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Besides being an aromatherapist and Bach Flower therapist, I am also a nutritionist. So a blog about the connection between food and headaches cannot be missed. In this blog I want to take you along in what we all know and especially what we don’t know about the connection between nutrition and headaches. Because a lot has been said and written about it in the past decades, but there is still no real agreement. So I will not try to reach that agreement, but I will try to create some clarity in all the information that can be found.

First of all: Don’t let yourself be fooled.

There are a lot of foods on the blacklist when it comes to headaches. For example, chocolate, cheese (particularly hard French cheese), eggs, pork and citrus fruits are said to be triggers for headaches. Sufficient scientific evidence has not been found for any of these foods.

I do not mean to say that the above-mentioned foods cannot cause headaches. If you get a headache after eating chocolate or citrus fruits, then that is the case. I have no reason to doubt that. And then I would certainly advise you to avoid these foods.

But at the same time, you should not let yourself be fooled by what is said and written. For example, I once spoke to someone who said that she got a headache from citrus fruits, pork, chocolate and cheese. In fact, she neatly listed everything you find when you search for foods that cause headaches. When I asked her further, it turned out that she had never experienced it herself, but that she had heard that it could cause her headaches. And she had come to believe that. This was evident from the fact that her complaints had worsened since she had heard that.

So be critical when you read or hear something about food and headaches. Because unfortunately all websites just copy each other. Ask yourself: “Have I always eaten/drank this? Did it give me a headache?” If you have always eaten or drunk it without getting any complaints, then there is a very good chance that the cause of your headache is not the food itself, but your subconscious mind. You have created the belief for yourself that you get a headache from a certain food and your subconscious provide you with the evidence.

Don't let yourself be fooled
Aspartame

Aspartame

One of the substances that has probably been said and written about the most is aspartame. The American Food and Drug Administration has long banned aspartame because it could cause headaches, migraines, dizziness, nausea, epilepsy and brain tumors. This is said to be due to the methanol, formaldehyde and formic acid that are released during the breakdown process of aspartame. Sufficient scientific evidence for this has never been provided.

In America, aspartame has been approved for human consumption since 1981. In Europe, this has been the case since 1994. The last study by the EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) dates from 2013. At that time, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame of 40 mg / kg body weight was established. According to international consumption surveys, the average intake among adults is between 0.8 and 8.6 mg per kg body weight, which is well below the ADI.

Elimination diet

In the 1990s, a study was conducted on the effects of an elimination diet on migraines and tension headaches. This study assumed that migraines and tension headaches were caused by residues that remain in our bodies after eating certain foods.

The group of people who participated in the study were divided into 2 groups, the intervention group and the control group. The intervention group was given dietary advice to eliminate the following foods from their diet:

  • Coffee (including decaffeinated coffee)
  • Tea (herbal tea was allowed)
  • Sugar, and anything containing sugar
  • Anything containing cocoa
  • Pork
  • Milk and dairy products (sour dairy products such as yoghurt and buttermilk were allowed)
  • Salt (including salted herring, salted liquorice, snacks)
  • Red wine
  • Peanuts

The control group was given a different list of foods to eliminate from their diet. Their list was:

  • Pineapple (not even from a can)
  • Tomato, tomato puree, tomato ketchup, anything with tomato in it
  • Carrots
  • Cornstarch (potato flour was allowed)
  • Rusk
  • Crackers
  • White bread
  • Pepper
  • Carbonated soft drinks

The expectation was that this elimination diet would mainly have an effect on migraine patients. However, it turned out that mainly patients with tension headaches benefited from the diet, and that the effect on migraine patients was much less.

Elimination diet
Our body

So:

We just don’t know. There is still so much research needed into the connection between nutrition and headaches. Small connections are found here and there, but they are usually part of a larger whole.

For example, a connection has been found between the production of serotonin and migraine. Too little serotonin could cause migraine. And the amino acid tryptophan is needed for the production of serotonin. Our body cannot produce this amino acid itself and must therefore come from our food.

But a disrupted serotonin production also affects intestinal peristalsis, which can cause IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), for example. In addition, it has been shown that increased permeability of the intestinal wall can lead to various diseases, including migraine, chronic headache, asthma and chronic skin problems. And nutrition also affects the permeability of the intestinal wall.

Our body is brilliantly constructed. It is truly a technical feat. And everything is connected. That’s why it’s not as simple as “don’t eat chocolate anymore, then you’ll get rid of your headache”. And there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution.

That’s why I work with you for 6 months in my programs. So that we can see what works for you, what the best solution is for you.

Are you curious after reading this blog whether and how I could help you? Then send me a message on Instagram.

Every month I raffle 2 free headache sessions. During this free session I will look at your headache and its cause with you. I will look at the limiting beliefs that are lurking under the surface and resolve them for you. In addition, I will give you some tips and advice that you can start using immediately to experience less headaches immediately after the session.

My client Karin said about this session: “Immediately after the session I already experienced much less headaches”.

Do you want a chance to win one of those sessions? Then fill in the form here to apply.

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