I don't get Hungry and keep getting Headaches.

Dear Ask The Doctor: I wonder if it is at all normal for a 17 year old male to not feel hunger. I could go for days without feeling hungry; I recognise that I need to eat but only because I recognise that I haven't eaten in a given number of hours. Instead of hunger I get headaches. If I haven't eaten enough, or the right foods, or at the right time, I develop a shocking headache which stops me from doing just about everything. I have also tested different eating patterns, e.g. 3 large meals a day, constantly eating light snacks all day with medium sized meals, combinations of snacks and large meals and rarely do any of these work. The only relief for this headache is sleeping or meditation. Apart from regimented eating, is there anything I can do to avoid these headaches in the middle of a full day of university?

Dear Brendan: Your headache may be due to the sudden drop in blood sugar levels from the consumption of large carbohydrate meals, sugars and sweets, increased caffeine intake, or could be due to some specific type of food. You need to ensure that you eat a protein rich diet, the proteins take longer to digest than other foods, and will help you feel fuller longer, and you should avoid sweets and sugary foods and too much caffine. Try taking small frequent meals cutting out on all large heavy meals, and note down all the foods you consume whenever you get these headaches to find out if any specific type of food item or ingredient are triggering the headaches.