Many migraine sufferers are oblivious to the fact that their migraines are caused largely by the foods they eat. But it's not hard to identify foods that cause migraines.
What is a migraine?
Simply put, a migraine is a specific type of recurring headache. While there are a variety of possible symptoms that come with a migraine, migraines are often described as "throbbing" or "pulsing." They are usually focused in a particular area of the head. And migraine sufferers often become sensitive to light and/or sound. The pain may become so intense that it causes nausea and vomiting.
Until recently medical professionals believed that migraines were associated with the dilation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. But recent research seems to indicate that genetic abnormalities in the brain have more to do with migraines. That means migraines may be inherited.
What makes a migraine start?
The immediate cause, or "trigger," for a migraine attack can vary greatly from person to person. Lack of food or sleep may start a migraine in one person while the common trigger for someone else might be exposure to bright light. Anxiety, stress, or even relaxation after the release of stress might serve as triggers for someone else. Even hormones can play a role. While not as much attention gets paid to it as to other triggers, particular foods can also bring on a migraine in some migraine sufferers.
Can food make me have a migraine?
Definitely! For some people, at least, particular food items are the primary source of migraine triggers. Other individuals may suffer from migraines that have almost nothing to do with what they eat or drink. But if you have migraines, you should consider the possibility that your diet contributes to the frequency and severity of your migraines.
What can I do about it?
If you suffer from frequent migraines that are caused by your diet, the solution is fairly simple but requires some will power. First, educate yourself. Find out what foods are likely to trigger migraines. A good list is available here.
Second, eliminate possible migraine triggers from your diet - all of them, for at least a couple of weeks. This is the hard part. It's hard for two reasons. One is that there will be things you like on the list. Chocolate and peanuts, bacon and lunchmeat, oranges and avocados, cheddar cheese and sour cream, chicken noodle soup and cabernet sauvignon - they all have to go in order for this to work. Another reason this second step is hard is that not everything you will need to eliminate from your diet is immediately obvious. You will have to read labels. And you will be surprised when you discover what's in your favorite potato chips, your salad dressing, the soup you buy, your diet soda, the bread crumbs you use to fry chicken with, the canned crabmeat you put in your quiche, etc. The grocery store shelves are lined with items that are fortified, flavor enhanced or preserved using migraine triggers.
Finally, after you have eliminated as many migraine triggers as possible from your diet, decide whether you’re any better off than you were before. The best way to do this is to create a chart before you start and track your headaches for a couple of weeks. How many did you have in two or three weeks? How severe were they? Then, after you've eliminated possible migraine triggers from your diet, keep a chart again for that same length of time and see if you are have fewer (or less severe) headaches. If you see a reduction in the number of migraines you have or in the severity of your headaches, there's a good chance that something you eat is making your head hurt.
The good news is that you don't have to stay on that sort of a diet forever. Once you've eliminated everything you can from your diet for a couple of weeks, you can begin experimenting to see if particular items trigger your migraines. Try some peanuts; if they make your head hurt, then you know that they trigger migraines for you. If the peanuts don't make your head hurt, you can put peanuts back into your diet without worrying anymore that they might trigger your migraines. Then you can go on and do the same thing with some other food you've cut out. Eventually this process should help you know which foods trigger your migraines.
