The 8 Most Common Migraine Trigger Foods

From coffee to oranges: Helpful tips for avoiding foods that can trigger a migraine.

Those who suffer from migraine attacks know this very well. The throbbing headaches that occur after eating something you know you shouldn’t. What often follows is a pain on the side of the head, nausea, light sensitivity, visual disturbances, or aura. Attacks that can last from 4 hours (if you are lucky) to 72 hours (if not) or even more. The good news is that migraine attacks can be greatly reduced or prevented by avoiding the most common migraine triggers.

From coffee and alcohol to processed foods and citrus fruits, studies show that certain foods are known to be migraine triggers.

Here’s what you need to know about the 8 most common migraine trigger foods.

Migraine and Citrus

(Oranges, tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, lime).

Fruits are always associated with a healthy life, but for those who suffer from migraines they can be possible triggers of it, this is due to their high levels of tyramine.

Migraine and Caffeine

(coffee, tea, cola)

Caffeine as a migraine trigger can be a bit confusing, as for some people it can help relieve a migraine, but for others it will have the opposite effect, thus causing a migraine.

Migraine and alcohol

Red wine, beer, whiskey, and champagne are the most commonly identified alcoholic migraine triggers, largely due to the high concentrations of tyramine during the fermentation process.

Migraine and Cheese

Aged cheeses can trigger migraines, this is due to the high amounts of the natural substance known as tyramine. Aged cheeses like blue, stilton, cheddar, mozzarella, camembert, and parmesan are often to blame.

Migraine and Processed Meats

Packaged meats including ham, bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni, salami, and other processed meats contain high levels of tyramine. These processed meats may also include additives/preservatives such as nitrates and nitrites

Migraine and MSG (monosodium glutamate)

MSG is a common additive found in many of today’s foods, although it is not a migraine cause, it can be a migraine trigger. It is found in many prepackaged foods and perhaps most commonly in Chinese food.

Migraine and Chocolate

Chocolate has been the suspected trigger for migraines for many years, though for many this is probably true, but for others it’s perfectly fine. One thing to keep in mind, chocolate contains caffeine and that’s probably why it doesn’t affect everyone the same way.

Migraine and aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found in various food products, including soft drinks. It is also thought to have an effect on serotonin levels in the body, although this is not thought to be a direct cause of a migraine, but it certainly doesn’t help.

tyramine

What is tyramine?

Tyramine is a naturally occurring substance found in many foods, such as aged and fermented foods, including cheese, meats, bread, citrus fruits, and some alcoholic beverages. It can even be found in food scraps that have been in the fridge for more than 24 hours.