PAIN –SAFE FOODS

Pain –safe foods virtually never contribute to headaches or other painful conditions. These include:

Brown Rice

Cooked or Dried Fruits:  cherries, cranberries, pears, prunes (but not citrus fruits, apples, bananas, peaches, or tomatoes)

Cooked green, yellow, and orange vegetables:  artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, chard, collards, lettuce, spinach, string beans, summer or winter squash, sweet potatoes, tapioca, and taro (poi)

Water:  plain water or carbonated forms, such as Perrier, are fine.

Other beverages—even herbal teas—can be triggers.

Condiments:  modest amounts of salt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract are usually well-tolerated.

COMMON TRIGGERS

Common triggers often cause headaches in susceptible people. Some of them might surprise you.  Citrus fruits or wheat, for example, seem like perfectly healthful foods.  However, just as some food sensitivities manifest as a rash on your skin, migraine sufferers have a reaction that is internal—in the blood vessels and nerves.  Here are the common food triggers, also known as the dirty dozen, in order of importance:

1. dairy products*                           7.   nuts and peanuts
2. chocolate                                     8.   tomatoes           
3. eggs                                             9.   onions   
4. citrus fruits                                 10.  corn      
5. meat**                                                   11.  apples   
6. wheat (bread, pasta, etc.)           12.  bananas

 

*    Includes skim or whole cow’s milk, goat’s milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.
** Includes beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, etc.

Certain beverages and additives are also among the worst triggers, including alcoholic beverages (especially red wine), caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, and colas), monosodium glutamate, aspartame (NutraSweet), and nitrites. Foods that are on neither the pain-safe list nor the common trigger list should be considered possible, but unlikely, triggers.

*Neal Barnard, M.D., 1998, Foods That Fight Pain., pg 45 to 46
FOODS THAT TRIGGER DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS

Dairy products

Wheat.  It causes adverse reactions for some, either because they lack the enzymes needed to digest wheat proteins, as in celiac disease, or because they have an allergy or sensitivity to them. Even for people who do not have digestive problems, wheat is not completely digested. Other grains, such as corn, barley, or rye, sometimes cause problems, too and are easy to avoid.  Rice, the staple of many Asian cultures, is generally well tolerated.

Coffee and tea.   About one in five people with irritable bowel symptoms tends to react to coffee or tea.  Decaffeinated brands may be less of a problem.

Raw fruits (e.g. citrus fruits, apples, grapes, raisins, cantaloupe, or bananas) often cause digestive problems, as can some fruit juices, particularly citrus, apple, and prune juices. Try fruits that can be peeled and cooked.  If the seeds in strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries bother you, try blueberries.  Avocados are an unusual fruits in that they are high in fat and therefore present the same problems of other high-fat foods.

Raw vegetables sometimes cause problems. This is particularly true for cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage), tomatoes, celery, spinach, pepper, and carrots.  Cook your vegetables thoroughly, preferably by steaming or any other fat-free method.

Some vegetables, such as spinach, work well pureed. If you have a juicer, try carrots, perhaps in combination with cucumbers or other vegetables.

If onions or garlic give you problems, try onion or garlic powder.

Beans and bean products (e.g., tofu) sometimes cause gas.  This does not mean you have to avoid them, but you can use small amounts, always thoroughly cooked.  There are no al dente beans.  You may also find that cause gas, for example, while chickpeas or black beans do not.  Effects vary from person to person and can change over time.

Nuts and nut butters are high in fat (with the exception of chestnuts) and present the same problems as other high-fat foods.

Condiments and flavorings.  Be careful about black or red pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, cloves, nutmeg, dried parsley, mustard seeds, grated orange rind, and soy sauce.  The sorbitol sometimes used in sugarless gum and jam causes diarrhea if taken in more than modest amounts.

*Neal Barnard, M.D., 1998, Foods That Fight Pain., pg 101 to 107