Migraines

Certain foods can cause migraines, while others can prevent or even treat them. Physicians Committee research published in the Journal of Headache and Pain found that a plant-based diet reduces migraine pain. The severity of participants’ worst headache pain improved significantly when they were consuming a plant-based diet.¹ The decline in migraine pain may have been due to the elimination of dietary pain triggers such as meat and dairy products or by weight loss or hormonal changes brought on by the diet change. Another, smaller case series published in 2022 found that three individuals with chronic migraines were able to reduce their migraine frequency and severity and reduce or eliminate their need for painkillers after adopting a whole food, plant-based diet.²

The first step in tackling your migraines is to check whether any of the common triggers are causing them. To do this, you simply avoid these foods. At the same time, include generous amounts of pain-safe foods in your routine and see whether migraines occur, and, if so, how often.

Here is how to start with antimigraine foods. For two weeks:

1. Have an abundance of foods from the pain-safe list.
2. Avoid the common triggers completely.
3. Foods that are not on either list can be eaten freely.

If your diet change makes your headaches disappear or become much less frequent, the next step is to confirm which foods are your triggers. To do this, simply reintroduce the eliminated foods one at a time, every two days, to see whether any symptoms result.

Migraine Diet: Pain-Safe Foods

Pain-safe foods virtually never contribute to headaches or other painful conditions. These include the following:

• Rice
• Cooked Green Vegetables
• Cooked Orange Vegetables
• Cooked Yellow Vegetables
• Cooked or Dried Noncitrus Fruits

Common Migraine Triggers

Common triggers often cause headaches in susceptible people. Certain beverages and additives are also among the worst triggers, including alcoholic beverages (especially red wine), caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, and colas), monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame (NutraSweet), and nitrites. Here are the common food triggers, also known as the "Dirty Dozen":

• Dairy
• Chocolate
• Eggs
• Citrus Fruits
• Meat
• Wheat
• Nuts and Peanuts
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Corn
• Apples
• Bananas

Other lifestyle factors that can trigger migraines are lack of sleep, dehydration, stress, chemicals such as perfumes and fragrances, alcohol, and environmental factors such as weather, medications, hormones, and skipping meals. Unfortunately, we can’t control all of these factors, but let’s focus on what we can do. We can reduce the level of pain from migraines by eating a low-fat plant base diet, and we can find our food triggers to help us understand what foods to avoid to reduce the chances of getting a migraine. It is important to work with your doctor to determine your individual triggers and strategies to help improve your migraines.