TO YOUR HEALTH : BOOKS.

Tips

While the holidays can be filled with fun and cheer, they also can bring stress and tension - two major causes of headaches, experts say.

``Altered lifestyle patterns during the holidays are a prime cause of headaches,'' said Dr. Seymour Diamond, executive director of the National Headache Foundation and director of the Diamond Headache Clinic, both in Chicago.

The National Headache Foundation recommends the following tips for keeping the holidays headache-free:

Avoid last-minute gift shopping. Or, if you can't avoid the long lines at hot, crowded department stores, try relaxation techniques such as neck rolls and slow, deep breaths.

Drink in moderation, if at all, and sip slowly to avoid hangover headaches. Mixed drinks are better than straight alcohol, experts say.

Watch what you eat and drink. Headache triggers - particularly for migraine sufferers - include ripe cheese, citrus fruits, chocolate, red wines and excessive amounts of caffeinated beverages such as coffee and soda.

See your doctor. If you are prone to headaches, your doctor may be able to help you devise a prevention and treatment plan.

``Hey, Mom! I'm Hungry!'' by Susan Powter (Fireside Books; $12). Powter - the single mother of two teen-age boys and author of ``Stop the Insanity!'' - came up with this cookbook filled with more than 100 low-fat, easy-to-prepare recipes designed to satisfy even the pickiest kid.

``No Pain, No Strain: Further Uses for Exercise Equipment,'' written and illustrated by Arnold Roth (St. Martin's Griffin; $7.95). Roth, the nationally known cartoonist (New Yorker, Sports Illustrated), makes fun of exercise through the ages and weighty romances gone wrong. He also suggests a couple dozen uses for whatever contraption you used - weights, steppers, treadmills - before you lost interest. If you haven't yet realized that dusty Thighmaster's potential as a large-caliber juicer, this book is for you.

``A Woman's Guide to Martial Arts,'' by Monica McCabe Cardoza (Overlook Press; $19.95). Personal safety has nothing to do with Cardoza's eight-year study of goju-ryu, an Okinawan form of karate. If that's your motivation, she says, take a self-defense class instead. Martial arts are all but useless in the street, she has decided - but ``Women who persevere in their training are bound to gain self-confidence, self-esteem and composure.'' Also flexibility and darn good workouts.