Migraine Triggers

I love to cook and create recipes. But a recent diagnosis click here has me adjusting a lot of my recipes and creating new ” migraine free” recipes by eliminating migraine triggers.  It is my hope that this page will help you identify your migraine triggers.

I have accumulated a list for you from various sources. This in no way eliminates the need for you to seek professional care from your physician or medical professional. It is only here to hopefully enrich your knowledge of migraine triggers.

I eliminated “all” of these food from my diet for 90 days,  then I introduced one at a time  (one a week) and kept a migraine diary to determine which specific migraine triggers affect me. I found this process to be very helpful.

In addition to migraine food triggers you will see a small list of environmental and physical triggers as well.Discuss your migraines further with your physician or health care professional.

I truly hope this helps you deal with what can be a truly debilitating condition.

Migraine Triggers- ( note it is impossible for me to list every single thing that may cause a migraine, but these are the most common)

• Alcohol – beer,red wine, port, sherry, scotch, gin, and bourbon,
• Breads-Freshly baked breads,hot fresh bread, sour dough,bagels,homemade breads made with yeast, fresh donuts, fresh breakfast doughnuts, pizza, soft pretzels,raised coffee cake,danish, nut breads, cheese bread, chocolate bread, raisin bread, bagels with dried fruit.
• Caffeine–  tea, coffee, cola
• Cereal-Cereal with nuts, raisins, chocolate, dried fruit, aspartame, or chemical enhanced sweeteners.
• Crackers-Cheddar cheese crackers,  flavored crackers ( read the ingredients)

• Chocolate– chocolate, cocoa, carob
• Dairy-Aged or ripened cheeses ,cheddar, gruyère, emmenthaler, stilton, brie, gouda, romano, parmesan, feta, bleu, monterey jack, colby ,swiss, mozzarella,camembert, lactose free cheese,sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, foods with cheese added. buttermilk and chocolate milk.
• Dips and Sauces-dips and sauces that contain MSG , onions,salsa, chip dips, bottled
  tomato sauce /spaghetti sauces, alfredo or pesto sauce, gravy, mustard dips, barbeque sauce and guacamole.
• Drinks-Coffee, tea, coffee substitutes with caffeine, hot chocolate, colas, orange soda, lemon lime soda,  diet soda containing aspartame or chemical enhanced sweeteners, chocolate milk, wine, champagne, beer, alcoholic drinks.fruit juices with the migraine trigger foods
• Food prepared with– meat tenderizer, soy sauce, vinegars (except white vinegar), or yeast extract and food that has been fermented, pickled, or marinated

• Fruits and Nuts– figs, avocados, raisins, craisins, red plums, passion fruit, papaya, banana,  lemon, lime, orange, tangerine ( citrus fruits), all nuts and nut butters,, grapefruit,  pineapples, clementines, raspberries, plums, papayas, passion fruit, dates, and avocados. Also avoid dried fruits ( especially those preserved with sulfites).
• MSG-Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG). Asian foods often have large amounts of MSG. Also found in many prepared foods and soups.
• Meats-Smoked, cured, or processed meats- bacon, sausage, ham, salami, pepperoni, pickled herring, bologna, chicken livers,  hot dogs,deli meats and fish ( if it has been aged, canned,cured,fermented,marinated,smoked, or tenderized) beef liver ,chicken liver, marinated meat, ready-made hot wings, barbeque chicken, breaded meat ,premade fried chicken,chicken nuggets, breaded chicken patties, seasoned rotisserie chicken, and any ready-made meal of meat, noodle or rice like burritos, lasagna,  rice and hamburger helper style boxed meals, canned tuna with broth, anchovies. spam. canned soups with MSG and  onions.
• Nitrites-found in luncheon meats,ham, hot dogs and bacon
• Pretzels, Chips, Popcorn-Soft pretzels, honey and mustard pretzels, onion and garlic pretzels or other seasoned pretzels. nacho chips, jalapeno chips and most other seasoned chips.Cheddar cheese popcorn, some microwave popcorn.
• Pies,Cakes,Cookies-Chocolate, chocolate candy, nuts, buttermilk, sour cream, dried fruit ,peanut butter, lemon extract , lemon juice, almond extract, coconut. Avoid diet and sugar-free products that contain aspartame and chemical enhanced sweeteners.
• Salad Dressings-that contain monosodium glutamate, onion, onion powder, cheese, red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• Sweeteners-Aspartame and other chemical enhanced artificial sweeteners( sucralose, stevia and agava are not known to be migraine triggers
• Soy– can be-so you may choose to avoid it. Soy sauce, miso, tempeh, soy burgers,soy products containing soy protein isolate or concentrateand soy beans.
• Vegetables– Pea pods, pods of broad beans such as lima, navy beans,onions, olives, pickles,soybeans, sauerkraut, broad Italian beans, fava bean  and lentils
• Vinegar-balsamic, red wine, any vinegar except white( distilled)
• Other triggers –Hormonal fluctuations,barometric-pressure variations,chronic sinus issues, irregular sleep,stress,becoming over heated, excess sun, dehydration and medications.

Hopefully you will only have a few of these known migraine triggers. Remember, reading the ingredient labels is crucial!

Now that you have the list of migraine triggers CLICK HERE for a list acceptable foods 🙂

Find Migraine Safe Recipes HERE