Migraine is a health condition characterised by a bad headache that can keep coming back. It is often considered a reaction to a trigger. Symptoms include a throbbing pain towards one side of the head, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light.
Multiple factors can trigger migraines. These include genetic factors, neurological conditions, environmental triggers such as sensitivity to smell, light, and noise, and lifestyle factors such as stress and irregular sleep. Dietary factors that can result in migraine include excessive caffeine, alcohol, and chocolate consumption and food allergies.
Certain foods can trigger or worsen the symptoms of migraine.
1. Caffeine:
Caffeine is a key food that can trigger migraines by stimulating neurons and making them hypersensitive. Consuming too many caffeinated beverages, such as tea and coffee, can also cause headaches by constricting and dilating blood vessels and dehydrating the body. Sudden withdrawal of caffeine may also affect the cerebral blood flow, causing fatigue and headaches.
2. Chocolate:
Even though not a very significant cause of migraine, chocolate is known to trigger migraines in some people. It contains beta-phenylethylamine, tyramine and caffeine, which can dilate blood vessels and trigger the release of neurotransmitters.
3. Alcohol:
Alcohol, especially red wine, contains histamines, tannins, and sulphites that can cause dehydration and trigger migraines. Alcohol is also a diuretic that causes dehydration, contributing to headaches. Moreover, sulphites present in alcohol can promote the release of histamines, ultimately triggering headaches.
4. Processed foods/meat:
Processed meat or fermented sausages are high in tyramine, which can trigger migraines. Processed meats also contain nitrates and nitrites, which can affect the dilation of blood vessels and lead to migraines.
5. MSG (Monosodium Glutamate):
MSG is a food additive that is associated with migraines. It can overstimulate the nerve cells, contributing towards headaches. Commonly used for enhancing food flavour, MSG can affect nerve signalling, provoking migraines.
6. Cheese:
High levels of tyramine in aged cheese and nut butters can cause blood vessels to dilate and trigger migraine attacks. Tyramine promotes the release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, impacting blood pressure levels. This increase in blood pressure levels can ultimately intensify a headache.
7. Allergens:
Food allergens such as eggs, fish, wheat, soy, and lactose may trigger migraine symptoms. These allergens cause inflammatory attacks, causing an immune reaction. This can lead to increased production of histamines and increase the severity of migraine symptoms.
8. Artificial sweeteners:
These contain aspartame, which is said to inhibit the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. This can lead to mood swings, irritability, anxiety or depression. Lower dopamine levels can also impact cognitive health and memory. Moreover, aspartame causes increased production of the stress hormone cortisol, which can aggravate migraine symptoms. It may also increase oxidative stress and have adverse effects on neural health.
9. Nuts:
Nuts such as pistachios, peanuts, almonds, and walnuts contain traces of tyramine, histamines and phenylalanine, which can trigger migraine attacks.
10. Medications:
Overusing pain relievers or blood vessel dilators can trigger headaches. Vasodilators used as a part of treatment for heart disease or high blood pressure can cause headaches and migraines.
Dietary tips to manage migraine triggers:
Completely avoid foods that trigger your migraine
Emphasise safe, home-made foods
Try the elimination method to know which foods trigger your migraine
Do not skip meals
Limit the use of processed foods and caffeine
Emphasise fresh, nutrient-dense meals
The most basic step to understand the complex symptoms and find out which food is triggering migraine is to simply eliminate them from the diet. You can reintroduce these foods again to check if they trigger migraine symptoms. If the symptoms come back, mark the food as a triggering food and avoid it completely.
Other than foods and diet, keep a check on lifestyle habits like stress, irregular sleep schedule, hormonal changes, and medication overuse, as they can be the other triggering factors for migraines. Identifying these triggers can help in managing migraine and avoiding future attacks.
(The writer is Founder, Steadfast Nutrition.)