Blue cheese
Dairy products in general and aged and highly fermented cheeses, such as blue cheese, can cause headaches. This is because they are rich in histamines, molecules derived from an essential amino acid, histidine, which participates in numerous physiological functions. A deficiency of diamonooxidase (DAO), the hormone that metabolizes histamines, can lead to high concentrations of these molecules in the blood, which have a vasodilator effect. Therefore, it is essential to prevent and improve headaches to avoid the consumption of foods rich in histamines, which can also trigger asthenia, fatigue, and atopy.
Citrus
The citrus fruits are also rich in histamines, which should moderate their consumption if headaches tend to suffer. "It is common for the consumption of citrus fruits, so common in winter, to have a vasodilator effect that causes headaches," says Vaquera. Therefore, it is advisable not only to reduce the intake of oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and lime but also to introduce other foods with beneficial effects on headaches. "The artichoke, which activates the production of bile, is a good ally of our liver, and pineapple, for example, being rich in magnesium, can also help us prevent headaches ."
Coffee
According to research published in The American Journal of Medicine, drinking three or more daily servings of caffeinated beverages can be associated with headaches in patients with episodic migraine headaches. The problem is that reducing your coffee intake can also cause a headache. "It is common for headaches to occur when reducing the number of coffees we drink per day, but it never hurts to try to find out if those headaches that occur when reducing caffeine do not also respond to other reasons that we may be overlooking,” Indicates the Medicadiet nutritionist, Álvaro Sánchez. In this case, another study, conducted by the Diamond Headache Clinic of Chicago, points out that caffeine alone may be as effective against headaches as some pain relievers. However, the duration of its effects, between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, would be less.
Avocado
Although it is healthy to the fullest thanks to its high content of heart-healthy fatty acids, also present in olive oil and nuts, it is best to remove avocado from the diet when we have headaches or if we are prone to them, as it is also a food rich in histamines. Eggplant, spinach, tomato, pepper, chard, or beans are other healthy foods that, however, are also rich in histamines and that we should substitute for others with a low content such as apple, pear, mango, lettuce, cucumber, onion, zucchini or pumpkin, among others.
Red wine
Although red wine is especially rich in histamines and, therefore, a product to avoid headaches, all alcohol is contraindicated. "Besides being rich in histamines, alcohol is hypoglycemic, so it is never recommended," explains Sánchez. Meanwhile, Cowgirl remembers that the drink of choice should always be water since dehydration can also lead to headaches. "It is advisable to drink water during the day even if we do not feel thirsty or introduce foods rich in water, such as melon or watermelon, into our diet.”
Sausages
They are also rich in histamines and contain poor-quality saturated fats that the WHO has linked to the incidence of certain types of cancer. Therefore, it is advisable to eradicate sausages and sausages and other processed meats and take special care with the intake that we do at dinner time. Thus, processed meats, very common in many households for dinner, should go out of the diet both because of their high histamine content and because they are unhealthy, in addition to " causing heavy digestion that can make us rest worse," he says. Cowgirl To prevent headaches, it is essential to ensure good sleep hygiene.or, what happens by “betting on light dinners, always trying to have dinner at the same time and avoiding the consumption of caffeine and other excitements at night,” concludes the expert.
You must be logged in to post a comment.