Migraine trigger foods

IgnatiousOReilly
IgnatiousOReilly Posts: 16
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have any foods that trigger migraine? I've suffered with them for years but I think mine are more connected to stress and sleep/lack of sleep. But I wonder if my diet has any effect.

There's nothing like a migraine to make you lose focus and rely on comfort food to get through the painful aftermath. :-(
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Replies

  • SrMaggalicious
    SrMaggalicious Posts: 495 Member
    I can't eat dairy, especially cheeses. Nuts can cause them for me, as well, so I have to be careful how many I ingest per week.
  • Allegi32
    Allegi32 Posts: 302 Member
    My big one is peanut or peanut butter WITH chocolate. So I can't eat Reese's PB cups or peanut M&M's. Not that I should be, hahaha, but they are my fave "cheat" sweet.

    Alcohol is a big one for me as well, but I lack the enzyme necessary to metabolize alcohol so that's why. I haven't nailed down any other triggers.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    mine is a lethal home made pepper sauce with 7 pot, Moruga, ghost pepper mix.

    I can deal with any one of them separately, or even 2 of any combination thereof, just NOT all 3. I find the flavor quite enjoyable but the migraine that follows is deadly :angry: complete with aura :sick: and begins instantaneously with the first bite of food
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    A friend of mine gets them from MSG.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    Onions trigger migraines for my mother in law. Onion powder in moderation seems to be OK, but fresh onions are a big problem.
  • kriskris92
    kriskris92 Posts: 190 Member
    Sodium nitrate (found in most pre-packaged meats, cold meats, hot dogs, etc) and aspartame, for me.
  • battybecks
    battybecks Posts: 147 Member
    When I was a kid and I first started getting migraines, the doctor made me cut out chocolate, cheese, citrus fruits, caffeine, red wine (I was ten when I got my first migraine so this wasn't a problem!), and, bizarrely, peas. they are apparently the most common triggers (and MSG as well). I now only get migraines every now and again, and I eat all these things. Although, I do avoid red wine, because it gives me killer hangovers, even if I only have a bit - I can't help feeling that this is connected - I don't get hungover from white wine, or from beer!

    When I do get migraines, it seems to be a combination of time of the month (hormone fluctuations) and sudden temperature changes. If I'm on my period in the winter, and I walk into one of those shops where they pump hot air at you in the doorway, that's pretty much me screwed.

    It's taken me years to work this out though. Often, you'll have several triggers, and you'll only get a migraine if there are two or more riggers happening. So, say, caffeine and lack of sleep and low sun in your eyes all in the same afternoon ...
  • JL4987
    JL4987 Posts: 35 Member
    I know that this is not entirely helpful, but I eat all the same things I always have done (having only cut back on cheese in an effort to control migraines; to a point where a small amount tastes strong to me so I don't want any more) and my migraines have only changed in the last couple of years. I started getting migraines at 18 and was the smallest I have ever been (UK 8/10) and they haven't gotten better or worse in a direct link to anything except chiropractic appointments & medication combinations - that managed to get it down to say 10-15 times a year rather than several times a week with a constant headache. Also whilst this was good, when I was about 22 I got continual migraine aura / irlens syndrome and I hadn't changed anything I ate or did at that time.

    In the last 1-2 years my migraines have gone way way down and I can handle light a lot better. I hadn't thought about it until looking at this topic; it may be down to weightloss and cutting down sugars and fat (not eliminated it lol im not always that low either). I know that it also helps having lowered stress, and if I was true to what I need it would also be sleeping more.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    For me it's aged cheeses and red wine for sure, and probably some other foods that commonly trigger headaches like chocolate. I think that Aspartame may be a trigger for me - when I used to drink diet coke and would be feeling "migraney" a soda could push me over the edge.

    It is a combination of triggers to fully set off a migraine in my case. I could even have all of the triggers in a day and be fine. The only surefire way I know to give myself a migraine is to have red wine and tequila. I made the mistake of grilling a steak with a tequila-based marinade and then washing it down with red wine. Tasted delicious, but within minutes of the meal I was in the throes of a major episode.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Does anyone have any foods that trigger migraine?

    Yeah, I do. I did find that changing up some of my supplementation fixed it a bit though, haven't had a real migraine in a couple years.
  • whatamigettingmyselfinto
    whatamigettingmyselfinto Posts: 19 Member
    Aspartame, definitely. Other than that, I haven't changed up what I eat day-to-day very much. I usually found that the morning after I had a sleep paralysis episode, I would have a horrible migraine, but I haven't had very many episodes since I stopped doing excessive amounts of cardio and began strength training.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    Its the tannins in red wine that cause migraines.

    sigh, I miss being able to drink some of my favourite wines, but when I have one before I finish the glass I know its time to stop.

    Luckily they now make red wine without those tannins, search for unoaked wines.

    I haven't found any other food triggers for myself.
  • FeraFilia
    FeraFilia Posts: 4,664 Member
    My migraines are generally triggered by lack of sleep, too much stress, and just recently I get them in tandem with sinus infections (joy). I've never noticed them happening after eating a specific food.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Yup. For me, it was the chemical additives - certain colorings, preservatives, and oils, among other things. And the residue of some pesticides or herbicides on foods that hadn't been cleaned super thoroughly. I used to have so many food triggers, I was sometimes afraid to eat. Sometimes I could trace it back to something specific; sometimes I couldn't. Sometimes it was not food, but something environmental. Incidentally, aspartame was never an issue for me. Wouldn't know about red wine, since I'm not a drinker.

    My system is stronger now; it usually takes a combination of factors (food, fatigue, pesticides, hormones) to tip me over the edge into a real, full-on migraine, and that happens much less frequently than it used to. I think I've also benefited from some of the additive bans over the past decade or so. I'm more likely to get clobbered by the city's mosquito foggers now, or the neighbor's bug spray.

    "Eating comfort foods until it's over" isn't an option for me... I can't keep anything down when I have a migraine.
    Much sympathy to you, OP. I can only suggest keeping careful notes.
  • Hell_Flower
    Hell_Flower Posts: 348 Member
    Mine are mainly hormonal/stress/general run down-ness, but I also find that they trigger from anything with "added" protein (whey, shakes, protein bars etc). Any meat that is cooked less that medium.

    Also, anything that is overly processed - no microwaveable meals for me...ever. Also, unfortunately, red wine. Cheap lager also to some extent - if I even slightly dehydrated and have a cheeky pint, I get an instant migraine.

    My migraines occur far less now I've removed these things from my life. I also find that regular exercise really, really helps with keeping them to a minimum as well as drinking about 6litres of water a day.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,329 Member
    MSG, duck eggs, large amounts of dairy... I also think they come on with stress and overtiredness.
  • battybecks
    battybecks Posts: 147 Member

    "Eating comfort foods until it's over" isn't an option for me... I can't keep anything down when I have a migraine.

    Same! I can't even keep water down. I try to take migralieve and rehydrate, but it all comes straight back up again. I suppose I lose weight on a migraine though! Which is a silver lining, if a dubious one!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,329 Member

    "Eating comfort foods until it's over" isn't an option for me... I can't keep anything down when I have a migraine.

    Same! I can't even keep water down. I try to take migralieve and rehydrate, but it all comes straight back up again. I suppose I lose weight on a migraine though! Which is a silver lining, if a dubious one!

    Same! I couldn't even entertain the thought of eating with a migraine...
  • Braincatcher
    Braincatcher Posts: 66 Member
    MSG (goes by many names and is ubiquitously present in protein powder), processed meats, and red and yellow food coloring.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    Good chocolate. Not the cheap Hershey stuff. A few months ago, one of our managers brought some chocolate back from Paris, best migraine ever.
  • MissMissle
    MissMissle Posts: 293 Member
    caffein.

    its used to help aleivitae the pain, but is also a main trigger.

    So they say.... I get migranes and I still can't figure out whay. they just happen, and they suck more than anything has ever sucked ever.
  • rsandem
    rsandem Posts: 16 Member
    Orange juice and other citrus fruits. I can have a very small amount, but even a whole grapefruit or large glass of OJ is a sure trigger.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I only rarely get migraines, but for me they have notably been caused by xylitol and other sugar replacers. Also, if I'm really tired and I have too much caffeine and too much sugar, that's a trigger.

    My fiance's mother finds that chocolate, coffee, and wine are huge triggers for her (very bad) migraines.
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    Sugar substitutes - can't drink diet drinks.

    However - I find it's more the barometric pressure AND the time of year that most impacts me.

    When my allergies are at their worst - which is late March through May - and in the Fall - September through early November - I'm more prone to migraines.

    My Allergist has confirmed that there's a connection between allergies and migraines - it's spot-on for me.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    MSG, duck eggs, large amounts of dairy... I also think they come on with stress and overtiredness.

    Duck eggs specifically? How interesting! That sucks though!
  • Adc7225
    Adc7225 Posts: 1,318 Member
    For me Oreo's will trigger a migraine . . . as well as items with lots of food dyes in them, though red dye will trigger a migraine and a rash!
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
    Aspartame.

    I used to get migraines regularly, as in 1-2x per week, but since cutting out aspartame nearly 2 years ago I've had maybe 2-3 total since then.
  • breena73
    breena73 Posts: 4
    Hot chocolate from Starbucks!!! I believe it was the strong moca. In fact, chocolate can be a trigger within itself.
  • phil4v7
    phil4v7 Posts: 68 Member
    Red 40 is my trigger. It constantly surprises me how many things it's included in... some brands of white frosting, some marshmallows, lots of chocolate things, some crackers, I've gotten to the point where I basically have to read the ingredients on everything.
  • CherylG1983
    CherylG1983 Posts: 294 Member
    Cheddar cheese for me. No other cheese, though. A chef friend of mine thinks its probably the dye, but I eat other foods that have red dye and I'm fine, so I don't know. I just don't eat it to be on the safe side!

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