogenous wastes, many of which easily cross the blood–brain barrier. Humans are designed by nature to consume a low-protein diet; they lack the equipment of a large liver to detoxify uric acid and other
proteinaceous wastes. We frequently suffer unknowingly from our modern dietary practices because our bodies are not adapted to handle the foods we eat.
A basic plan to rid one's life of headaches is to start a low-protein, plant- based diet specifically designed to avoid the foods listed below, as well as all caffeine-containing products. The severe migraine sufferer should strictly adhere to the food plan described here until a definite recovery is achieved. Later, when the individual has fully recovered, the diet can be expanded to include some of the prohibited fruits and vegetables to see whether or not they cause a problem.
To start, headache sufferers should withhold all medication, including oral contraceptive pills (utilizing another method to prevent pregnancy). They must stop consuming all herbal preparations, food supplements, tea, soft drinks, coffee, and all caffeinated beverages. Once these steps have been accomplished, it is time to follow the rest of the program:
1. Avoid all salt and MSG, including soy sauce, oriental foods, canned soups, sauerkraut, pickles, and sauces or processed foods that may contain salt or other preservatives and artificial flavorings.
2. Avoid all sweets, including honey, maple syrup, dried fruit, or sweet fruit juice.
3. Eat no animal foods, including beef, pork, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy food. If you add a small amount of animal food on occasion after a recovery has been achieved, keep the portion size down to less than 4 ounces (the size of a deck of cards) and stick to chicken, turkey, or beef, avoiding fish, ham, and all canned, cured, or processed meats, or meat prepared with tenderizer.
4. At the beginning, avoid most fruits and all fruit juices. Bananas, citrus fruit, pineapple, apples, applesauce, pears, apricots, avocados, cherries, figs, fruit cocktails, papaya, passion fruit, peaches, plums, and raisins should all be avoided. Melon and grapes are the only fruits allowed. These may be eaten in a small amount before breakfast or as a snack. Once a recovery is achieved, more fruits may gradually be included in the diet. Bananas and citrus fruits should be saved for last.
5. Avoid nuts, seeds, and all legumes, including pole or broad beans, lima or fave beans, lentils, snow peas, navy beans, pea pods, garbanzo beans, onions, or olives. Once a recovery has been achieved, a small amount of beans—less than 4 ounces daily—can usually be tolerated.
6. Avoid all dairy products, especially cheese sauce and salad dressings containing milk derivatives such as whey.
Here is a sample diet for migraine patients in the first phase (Phase I) of their recovery.
Breakfast
Small piece of melon
Oatmeal or other whole grain hot cereal or yeast-free whole grain bread Lunch
Large green salad (no dressing except 1 teaspoon olive oil permitted) Corn, sweet potato, white potato, brown rice, steamed carrots
Bunch of grapes Dinner
Small salad
Steamed green vegetable such as broccoli, artichoke, kale, cabbage, or asparagus
Starchy vegetable or grain such as butternut or acorn squash, potato, corn, millet, quinoa, rice, or pasta. Tomato sauce made without salt is OK.
As stated earlier, sometimes headaches continue for a few days while the body is still eliminating retained wastes, but usually this diet results in the quick elimination of the patient's problems.
Once a definite recovery has been achieved and the patient is free of headaches for one month, some of the prohibited foods may be added back to the diet. Add one food every few days, particularly avoiding any food that clearly precipitates an attack.
Start with fresh fruits, reintroducing them into the diet a little at a time. Then begin to include legumes, and then a small amount of nuts or seeds. If the person swings back to his or her former eating habits and begins consuming a significant quantity of animal-based, high-protein foods or highly salted processed foods, the headaches invariably return.