Food triggers for migraines

[Jessesgirl13]

Hi all,

Ive suffered with migraines since i was 12 (now mid 30s) they've presented in a few different ways over the years - aura, vomiting etc - but since having my last baby its been nausea, extreme fatigue, jaw ache and then head pain with a frequency of almost 3-4 times a week! Its really impacting my life now.

I always thought my triggers were mostly hormonal, however after having multiple gastric bugs over the last year I have inadvertently fasted a few times. During this I've noticed that I don't get migraines, leading me to believe that maybe the issue lies within my diet!

I think I've already identified one suspect - bacon! Which is sad because i bloody love it! So now I'm looking more at other processed meats and nitrates etc

Has anyone else found foods to be their trigger?

No, over the years I believed all the stuff about food triggers, dehydration, stress etc etc

Sometimes some of those things might make a migraine worse if its on its way but I dont think they are the 'cause' as such

From having around 3 a week,, Im now having a couple a month and they are far lower in intensity. The change is 'the change'. Im in peri menopause so I firmly believe for me they are hormonally related

I thought I had noticed a sort of pattern with eggs but not sure if I believe that now

Any kind of processed meat. Oranges. Nuts. Chocolate and red wine for me. Oh and Chinese food

Coffee and other high caffeine drinks, dark chocolate, spicy foods etc strong flavours mainly. Artificial colours and flavourings

Look at Heal Your Headache by David Buchholz. It discusses lots of foods and impact on migraines. Discusses thresholds and how food may push you over a threshold

My Dr still says that food is never a trigger - I disagree.

I didn’t have food triggers that caused my migraines but I needed certain foods when I had one. Wotsits, pot noodles, cheesy beans on toast. Basically high salt foods.

I definitely think processed food and high sugar items could be an issue with me. They're definitely not the sole triggers but I dont think they're helping my situation at all. Will defo be checking out that book!

Interesting that you should say that @HiDeDi, i also have foods that 'help' or that I crave at the onset or after. Caffeine actually helps me and I also crave acidic flavours such as salt and vinegar crisps etc

Coffee actually gives me a full blown migraine, tea/dilute juice/and something else I dont remember give me silent migraines.
And I crave cheese after a migraine but since I gave up coffee years ago I rarely get one now.

Heal Your Headache is a deeply flawed and incredibly out of date book. The author is an absolute prima donna and I found his attitude through the book utterly infuriating. He also seems to believe that migraine is essentially self-induced as opposed to an incurable disease of the brain, which gives me the rage. His claims about how a migraine works are significantly out of date and no longer considered good medical science.

Food triggers - unfortunately, most of them are bunkum and based on pseudoscience mostly by migraineurs being told to look for patterns of food. The nitrates in bacon aren't as high as the nitrates in ham, cured meats, bok choy or spinach..... so if you eat any of those foods, they should also be triggers.

Also, a lot of "triggers" that people identify are actually part of a craving linked with the prodrome stage of a migraine. Chocolate is a good example - people get a craving to eat some, then get a headache and say that's the cause when actually the craving is the prodrome.

If you speak to people across the migraine community, you'll get dozens and dozens telling you they have food triggers. I still believe I struggle with high doses of MSG but that's been debunked as a triggers on an international scale. Doesn't explain the stinking migraine attacks after a very overseasoned chinese takeaway.....

Crave - sugary food such as chocolate.

Triggers - low blood sugar not enough sleep or disrupted patterns e.g. go to bed at 8pm wake at 7am then at weekends a late night and a lie in - fatal. Same for maternal grandfather (we have a strong genetic hand me down, not the inheritance I was looking for tbh).

Hydration - need to drink hourly,if body dries out this is a big trigger.

Eat small and often - 7 am 11 am 1 pm 4pm etc protein/slow release foods like porridge helps with low blood sugar crashes.

Food Triggers - wine and oranges

Hormones linked, just as mum's were, and have got rid of monthly migraines - lasting a week at a time on run up to period by going on mini pill.

Hope you find your 'things' that help or hinder. Migraines are the pits.

I'm just googling prodrome as this is my new word of the day!

Chocolate is my most reliable trigger so I scrupulously avoid it now (which means it can’t be the craving theory in my case- if it was I would still get the migraine despite not eating the chocolate but I very rarely do, only when there are other very obvious triggers like flashing lights.)
I once had one after eating an entire packet of smoked mackerel in one go so I try not to be greedy with smoked mackerel these days- a normal portion is fine.

At various times I convince myself that cheese, grapes, chocolate can set off a migraine and that salt can stop it in its tracks. Also, hair up too tight, or the wrong bra etc. But tbh so often I "do everything right" and still get struck down.

The one absolute definite for me is caffeine, or rather, lack thereof. I have to be super careful not to have too much caffeine (even though sometimes it's too tempting!) because I'll feel great that day, but I'll be laid low the next day 🙄

My worst trigger is citrus - any amount of orange, lemon etc gives me a migraine.
Others, i.e. wine, nitrates will depend on quantity.

Oh, and sleep. Two bad nights in a row is guaranteed to trigger a migraine.

Nutmeg triggers dh.

Yes although I didnt have food triggers, once I was just coming out of a migraine I craved bread, peanut butter and jam, piled high

My food triggers are cheese made with cows milk, cheese spread and lactose free cheese spread. (every other product made with milk is fine)

I don't crave anything in particular after migraine attacks.

Eggs and I was in my 30s before I realised this.

Op have you tried nitrate free bacon? It’s quite easy to get now- most of the main supermarkets sell a brand. The one in Morrison’s is called Naked Bacon.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel I havent but I will definitely look into it! Will be interesting to see if it makes a difference.

Oranges and alcohol, particularly red wine. Nitrates can also be a trigger.

However my non food triggers are much more serious, mine are hormonal, strongly linked to menstruation also irregular waking time, dappled sunlight particularly strobing as driving through trees and stress. I am fine whilst under the stress, but will start an attack as soon as it ends. Cue numerous holidays with an initial three day migraine caused by the work pressure in the lead up and the impact of time differences mucking with my sleep patterns

i thought chocolate was a trigger for me but now realise that intense chocolate cravings are part of my aura. The craving gives me several hours warning that an attack has already started.

it took me years and 18 months of diarying my eating, menstrual cycle and stress levels to understand my migraine. That was helped by a Consultant telling me that the most important thing to understand is what is going on 2-3 days before an attack.

He said that there are several levels of Aura. By the time I lost my vision to zig zagging the attack had already been present for some time. I can now recognise slight changes to my sense of smell (dramatically heightened), very soft shimmering in my long term vision and feelings of euphoria / well being in the 24 hours preceding an attack.

This is a great example of a migraine progression - the time frames are not very good for all of us as many people will have much shorter and much longer phases in attacks, but it's still useful to understand each phase.

Oranges and other citrus fruit

I've finally worked out it's sugar that causes mine and being mindful of my intake has really helped.
Ironically caffeine has the opposite effect, when I can feel a headache/migraine coming, a cup of tea or coffee seems to help?!

Tomato triggers my aunt - even tiny amounts.

Yet to find any triggers for me but assume mainly hormones!