Practical Lessons From My Migraine Diet: Take The Scary Out.

After I was properly diagnosed with migraines, my neurologist recommended I see a nutritionist to discuss any helpful dietary and lifestyle changes that could bring me more migraine relief. Once I booked my appointment with a nutritionist, she gave me a migraine diary to keep for 2 weeks leading up to our appointment. I was proud to fill it out because I ate pretty healthy in general. So, I listed all the things I ate – spinach and tomato salads with olive oil and lemon dressing, lots of oranges and bananas with yogurt, cheese and lean meat protein, dark chocolate, and of course, omega three reach nuts!

The appointment time came and I walked into the office, thinking she would probably praise me for my healthy lifestyle and give me some supplements to try. Boy was I in for a huge disappointment!

Together we looked at my food intake and the timing of my migraines. Clear patterns were emerging before my eyes. Every time I ate yogurt with bananas and oranges, I had a headache the next day. The same pattern happened after spinach, nuts, and tomato salads. And many other food choices I made.

I was so bummed! The feeling of unknowingly failing myself felt heavy. What could I eat? I like to tackle my challenges head-on and take action. Mt first thought was – well, let’s see what foods are triggering it and eliminate them, replace them with what can be ok to eat. But when the doctor gave me a printout of all migraine-triggering foods, I was devastated. Most everything humans eat seemed to be on it! Have you seen it? Here is a short version.

Migraine-triggering foods:

• Aged cheeses
• Processed meats like deli cuts, sausages, bacon
• Foods containing MSG like instant noodles, Chinese food, fast food, frozen food, canned soup
• Fermented and pickled foods like sauerkraut, miso, tofu, pickles, pickled vegetables, kombucha, kimchi
• Yogurt and cultured dairy products
• Dairy products in general
• Seafood like oysters (ouch! I love oysters!)
• Citrus fruits
• Bananas
• Kiwis
• Raspberries
• Spinach
• Avocados
• Dried fruit like raisins, figs, etc.
• Night-shade vegetables like bell peppers, eggplant
• Leafy greens (spinach, kale)
• Tomatoes and tomato-based products (yes, that includes red sauce pizza)
• Peanuts and other nuts
• Alcohol
• Onions
• Garlic
• Most beans
• Grapes and apples
• Caffeine – this one is interesting. While it can trigger a migraine in some patients, it relieves migraine pain in others.
• Dark chocolate

Researching over 40 websites about migraine-triggering foods raised a lot of questions in my mind. Can I exist without dark chocolate? What about my salads? Most foods I ate were on a migraine-triggering foods list. There are hundreds of articles written about migraine-triggering foods and all the reasons why. Migraine-friendly foods outlined in some articles (like leafy greens for example) are listed as migraine-triggering foods in other articles. What is really true? Why on earth are these otherwise healthy foods triggering migraines?

Migraine and common food links to consider  

The reason so many foods could potentially be migraine-inducing is that they contain certain chemicals that are known to disturb our chemical balance and trigger an attack. It is important to know the most common culprits. If you identify some migraine-triggering foods, you can be aware of other foods that contain a similar chemical and know to test it further or avoid it.

Here are some main migraine-triggering chemicals and food groups containing them:  

I performed an extensive search for which chemicals cause migraines and most importantly why. Below is my summary on those with sources hyperlinked to the articles which I took the data from. There are a lot of sources out there for this info and I attempted to find the simplest yet the most credible explanations as to why these substances cause migraines.

Amines (Substances used for aging and fermentation). Amines are similar to our neurotransmitters such as serotonin & dopamine. They stimulate the central nervous system. This in turn can decrease or increase blood flow in the vessels and trigger a migraine. One study found that eating low-histamine foods reduced headaches in 75% of participants.

• Tyramine: aged cheeses, beer, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, over-ripe banana, pork, soy-based foods, processed meats, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans
• Histamine: wine
• Phenylethylamine: Chocolate

Tannins: coffee, tea, red wine, apple juice. An article in Harvard Health explained this connection well. Tannins are plant chemicals that impart flavor to red wines and contain antioxidants. But they also spur the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which at high levels can cause migraine headaches in some people.

Nitrates: meats, such as bacon, hot dogs, salami, and cured meats. Nitrates are a substance that is often found in cardiac medications and food additives. They are known to trigger headaches. Recent research found that migraine sufferers have higher levels of bacterial nitrate, nitrite, and nitric oxide reducers in their oral cavities compared to people who don’t suffer from migraines. Thus, hinting at a potential link between nitrates and migraines.  

Additives such as monosodium glutamate or MSG that is found in condiments, soy sauce, fast food, canned products, chips, and many other foods. According to National Headache Institute, if you eat MSG-containing foods, your glutamate levels increase. If you are sensitive to MSG, this increase in glutamate can overstimulate your neurons and trigger a migraine.

Aspartame. Studies have shown that Aspartame causes inhibition of brain serotonin and dopamine. Since drugs that raise dopamine levels in the brain have proven effective in reducing headaches, it makes sense that consuming Aspartame could result in headaches because of reduced dopamine levels.

These are just some of the most common culprits. The good news is that not everyone is sensitive to all of those substances and what triggers a migraine in one person will not impact another at all. Armed with this knowledge, I went on to a food exploration to see how one can help their migraine symptoms with different food choices.  

My migraine diet experience and modifications

My nutritionist put me on a strict migraine diet, eliminating most of the foods I ate before and then re-introducing them one by one. For a while, I ate rice pasta, bland chicken, fish, some bread, veggies, and very few fruits. As I stared at my chamomile tea and rice crackers, I felt blue and deprived of the most basic pleasure in life which is food. I still experienced migraines. Needless to say, I didn’t last very long. Raise your hand if you failed a migraine diet at least once in your life?! I am right there with you.

Migraineurs have to make so many adjustments to every area of their life in order to minimize the intensity and frequency of migraine attacks per month. We have to maintain consistent sleep patterns – not too much and not too little, same time for going to bed and waking up. Not too rigorous of exercise – mild and steady. At times, it feels like I walk the goldy locks line 24/7. No loud noises, no bright lights, no overheating or overcooling, and no strong smells. Not much fun. Food is one of the few pleasures that were left to enjoy. At that time, it felt like that last bit of good was taken away from me.

But not all was lost on this frustrating exercise in food austerity. Here I want to share my hard-learned, tried, and true strategies for creating your own, less scary version of a migraine diet that is practical and still leaves room for life enjoyment.

Top 3 practical strategies to create a migraine diet that fits your everyday lifestyle:

Don’t skip meals! PERIOD. FULL STOP.

This is a huge one and is often overlooked in the noise of sorting out various migraine diet components. Many migraine sufferers report that skipping a meal or waiting too long between meals triggers a migraine.

• According to American Migraine Foundation, the risk of a headache increases with the amount of time between meals because of dropping blood glucose levels. Skipping a meal or waiting too long could also make the migraine more severe.
• Migraine sufferers should eat smaller meals but more frequently. When I was in college, I didn’t know this and would often not have any good food between 8 am and 3 pm. By 2 pm I often already had a full-blown migraine. Now, I consistently eat 5 smaller meals a day. With 16-hour days on average, it means I eat every 3-4 hours. If I know I will be on the go, I throw some snacks into my bag. My car always has some snacks and water. If I am faced with a choice of waiting a few more hours for a migraine-friendly food or having a small meal that may not be totally migraine-ok, I go for the latter. I learned the hard way that waiting will trigger a migraine for me while eating something that maybe migraine triggering does not always result in a migraine attack.   
• Hydrate but avoid sugary drinks. Everyone knows how important water is for our bodies, but let’s face it – drinking only water gets to be boring at some point. Gatorade or cola is hardly a solution though with all the sugar and artificial chemicals. So, what is a migraineur to do to properly hydrate? Drink unsweetened coconut water which is full of electrolytes to replenish your body and taste delicious. If you are not a big fan of coconut flavor, you can drink fruit-infused water or cucumber basil-infused water. There are also some migraine-specific hydration products that are on the market like Oasis from Cove.

Identify and minimize your unique food triggers. Enjoy the rest!

The nutritionist explained to me that not all of the foods listed above are a trigger for all patients. The key is to find out which ones are a particular trigger for you.

• Food journaling. You can keep a food journal for 2 weeks at a time where you write down everything you eat in the day and mark any days when you had a migraine on the page. After doing this just a couple of times, I could see clear patterns in migraine attacks and foods from the day before or the same day.
• Elimination and re-introduction process. Start by eliminating some groups of foods and then re-introducing them to see if you get a migraine same or the next day. I eliminated dairy and when I re-introduced it, I clearly had more migraines.

Through these strategies, I learned which foods are a trigger for me and which ones I can enjoy free of worry. In my case, it includes bread, occasional pizza, oysters, and salty miso soup to go with my sushi. I stay away from yogurt, citrus fruits, bananas, processed meats, aged cheeses, dark chocolate, and certain nuts.

Focus on eating clean versus a strict migraine diet.

I am a mom and have a family to take care of. My daughter loves bananas, raspberries, and pineapple! What can I say?! It is impractical for me to eliminate everything from my family’s diet that would benefit my child’s growth and development. Instead of eliminating everything that may trigger a migraine for me, we try to eat as cleanly as we can.

• Lots of organic meat and produce. Choose salmon, chicken, and seafood. We also buy organic veggies that are in season and do a lot of veggie bakes. Cauliflower and purple potatoes. Carrots and beets. Whatever is in season, you can mix and bake it with a drizzle of olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper. Easy to do and makes for a delicious side dish.
• Prepare a nutritious omelet for breakfast or oatmeal with some fruits
• Have some fruits on hand to munch on.
• Make half of your bread/grain products whole grains. You could buy a small loaf of dark grain bread and try to use it up in 2-3 days instead of buying a huge pack of sliced but processed bread.

Eating clean means we stay away from sugary cereals, fast food, and fizzy drinks to stay healthy as a family and not just for me to get rid of migraines. I may pass on some of the foods, but in general, our table is meant to help everyone be as healthy as they can. Most importantly, it is a place to share a meal as a family and connect with each other.

But what about that juicy burger with all fixings? Or Thai takeout?

Migraine diet: How to live a little?

You can still go out and enjoy a nice meal out on a town. All it takes is just a few tweaks to give you the best chance of great fun without a price to pay later. Here are my current hacks for keeping it migraine-friendly and fun while out:

Mexican food: I order all the things anyone loves about Mexican food, like enchiladas and burritos. To keep away from my biggest triggers, I ask for no beans and no cheese. Again, figure out your unique triggers and try to skip them but enjoy the rest thoroughly.

Burgers: I order most everything on the burger menu and simply ask for no mayo and no onions for mine. In your case, it may be no pickles or mustard. Try to order without 1-2 main triggers.

American cuisine: It is so diverse that you will be able to order something delicious in most American food restaurants without too many migraine triggers. Grilled fish and a baked potato with butter and chives? Yum. Ask for no vinegar dressing for your salad. Skip citrus if you need to.

Italian: When I order my Italian dish, I always decline any freshly grated parmesan cheese since aged cheeses are a migraine trigger for me. Many Italian pasta dishes are stuffed with cheese like ravioli for example. Try mushroom or butternut squash ravioli instead – very delicious! Gnocchi which are Italian potato dumplings are also delicious, don’t contain cheese and normally come with tasty basil sauce.

Skip buffets and Chinese food in general – almost all of those foods are not very healthy anyways.

Mediterranean: Spanish or Greek are my favorites because they offer a lot of healthy yet delicious choices with chicken skewers, Greek salads, and many fish dishes. I avoid citrus dressings or fresh citrus as a garnish.  

I hope you found this post helpful in learning how to make your diet more migraine friendly without it overtaking your life. 

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