Migraines And Fast Food To Avoid

Migraines are recurrent headaches causing severe pain and sometimes sensitivity to light, nausea and visual disturbances. While no known cure exists for migraines, medications, stress management, regular exercise and dietary changes may help reduce the frequency or severity of your symptoms, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. While foods affect people with migraines differently, a variety of fast food items contain common migraine triggers. For best results, seek specified guidance from your doctor or dietitian.

Cheeseburgers

Cheeseburgers contain multiple potential migraine triggers. If you're prone to migraines, the National Headache Foundation recommends avoiding ripened cheeses, such as cheddar cheese, meat tenderizers containing the additive monosodium glutamate, or MSG. Swiss and mozzarella cheeses may also pose problems. The saturated fat prevalent in beef and high-fat cheeses may cause or worsen inflammation involved with headache pain. Avoid cheeseburgers topped with bacon and those served on sourdough bread in particular, since additives called nitrates in bacon and sourdough are additional common migraine triggers.

Chinese Food

MSG is added to a variety of Chinese fast foods. While many restaurants use MSG as a flavor enhancer, Asian restaurant cuisine, Chinese fast food in particular, contains more MSG than any other cuisine, according to the "Everything Health Guide to Migraines" by Paula Ford-Martin. At sit-down restaurants, you can often request that no MSG be added to your meal. Since fast food restaurants often attain prepared foods from large distributors, they have little control of the foods' MSG content. Chinese fast foods particularly high in MSG include stir-fry meals prepared in brown or soy-based sauces, noodle dishes, fried and batter-fried meat dishes such as kung pao, General Tso's chicken and beef and broccoli. Opting for steamed vegetables and rice instead may lower your risk for migraine symptoms.

Fruit Smoothies

Smoothies may seem like healthier fast food fare and, in many cases, they are. Bananas, citrus fruits, strawberries and pineapple contain histamines -- substances that may trigger migraine symptoms, according to Ford-Martin. Yogurt contains tyramine -- an essential amino acid, or building block of protein -- that is associated with migraines. If you enjoy smoothies at fast food restaurants, ask for alternate ingredients, such as cherries, peaches and reduced-fat milk. Depending upon your sensitivity to histamines and tyramine, you may tolerate modest amounts without experiencing symptoms. The National Health Association recommends limiting your intake to half a banana and no more than 1/2 cup of citrus fruit per day.

Doughnuts and Pastries

Unlike most fast foods, many doughnuts and pastries are prepared on-site, without pre-manufactured ingredients. For migraine sufferers, this is not a benefit. Freshly-prepared yeast breads, including doughnuts, coffee cake and croissants, can trigger migraine symptoms if you're sensitive to baker's yeast. If you crave pastries, the Headache Institute at St. John's Hospital of Detroit recommends commercially-prepared coffee cakes, pancakes or biscuits prepared with baking powder, rather than yeast as migraine-friendly alternatives.