Common Foods That Trigger Migraines

Several foods have been identified as migraine triggers, with as many as 40 percent of people in migraine studies reporting that certain foods cause their migraines. If you have migraines, determining whether and which foods trigger your migraines may be your answer to migraine relief.

Foods Linked With Migraine

The most common food triggers include aged cheeses, processed meats, chocolate, and red wine.

Aged cheeses: Tyramine, a compound formed from the breakdown of protein as foods age, appears to be the culprit responsible for some migraines. Cheeses high in tyramine include blue, gorgonzola, Parmesan, Swiss, cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, and brie. Cured and/or smoked meats and fish, as well as pickled and fermented foods, also contain tyramine.

Processed meats: Nitrates and nitrites are additives commonly found in processed meats, such as hot dogs, bacon, sausage, ham, salami, pepperoni, and other lunch meats. These substances dilate blood vessels, which may cause migraines.

Chocolate: Research hasn’t identified the exact mechanism by which chocolate triggers migraines, but, for some people, eliminating chocolate from their diets eliminates migraines as well. Substances in chocolate that are suspected of playing a role in migraines include naturally-occurring nitrates, along with tyramine (see aged cheeses) and phenylethylamine.

Alcohol: Red wine is the alcoholic beverage most frequently connected to migraines, but other forms of alcohol may also contribute. Wine contains some naturally-occurring sulfites, and many wines contain added sulfites that act as a preservative but have also been linked to headaches. Red wine also contains tannins—the drier the wine, the higher the tannin level—which are thought to stimulate chemicals that may set off a migraine.

Food Additives

Sometimes, it may be an additive in the foods or beverages, such as a preservative, flavor enhancer, sweetener, or colorant, that sets off a migraine.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a well-known food additive that is associated with headaches and migraines. MSG is commonly found in foods from Chinese restaurants, soy sauce, meat tenderizer, and many packaged foods. Check the ingredients list for MSG, as well as other items that contain MSG, including “hydrolyzed protein,” “glutamic acid,” and “autolyzed yeast extract.”

Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners have also been linked with migraines. Look for artificial sweeteners in chewing gum as well as in foods and beverages.

Identifying Triggers

One way to figure out what’s triggering your migraine is to keep a headache journal. In your journal, keep a daily list of everything you eat and drink, as well as when you get a migraine or a headache. Note your location, severity, and duration of your headache or migraine in the journal. You may also want to record items such as how much sleep you get, if you’re under a lot of stress, and other factors that may contribute to migraines (see What You Should Know, above).

If you see a pattern emerge that links a food, beverage, situation, or activity with the onset of a migraine within a 24-hour period, eliminate that potential trigger and then see if your headache frequency changes. If it doesn’t, try eliminating another possible trigger. Some people aren’t able to identify triggers—but for those who do find their triggers, migraine prevention may be as easy as avoiding cheese, red wine, or chocolate.  

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