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Dr. Diamond’s Antiheadache Diet

At Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago

Patients are advised to eat a diet low in tyramine, an amino acid that is known to promote headaches, nausea, and high blood pressure in certain individuals.
People who take certain antidepressant drugs called monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors are especially prone to accumulating high amounts of tyramine.
The following diet keeps tyramine levels to a minimum.

Beverages Foods allowed:.
 Decaffeinated coffee, fruit juices, club soda, noncola sodas. Caffeine sources to be limited to no more than two cups per day.
Foods to avoid:
Caffeine (does not contain tyramine, but aggravates headache symptoms): coffee, tea, colas in excess of two cups per day. Hot cocoa, all alcoholic beverages.

Dairy Foods allowed:::
Milk: homogenized, low-fat, or skim. Cheese: American, cottage, farmer, ricotta, cream cheese. Yogurt: limit to one-half cup per day.
Foods to avoid:
 Cultured dairy, such as buttermilk, sour cream, chocolate milk. Cheese: blue, boursault, brick, Brie types, Camembert types, cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, Roquefort, Stilton, mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, Romano, Emmentaler.
Meat, Fish, Poultry Foods allowed:
Fresh or frozen turkey, chicken, fish, beef lamb, veal, pork, eggs (limit three per week), tuna fish.
Foods to avoid:
 Aged, canned, cured, or processed meats; canned or aged ham; pickled herring; salted, dried fish; chicken Liver; aged game; hot dogs; fermented sausages (no nitrates or nitrites allowed), including bologna, salami, pepperoni, summer sausage; any meat prepared with meat tenderizer, soy sauce, or yeast extracts (it’s not the yeast itself that’s a problem, but yeast contains an enzyme that alters an amino acid to become tyramine).
Breads and Cereals Foods allowed:
 Commercial breads. white, whole wheat, rye, French, Italian, English muffins, me/ba toast, crackers, bagels. All hot and dry cereals. cream of wheat, oatmeal, cornflakes, puffed wheat, rice, bran, etc.
Foods to avoid:
Hot, fresh, homemade yeast breads, breads and crackers containing cheese; fresh yeast coffee cake, doughnuts, sourdough breads; any breads or cereals containing chocolate or nuts.
Starches Foods allowed::
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles
Vegetables, Legumes, and Seeds Foods allowed:
Asparagus, string beans, beets, carrots, spinach, pumpkin, tomatoes, squash, corn, zucchini, broccoli, green lettuce. All except those listed in the next paragraph.
Foods to avoid:
Pole, broad, lima, or Italian beans; lentils; snow peas; fava, navy, or pinto beans; pea pods; sauerkraut; garbanzo beans; onions (except as a condiment); olives, pickles; peanuts; sunflower, sesame, or pumpkin seeds.
Fruit Foods allowed :
Prunes, apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, pears. Citrus fruits and juices. Limit to one-half cup per day of orange, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon, or lime.
Foods to avoid:
Avocados, bananas (one-half allowed per day), figs, raisins, papaya, passion fruit, red plums.
Soups Foods allowed:
Cream soups made from list of allowed foods, homemade broths.
Foods to avoid:
Canned soups, bouillon cubes, soup bases with autolyzed yeast or monosodium glutamate (MSG)—read labels.
Desserts Foods allowed:
Fruits listed above, sherbets, ice cream, cakes and cookies made without chocolate or yeast, gelatin
Foods to avoid:
Chocolate-flavored ice cream, pudding, cookies, or cakes; mincemeat pies
Sweets Foods allowed:
Sugar, jelly, jam, honey, hard candy
Foods to avoid:
Chocolate candies, chocolate syrup, carob.
Miscellaneous Foods allowed:
Salt (in moderation), lemon juices, butter or margarine, cooking oils, whtpped cream; white vinegar and commercial salad dressing in small amounts.
Foods to avoid:
Pizza, cheese sauce, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate (MSG) in excessive amounts, yeast, yeast extracts, Brewer’s yeast, meat tenderizers, seasoning salt, macaroni and cheese, beef stroganoff cheese lasagna, frozen dinners, and any pickled, preserved, or marinated foods.