The best way to identify foods that may be triggering your migraine is to keep a daily food journal. A journal allows you to look back and identify specific foods that may be contributing. Not all triggers affect everybody, but here’s a list of commonly reported triggers:
✓ Chocolate and cocoa (Chocolate: milk, ice cream, pudding, cookies, cake, or pie).
✓ Alcoholic beverages (especially red wine, beer, and sherry)
✓ Caffeine
✓ Nuts & nut butters
✓ Pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds.
✓ Fruits such as: Figs, raisins, papayas, avocados (especially if overripe), red plums, overripe bananas
✓ Beans such as: broad, fava, garbanzo, Italian, lima, navy, pinto, pole & string beans.
✓ Other vegetables such as: snow peas and onions (except for flavoring).
✓ Raw garlic
✓ Anything fermented, pickled or marinated (sauerkraut, olives, pickles).
✓ Freshly baked yeast bread or coffee cake, doughnuts, sourdough bread.
✓ Cultured dairy products (buttermilk, sour cream).
✓ Cheese: blue, brick (natural), Gouda, Gruyere, mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, romano, Roquefort, cheddar, Swiss (emmentaler), Stilton, Brie types and Camembert types.
✓ Aged, canned, cured or processed meat, including ham or game, pickled herring, salted dried fish, sardines, anchovies, chicken livers, sausage, bologna, pepperoni, salami, summer sausage, hot dogs, pâté, caviar, mincemeat pie.
✓ Other high sodium products: Meat tenderizer, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate (MSG), seasoned salt, (Accent), canned soup, soup or bouillon cubes,
✓ Nutrasweet
✓ Excessive Vitamin A (over 25,000 I.U. daily).
Migraines occur when the number of triggers reaches a critical threshold. This can be likened to a glass of water that overflows at a certain point. One frequently overlooked trigger comes from restricted joints in your neck. Research has shown a “significant reduction” in migraine frequency and intensity through chiropractic care. If you or someone you know suffers from migraines, call your chiropractor today.