The other migraine trigger for me is bananas. Apparently common for people who also have chocolate as a trigger. As bananas are a great source of restoring energy after a workout, and as I normally workout 5 days a week, I was eating far too many. I ended up with the worst migraine I have ever encountered. I couldn't move without excruciating pain in my head, it felt like my head was being squashed in a vice and my brain would burst through my skull at any second.
I now only eat small bananas, I have half of a banana with breakfast and the other half after my workout, several years of that and so far, no more migraines.
My sister was also a migraine sufferer, but her triggers were fried food and cheese.
I was surprised when you mentioned bananas. That's a very severe reaction. I usually have half ..or even a quarter of a banana cut up into my morning chopped fruit.A whole one is too much re calories. Seems they are an excellent source of potassium. 420mg in a medium-sized one.
I found this statement.
"Bananas usually don't appear on lists of foods that trigger migraines, but they could trigger a migraine for people who are sensitive to tyramine, the same substance found in aged cheese"
From another source. that also mentions tyramine"
Examples of foods that can lead to a migraine attack include buttermilk, yogurt, blue cheese, sour cream, and other foods that contain tyramine. Other foods such as chocolate, cured meats, chicken liver, bananas, citrus fruits, soy sauce and foods containing additives can also lead to a headache after eating. Studies show that the peel has about 10 times more tyramine than the banana pulp.
It does look like this tyramine is the culprit. (Not my bold..copy/paste)
MIGRAINE AND DIET
M.R. Costa, M.B.A. Glória, in
Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003
Tyramine
Tyramine is a vasoactive amine that promotes blood pressure elevation, resulting in pain. Tyramine leads to cerebral
vasoconstriction and subsequent rebound
vasodilatation that causes a migraine attack in
susceptible persons. Episodes can be accompanied by nausea and visual abnormalities. Symptoms are evident 1–12 h after
ingestion of food containing
tyramine. A dose of 10 mg tyramine has been associated with migraine onset; however, levels of 6 mg can cause migraine in patients under treatment with MAO inhibitors. Alcohol has been observed to facilitate tyramine absorption.
Tyramine is found in a number of foodstuffs, most notably aged and
fermented foods and beverages. Cheeses (especially Camembert, Cheddar, Parmesan, and Emmental), overripe bananas,
avocado, canned figs, peanuts, pickled herring, dried and fermented meat products and alcoholic beverages (wine, beer) are known to contain tyramine.
You mentioned that your sister reacts to cheese..so do I but only with what I describe as the 'hard cheeses'. Cheshire,Leicester,Cheddar. I get a cold sweat on my forehead and eye lids and for a very short time feel like I do when I have the 'flu.. ie..hot/cold and very tired. Processed cheese doesn't cause any reaction, the likes of cottage cheese and Edam. I wonder if whatever is the cause is 'flashed off' in the process. Maybe this tyramine ?
