Is Your Diet Giving You Headaches?
I know most of you have bad headaches even when you hear the word “diet”. This is because many people associate dieting with depriving themselves from so many aliments that are responsible with vitamins and essential nutriments intake.
As usually, a little bit of research can open your eyes and make you realize what is the cause of feeling like that and what you are doing wrong. Here are a few motives for your headaches:
- Low blood sugar. It has been scientifically proven that there is a strong connection between headaches and low blood sugar. However, this doesn’t mean that each time you get a headache you have to eat a whole chocolate bar or a big cake. You can still watch your weight and feel great. A good idea would be eating whole-grain crackers or fruit yogurts. For example I make my own fruit yogurts. This way I can choose the flavor and make sure that it is healthy and natural.
- Not eating from all groups of aliments. Dieting doesn’t mean eating only certain foods. You have to eat from all groups and be cautious about the quantity. I thought that eliminating for example oils or fats is the recommended thing to do. But oils like those found in flaxseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, avocado, salmon, sardines, anchovies and so on are really rich in Omega 3. Omega 3 deficiencies do not cause only headaches, but they can lead to serious diseases. The same thing happens in the case of Omega 6 and Omega 9 deficiencies. So don’t eliminate all the oils from your diet and make sure you eat from all the groups.
- Too much protein. Many diets are based on high protein aliments. As I’ve already said it is better to have an equilibrium concerning the food groups. According to the American Heart Association a high protein diet is not recommended because it restricts other foods that can provide your body essential nutrients. You risk raising your cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular problems. And you should know that one of the first signs of high blood pressure is headaches.
- Food intolerance. If you follow a diet recommended by a nutritionist and still have headaches, there might be another cause. There are some people that simply do not tolerate very well some aliments. According to National Headache Foundation foods like ripened cheeses, fermented, pickled or marinated aliments, chicken livers, raisins, papaya, avocados, red plums, bananas and many others may be the cause of your discomfort. It is not the same issue as in the case of allergic reactions, but not finding out the cause of your headaches, you may end up in having a serious migraine. The solution would be eating them one at a time and checking how you feel afterwards.
If you still have headaches after considering all the things mentioned above the best next thing would be consulting a doctor. And always keep in mind that loosing weight or keeping fit is not only about the diet, it is more about the lifestyle.
RSS Trackback URL 5. October 2010 (14:55)
Filed under: Diets, Motivation, Nutrition by Alice in Dietland
2 Comments»
ranchelle
5. October 2010 | 19:59 hInteresting comment about the American Heart Association. Is that not the same association that said that Margarine is better because low fat was better and now, more than upteem years later they realize how wrong they were. Low Fat is not not better.
I am not advocating a high protein diet; although they do work to take the weight off but I am a little wary of following anything that the American (or Canadian) Heart Association says…..
I would like to add that the headaches can be from simply detoxing and not enough hydration.
Nessie
6. October 2010 | 08:51 hHi, Ranchelle! I’m not trying to take any side, but the discoveries and research tests in Nutrition and Health are happening so fast. To every study publish you’ll find another one claiming the opposite. That doesn’t mean that one institution is misleading. As the Heart Association says on their site: “Our mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. That single purpose drives all we do.”
I agree with your comment related to hydration and detox, although I believe that most of the “detox headaches” are caused by motive no.2 from the post, “Not eating from all groups of aliments”.