Foods To Es-chew

Foods that can trigger a whopping headache. Migraine sufferers: tape this list to your refrigerator—it could save you hours of pain over a bite to eat.
By Lawrence Robbins, Susan Lang, published on July 01, 1996 - last reviewed on August 23, 2006

More than a quarter of migraine sufferers report that food triggers some oftheir headaches. If you think something in your diet is leading to cranial discomfort, try eliminating one or more of the most-cited culinary culprits:

  • Chocolate
  • Alcohol
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
  • Buttermilk
  • Cheese
  • Citrus fruits, pineapple
  • Nitrates in hot dogs, bacon, etc.
  • Aspartame (such as NutraSweet)

Source: Headache Help, by Lawrence Robbins, M.D., and Susan Lang (Houghton Mifflin)

Tags: alcohol, bacon, cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits, culprits, diet, headache, houghton mifflin, lawrence robbins, migraine, migraine sufferers, nitrates in hot dogs, pineapple, susan lang

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