Migraines Food Triggers

Wow...I am literally right now talking to my husband about this!! My trigger is beef. I have been reading a lot online about beef related migraines. I almost never get headaches and have been getting them once a week the last several months. I realized, it was the one time a week we eat beef. Cutting out beef has almost completely diminished them. Nitrates are also a huge trigger for me. They are in processed meats...bacon, hotdogs, deli meat, etc. I hardly eat any of those, but every time I do, I get headaches.

I can't eat any processed meats (bacon, lunchmeat, frozen ravioli with meat). My sister gave up eating or drinking 'everything brown' and she saw a dramatic decrease in headaches. She gave up red meat, coffee, tea, and chocolate.

My main trigger is smells -- if I pass a woman in the grocery store who smells like they bathed in perfume I'll have a headache within 30 minutes.

Not sure about the natural remedies you have listed, but I have heard that taking a magnesium supplement works for some people.

I do get migraines, the muscle tightening makes me suspect tension headaches, but idk... I do have a few food triggers - watermelon and anything artificially flavored grape. Caffeine is my problem, its sometimes my trigger, and sometimes my cure! Good luck!

Also, start keeping a food journal - you may be surprised at the common thread!

I get horrible migraines from MSG. I'm pretty careful about reading ingredients but I still get stuck once in a while. Last time was when I ate at a friend's house and she used chicken bullion in her gravy - BIG MSG food (so not her fault). I'm also sensitive to other food preservatives/flavorings/additives - although I couldn't tell you which ones. I try to avoid most processed foods or at least ones that have a huge ingredient list - that's my clue that there's usually something in there that will make me sick. Sason (seasoning used in ethnic dishes) has a ton of MSG and so does Adobo. I also don't drink wine because of the nitrates. Good luck getting to the bottom of this.

I have a friend who gave me some microwave popcorn she'd gotten in a Christmas gift because even being near it, and the butter, and her husband gets migraines. It's entirely possible some scent or food is setting you off.

There are a lot of migraine food triggers.

Caffeine can trigger them. Excessive cheese. Anything with Nitrites or Nitrates. Red dye 40. Processed food ( which usually has Nitrates etc in it).

There are lots of triggers.. Stress, too bright sunshine.. Sometimes flashing lights...certain foods, aged cheese, nitrates (wine),caffeine (it is opposite for me.. Caffeine helps me) artificial sweeteners, processed meats.. Hot dogs, deli meat, needing to go to the bathroom and holding it too long, poor eyesight, menstruation, certain medications....

Better to go and be diagnosed, so you can have it documented....you never know what may come up, due to the migraines..

My trigger is dairy. So I stay away from it.

If your body is used to a certain amount of caffine daily and you don't drink as much one day, the next day you can get a splitting headache much like a migraine. Caffine withdrawal will cause a headache.

If you do indeed have migraines try this simple solution. A big spoonful of honey in a cup of coffee or tea. Stir it in and drink it, if you don't like coffee or tea you can just eat the honey off the spoon or on a peice of bread. But often migraines also cause nausa it could come right back up. Migraines are caused by an expansion of the blood vessels in the head, honey has an enzyme that causes the blood vessels to constrict. It usually works wonders for me. In fact if I am going out of town I always make sure I have honey with me.
I would migraines as part of my PMS and with every pregnancy.

Besides food, think of medicines. Are you taking any medication?

Go to www.msgmyth.com.

We just got back from a weekend with friends who's 17 year old daughter sufferers from horrible migraines. After several ER visits, doctor and specialist consults, they've tried to cut out almost everything artificial.
MSG, is a big one. Preservatives (nitrates in processed meats), artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. There is a chemical in chocolate that triggers them as well. The only thing they have not done is gluten free. As my friend put it, it's very difficult for a 17 year old to stick to such a restrictive diet. Her migraines have decreased in number and severity though since cutting all that out.

Perfume, strong smelling lotions and candles, air freshners trigger my migraine. I also get migraines after spending a long time in the grocery store - it has been suggested that the lighting in the store is the culprit.

Not eating and lack of caffeine are also triggers. Prior to getting diagnosed with Celiac disease, I had daily migraines - those went away soon after I started the gluten free diet - I still get the migraines from the triggers I mentioned above, however happy to say I do not get my daily migraines anymore.