Which foods and drinks are most likely to trigger headaches?

Q. Can some foods cause headaches?

A. Yes, many foods and drinks can cause headaches. Here are some of the more common ones.

Red wine

Of all the alcoholic drinks, this one most often triggers a headache. Red wine contains the amino acid tyramine, which causes headaches in sensitive people. However, some people with headaches are sensitive to all alcoholic drinks.

Caffeinated drinks

The problem is not when you drink coffee, tea, soda, or other drinks that contain caffeine. The headaches come on if you suddenly stop taking in the caffeine.

Aged foods

As cheese ages, the breakdown of the protein releases the amino acid tyramine, the same ingredient that is the cause of headaches related to red wine.

Processed foods

Foods like hot dogs and pepperoni often contain nitrates, another headache trigger. Some processed foods also are rich in tyramine.

Chocolate

A little bit of chocolate usually won't trigger a headache. When chocolate does cause a headache, tyramine is probably the culprit.

Very cold foods

An ice cream headache usually comes on quickly and lasts less than a minute. But for some people who experience migraine headaches, eating ice cream can trigger a more prolonged migraine attack.

The best way to find what foods and/or drinks cause your headaches is to keep a diary. Every time you have a headache, write down everything you ate and drank before the headache started. You might discover that it is not the food that's causing the trouble, but one of the additives.

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