Headaches After Eating

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Food is meant to be enjoyed. It tastes good and it’s enjoyable to eat, which is why so many people eat so much. However, sometimes the food isn’t as enjoyable as it should be because of the consequences of eating it.

Some people suffer from headaches right after eating, which takes all the enjoyment out of eating. It doesn’t have to be this way, as you can eat and not experience headaches afterwards. The key is to know what the causes of the headaches are so that you can avoid them.

Cause #1: Diabetes

People who have diabetes often have to closely watch what they eat. They must stay away from foods that are high in starch. Since many foods contain a good amount of starch – like pasta – it can be very difficult to avoid these foods. Even if you do, it’s not a guarantee that you won’t get too much starch in your diet.

One of the leading causes of headaches after eating is diabetes. When you eat too much starch, you tend to have a very high blood sugar level. This can cause headaches, sometimes severe ones like migraines.

How to Avoid Headache After Eating

The easiest way to avoid headaches after eating caused by diabetes is to monitor what you eat. Only eat modest amounts of food high in starch. For instance, if you’re eating pasta, try only eating a cup of it instead of three.

Limit your starch intake and you’ll not only control your diabetes, but also control the number of headaches you get after eating because you won’t get them if your blood sugar is just right.

Cause #2: Certain Foods

There are certain foods which are known to induce headaches in some people. While some people may be able to tolerate, for instance, a lot of ice cream at one time, others will get a headache after eating a cup of it.

Foods like cheese, as well as combinations of cheese and ham may also cause painful headaches after eating. However, this is only in some people, which makes it difficult to say the exact foods that may cause a headache after eating.

How to Avoid

When it comes to food which creates headaches, it can often be very difficult to avoid headaches. That’s because you simply do not know what foods in particular are causing the headaches; if you did, it’d be easy to simply not eat them. The key here is to think about the foods you have ate and what days you’ve had headaches on.

Keeping a journal might come in handy here. Write down the food you eat and, if you have a headache, right that down too. If certain foods are causing your headaches after eating, you’ll notice a pattern between the foods and headaches.

Cause #3: Spicy Foods

Spicy foods have been known to create headaches after eating in some people. This is due to the ingredients in the food. Not all spicy foods will cause headaches, just those that share common ingredients which are typically responsible for after eating headaches.

If you are unlucky, you can get a headache after eating spicy food as well as a headache after eating pasta.

To avoid headaches caused by spicy foods, all you need to do is avoid the spicy foods or cut down on how much you eat. Again, keeping a food journal for a week or so, recording all the types of food you eat, and when, can help zero in on the culprits to avoid.