Foods are among the most common headache and migraine triggers. The problem is that everyone with headache or migraine is different and may react differently to different foods. "Headache and migraine food triggers can occur as long as 24 to 48 hours after you ingest the food or drink, and you could have several different headache or migraine triggers," says Athena Kostidis, MD, a neurologist and assistant professor in neurology at Loyola University Chicago.
To uncover their personal migraine triggers, Dr. Kostidis encourages her patients to keep a food diary of everything they eat and drink along with when their headaches occur. That being said, some foods, like the ones listed below, are known to be linked to migraines and headaches.
8 Foods That Fuel Migraine Headaches
Cheeses: Not all cheeses are linked to migraine pain. But, says Dr. Kostidis, "aged cheeses that contain tyramine are headache triggers." Tyramine is a naturally occurring substance in foods, a well-known cause of headaches for some people and a possible migraine trigger. As cheeses age and ferment their tyramine levels increase. Avoid aged cheeses like cheddar, blue, brie, and provolone. You should be okay with American cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, and cream cheese.
Hot dogs: "A headache from eating a hot dog is probably due to the food additive nitrite, which is used in the processing of some meats," says Kostidis. Nitrites are used as a preservative or food coloring or to add a smoked flavor. In addition to hot dogs, watch out for luncheon meats, sausage, bacon, salami, and pepperoni. Buy fresh meats and read labels to avoid products with nitrite or nitrate in the ingredients list.
Chinese food: "Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, used in Asian cooking, affects the blood vessels in the brain and can trigger a headache or a migraine attack," warns Kostidis. MSG is also used as a meat tenderizer and is in many canned foods. You can ask for your food to be prepared without MSG at restaurants. When reading food labels, look out for terms such as autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, sodium or calcium caseinate, hydrolyzed oat flour, and texturized protein — they're all used to disguise MSG as an ingredient.
Ice cream: "An ice cream headache is just a temporary reaction to eating something that is very cold. You can avoid it by eating slowly," says Kostidis. “But for people with migraine, an ice cream headache can lead to a migraine attack." Any cold food, such as an iced drink or a slushy, can cause an ice cream headache, also known as brain freeze. Extremely cold food stimulates nerves in the top of your mouth that causes your blood vessels to constrict. Although an ice cream headache can be dangerous for someone with migraine, for most people this headache goes away in just a few minutes.
Red wine: If you have ever had a hangover, you know that any alcohol can cause a headache. Red wine is one of the worst headache and migraine causes because it may contain the headache-causing substances tyramine, histamine, and sulfites. To avoid an alcohol headache, stay away from red wines as well as beer, ale, and bourbon or whiskey. Clear alcohols have fewer impurities, but all alcohol should be had in moderation. "If you get headache or migraine you should limit alcohol to just one or two drinks," warns Kostidis.
Chocolate: "Chocolate contains a substance that triggers blood vessel activity in the brain and it can be a headache or migraine trigger for some people," notes Kostidis. The substance that may trigger headache is phenylethylamine, which is found in cacao. Some people who get migraine headaches may have a craving for chocolate just before a migraine attack. You may be able to eat a small amount of chocolate, but if your headache diary shows a headache associated with chocolate, it is best to just avoid it.
Dried fruits: "Headaches or migraines caused by dried fruits are probably due to tyramine. Tyramine concentration increases as these fruits are dried and aged, similar to what happens in aged cheeses," explains Kostidis. Fruits that may have high levels of tyramine include banana, avocado, figs, raisins, papaya, and red plums. If you have this headache trigger your best bet is to eat your fruit fresh. Fresh fruits that are the safest include apples, cherries, apricots, and peaches.
Peanut butter: "Not just peanut butter, but all nuts can be headache or migraine triggers for some people. Again, use your headache diary to see if nuts are a problem for you," advises Kostidis. The culprit in nuts is again tyramine. And you may need to watch out for all nuts and nut butters. Tyramine is also in pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Since all nuts have tyramine, if you have this headache trigger, snack on something else and have your PB and J sandwiches without the P.