what kinds of food can trigger a migraine?

Question

i have bad magrains

Answer 1

Foods high in tryptophane found in cheeses and some processed foods.

Answer 2

I doubt there is any connection to food at all. Most migraines are caused, like you said, by high stress and reduced amounts of blinking (caused by looking at a computer screen). Food tends to only affect the stomach region or lower, due to the fact that it doesn't reach the brain area. You can get food poisoning, gas, indigestion, and dirraeah from what you eat, but not migraines. Just try finding ways to destress, and take a 15 minute break every hour or so while working on your laptop. Hope this works ;)

Answer 3

Authors who in 2005 reviewed the medical literature found that the available information about dietary trigger factors relies mostly on the subjective assessments of patients. Some suspected dietary trigger factors appear to genuinely promote or precipitate migraine episodes, but many other suspected dietary triggers have never been demonstrated to trigger migraines. The review authors found that alcohol, caffeine withdrawal, and missing meals are the most important dietary migraine precipitants. The authors say dehydration deserves more attention, and that some patients are sensitive to red wine. The authors found little or no demonstrated evidence that notorious suspected triggers chocolate, cheese, or that histamine, tyramine, nitrates, or nitrites normally present in foods trigger headaches. The artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet®) has not been shown to trigger headache, but in a large and definitive study monosodium glutamate (MSG) in large doses (2.5 grams) was associated with adverse symptoms including headache more often than was placebo. The review authors also note that general dietary restriction has not been demonstrated to be an effective migraine therapy.

On the other hand, several headache clinics have had good results with individually tailored dietary restriction as a therapy. Dr. Ian Livingstone, director of the Princeton Headache Clinic, recommends eliminating the following common headache triggers from the diet: Aged Cheese, Monosodium Glutamate, Processed fish and meats containing nitrates (such as hot dogs), dark chocolate, aspartame, certain alcoholic beverages (including red wine), citrus fruits, and caffeine. After a period of a month or two, these foods can be reintroduced one at a time to determine their trigger potential for that individual. Adding a lot of the suspected trigger in a short time will generate a response that is easy to observe.

Dr. David Buchholz, who treats headaches as a neurologist at Johns Hopkins, has a longer list of suspected migraine triggers. Once again, he recommends eliminating the triggers from the diet altogether, and then reintroducing them slowly after many weeks to measure the effects. His list includes: Coffee (including decaf), chocolate, monosodium glutamate, processed meats and fish (aged, canned, preserved, processed with nitrates, and some meats which contain tyramine), cheese and dairy products (the more aged, the worse), nuts, citrus and some other fruits, certain vegetables (especially onions), fresh risen yeast baked goods, dietary sources of tyramine (including the foods listed above), and whatever gives you a headache.

Answer 4

that depends on the individual, some people don't have trigger foods at all, some have loads. generally, you might want to watch out for foods high in sodium or high in potassium because they can disturb the chemical balance in your nerves. typical trigger foods are chocolate, bananas, nuts, red wine and cheese. that doesn't have to mean much, though, for instance for me bananas can prevent or ease migraine attackes. you'll just have to find out for yourself, start a migraine diary. log the dates and time of attacks and the circumstances they came under, like what you eat, which time in your menstrual cycle it was (for a lot of people migraines can be triggered by hormonal changes), how much sleep you had etc. if you keep to that for a couple of months you'll find your triggers and can learn to avoid them. oh, and check your bed, seating and posture because trapped nerves in your neck can sometimes be the culprit too. my attacks have gone down hugely since i bought the hardest matress i could find. good luck! :-)

Answer 5

My mom gets migraines around her time of the month, but caffeine also triggers hers.

Answer 6

Ooooohhhh......I feel yer pain!
Let me know when you find out! I'm still looking for my trigger.I don't know if it's food or stress or what.
My opthamologist prescribed Relpax.It doesn't make my visual symptoms (I go blind!) go away,but if I take it in time the headache isn't as bad.

Answer 7

That's a totally individual thing!

Answer 8

they say nuts, hard cheeses and red wine can make migraine headaches worse.

Answer 9

chocolate, cofee and red wine but remember that is not only the food is alot of factors like ur state of mind and stress levels etc

Answer 10

Hard cheeses, dark chocolate, red wine, and cucumber skins for me.