CCH medical terminology

Low Tyramine Headache Diet* Tyramine is produced in foods from the natural breakdown of the amino acid tyrosine.

 Tyramine is not added to foods.

 Tyramine levels increase in foods when they are aged, fermented, stored for long periods of time, or are not fresh

 Food Group Allowed

Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs Freshly purchased and prepared meats, fish, and poultry Eggs Tuna fish, tuna salad (with allowed ingredients)

Bacon*, sausage*, hot dogs*, corned beef*, bologna*, ham*, any luncheon meats with nitrates or nitrites added. Meats with tenderizer added caviar Aged, dried, fermented, salted, smoked, or pickled products. Pepperoni, salami, and liverwurst. Non-fresh meat or liver, pickled herring Dairy Milk: whole, 2% or skim Cheese: American, cottage, farmer, ricotta, cream cheese, Velveeta, low-fat processed Yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream: ½ cup per day Parmesan* or Romano* as a garnish (2 tsp.) or minor ingredient Aged cheese: blue, brick, brie cheddar, Swiss, Roquefort, stilton, mozzarella, provolone, emmentaler, etc. Breads, Cereals, Pasta Commercially prepared yeast Product leavened with baking powder: biscuits, pancakes, coffee cakes, etc. All cooked and dry cereals All pasta: spaghetti, rotini ravioli, (w/allowed ingredients), macaroni, and egg noodles Homemade yeast leavened breads and coffee cakes Sourdough breads Any with a restricted ingredient Vegetables Asparagus, string beans, beets, carrots, spinach, pumpkin, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, broccoli, potatoes, onions cooked in food, Chinese pea pods, navy beans, soy beans, any not on restricted list Raw onion Snow peas, fava or broad beans, sauerkraut, pickles and olives Fermented soy products like miso, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce Fruits Apple, applesauce, cherries, apricots, peaches, any not on restricted list Limit intake to ½ cup per day from each group: Citrus: orange, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon and lime Avocados, banana, figs*, raisins*, dried fruit*, papaya, passion fruit, and red plums Nuts and Seeds All nuts: peanuts, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, pecans 820 N. Orleans, Suite 217, Chicago, IL 60610-3132 Toll Free (888) NHF-5552 Fax (312) 640-9049 www.headaches.org Food Group Allowed Use With Caution Avoid Soups Soups made from allowed ingredients, homemade broths Canned soups with autolyzed or hydrolyzed yeast*, meat extracts*, or monosodium glutamate*(MSG) Beverages Decaffeinated coffee, fruit juices, club soda, caffeine-free carbonated beverages Limited caffeinated beverages to no more than 2 servings per day: Coffee and tea: 1 cup = 1 serving carbonated beverages and hot cocoa or chocolate milk: 12oz = 1 serving Limit alcoholic beverages to one serving: 4oz Riesling wine, 1.5oz vodka or scotch per day = 1 serving per day (May need to omit if on MAOI) Alcoholic beverages: Chianti, sherry, burgundy, vermouth, ale, beer, and non-alcoholic fermented beverages. All others not specified in caution column Desserts & Sweets Any made with allowed foods and ingredients: sugar, jelly, jam, honey, hard candies, cakes, cookies Chocolate based products: ice cream (1 cup), pudding (1 cup), cookies (1 average size), cakes (3” cube), and chocolate candies (½oz). (All count as one serving of caffeinated beverage) Mincemeat pie Ingredients Listed on Food Labels Any not listed in the restricted section MSG* (in large amounts), nitrates and nitrites (found mainly in processed meats), yeast, yeast extracts, brewers yeast, hydrolyzed or autolyzed yeast, meat extracts, meat tenderizers (papain, bromelin) seasoned salt (containing MSG), soy sauce, teriyaki sauce Fats, Oils, and Miscellaneous All cooking oils and fats White vinegar Commercial salad dressing with allowed ingredients All spices not listed in restricted ingredients Wine, apple, or other fermented vinegars* Caffeine Content of Selected Beverages Carbonated beverages 12oz=30– 50mg (Regular and sugar-free) Coffee 6oz=103mg Decaffeinated coffee 6oz=2mg Tea 6oz=31-36mg (Instant and 3-minute brew) General Guidelines  Each day eat three meals with a snack at night or six small meals spread throughout the day.  Avoid eating high sugar foods on an empty stomach, when excessively hungry, or in place of a meal.  All food, especially high protein foods, should be prepared and eaten fresh. Be cautious of leftovers held for more than one or two days at refrigerator temperature. Freeze leftovers that you want to store for more than 2 or 3 days.  Cigarette and cigar smoke contain a multitude of chemicals that will trigger or aggravate your headache. If you smoke, make quitting a high priority. Enter a smoking cessation program.  The foods listed in the “CAUTION” column have smaller amounts of Tyramine or other vasoactive compounds. Foods with an * may contain small amounts of Tyramine. Other foods in the “USE WITH CAUTION” column do not contain Tyramine but are potential headache “triggers”. If you are taking an MAO inhibitor (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor) you should test the use of restricted foods in limited amounts.  Each person may have different sensitivities to certain level of Tyramine or other vasoactive compounds in foods. If you are not on an MAO inhibitor, you should test the use of restricted foods in limited amounts.  Adapted from the Columbus Hospital & Diamond Headache Clinic Low Tyramine Headache Diet.