- Anti-migraine diet - dietary rules for migraines
- Anti-migraine diet - nutritional factors that trigger migraine
- Anti-migraine diet - recommended and contraindicated products
An anti-migraine diet can help people who struggle with migraine headaches. Migraine attacks can be triggered by certain foods and alcohol. Hunger is also on the list of triggers. A proper migraine diet can therefore reduce the frequency of attacks. Check what you can eat with migraines and which foods to avoid.
The anti-migraine dietis a very important element in the prevention and treatment of migraine headache. It is now known that diet and the choice of food products affect the frequency of migraine attacks. There is a long list of foods that can cause migraines, but it doesn't mean you need to eliminate all of them.
Individual patients react negatively to the selected products, but it is very difficult to identify them because the body's response is usually delayed by up to 24 hours.
Keeping a food diary is very helpful in identifying the foods that trigger migraines. Rarely, migraine is associated with an actual food allergy. Most often, the attack is the result of hypersensitivity to a given chemical component of the food.1,2
Anti-migraine diet - dietary rules for migraines
Foods that commonly trigger migraines in people with migraines include chocolate, coffee, alcohol, ripened and blue cheese, and products containing monosodium glutamate.3Long-ripening cured meats are also among the common triggers. , citrus fruits, ice cream, pickled herring, chicken liver and food colors.1
Specialists do not recommend a demanding elimination diet for all patients. They encourage you to avoid foods known to be the common triggers of migraine. However, if the headaches are frequent and intense, they introduce a strict elimination diet for 6-10 weeks.
Then a slow and gradual introduction of individual products that are weaker triggers begins, and a food diary is kept to identify the foods to which the patient is hypersensitive.2
An elimination diet lasting 6 weeks based on studies of the immune system-dependent IgG reaction brings positive and statistically significant effects in reducing the frequency of seizuresmigraines.4
Migraine attacks can be triggered by triggers, which include - apart from food, alcohol and hunger - also stress and relaxation after stress, fluctuations in hormone levels, too long or too short sleep, fatigue, medications, sudden changes in the weather , high altitude stay, bright light.5
Hunger is one of the dietary triggers of migraine. Research shows that 50% of migraine sufferers get an attack after 16 hours without food. The mechanism of the effect of hunger on headaches is probably related to changes in serotonin and norepinephrine levels and the expansion of blood vessels around the brain1 , as well as the secretion of stress hormones including cortisol6.
You shouldn't skip meals in your migraine diet. It is worth consuming them regularly. Skipping meals is a trigger for migraine in 57% of respondents in clinical and population studies.6
Migraine can also be the result of sudden insulin secretion associated with the consumption of fast-digesting carbohydrates and reactive hypoglycemia1(a condition where glucose levels return to normal after eating and insulin is further secreted, which results in a decrease in glucose below normal).
In one study, as many as 75% of participants with migraines had reactive hypoglycemia.6To avoid headaches and other migraine symptoms resulting from prolonged hunger and hypoglycemia, patients should eat 3 large, well-balanced meals, not dominated by carbohydrates1(groats, rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, sweets). Breakfast must not be skipped.
Ideally, it should be protein-fat. The last meal should contain complex carbohydrates to avoid morning hypoglycaemia. Some studies show that using a high-fat diet and a low-carbohydrate diet are effective in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks. At the same time, the conclusions of other publications indicate that there is no clear relationship between the amount of macronutrients in the diet and migraine.7
People suffering from migraines should eat fresh products, not stored for too long. Meals should be cooked on a regular basis, and not eaten leftovers from a few days ago. It is best to freeze leftovers from lunch or dinner right away and use them later.
This recommendation is due to the fact that the amount of substances that trigger migraines increases during the storage of food.8
We recommend
Author: Time S.A
An individually selected diet will allow you to eat he althy and tasty, even if your doctor has recommended youmedicated diet. Take advantage of JeszCoLisz, an innovative online dietary system from the He alth Guide and take care of your he alth and well-being. Enjoy a professionally composed menu and constant support from a dietitian today!
Find out moreAnti-migraine diet - nutritional factors that trigger migraine
The nutritional factors that trigger migraines include:
- tyramine
Tyramine is an amine derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Its large amounts are found in ripened cheese, raw, ripened meats, smoked fish, beer, fermented foods, yeast extract. Tyramine causes the release of norepinephrine from nerve endings, which can cause headaches.3
It is postulated that people sensitive to foods with tyramine have hereditary deficiency of MAO (monoamine oxidase) - the enzyme that metabolizes tyramine.1Some foods high in tyramine are ripened cheese, smoked fish , dried meats, yeast extract, beer and fermented products such as kefirs, sauerkraut.6Tyramine increases in ripened, fermented, long-stored or stale foods.8
- phenylethylamine
Phenylethylamine is found in cocoa. It causes an increased secretion of serotonin and catecholamine.3It is also one of the migraine triggers in chocolate (along with theobromine and caffeine). In a small placebo-controlled study, about 40% of participants who were given chocolate experienced typical migraine headaches. In the placebo group, no headache occurred in any of the subjects.1
- aspartame
The artificial sweetener aspartame is suspected of causing headaches in moderate to heavy consumption of 900 to 3000 mg per day.3This substance is approved by the FDA as Safe for All apart from people suffering from phenylketonuria, however, more and more scientific publications indicate that aspartame is not recommended for people with migraine, epilepsy and neuropsychiatric diseases.1
- monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate is the sodium s alt of a naturally occurring amino acid, glutamic acid. It has the umami flavor and is commonly used as a flavor enhancer in highly processed foods.
Monosodium glutamate can be found in the composition of products in many forms: MSG, yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolysed yeast or textured protein.
The mechanism of action of monosodium glutamate in migraine may be related to constrictionafter eating in high doses, stimulating glutamine receptors or activating the neurotransmission pathway in which nitric oxide is released and blood vessels dilate.3
- nitrates and nitrites
Nitrites are preservatives of meat products, e.g. sausages, cold cuts, canned food. Nitrates are found naturally in many vegetables, which absorb them from the soil as they grow. In hypersensitive people, headache occurs minutes to hours after eating nitrites or nitrates. This is likely related to the release of nitric oxide and the widening of blood vessels.3
- alcohol
Among the alcohols, red wine is the most common trigger for migraine. Wine contains tyramine, sulfites, histamine, and phenolic flavonoids, which can cause a headache. A delayed alcoholic headache (hangover) can be a type of migraine. Colored alcohols (red wine, whiskey, bourbon) are more likely to cause it than transparent alcohols.
Probably it is not alcohol itself that triggers migraines, but the histamine and tyramine contained in alcoholic beverages. The vast majority of patients tolerate transparent alcoholic beverages better. Significant in migraine after drinking alcohol is stress and fatigue, which exacerbate the pain. When the same person is relaxed and relaxed, migraine after drinking alcohol may not occur at all.1
- caffeine
Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks and sodas, as well as some pain medications. Caffeine acts on adenosine receptors in the brain and capillaries, which causes the vessels to contract and release neurotransmitters. Its action is twofold and depends on the dose and frequency of use.
Taken infrequently and in small amounts, it has a mild analgesic effect, while when supplied to the body daily in amounts over 300 mg, it causes headaches.3
Anti-migraine diet - recommended and contraindicated products
General food choices for a migraine diet are based on the tyramine content of foods as well as other common nutritional triggers. Additionally, it is worth taking into account individual nutritional intolerances.
Recommended and contraindicated products in the migraine diet.8
| Food group | Products allowed | Products allowed in limited quantities | Contraindicated |
| Meat, fish, poultry, eggs | Eggs Freshly purchased and freshly prepared meat, fish and poultry | Meat preparations - cold cuts, sausages, frankfurters, canned food, etc. Any meat with the addition of nitrites. | Ripened, dried, s alted, fermented, pickled meats and fish Pepperoni, salami, black pudding stale meat and fish Liver |
| Dairy | Milk Cottage cheese Lean cottage cheese Ricotta | Yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream - 1/2 cup a day Parmesan as a spice - 2 teaspoons a day | Ripening cheeses - blue, brie, roquefort, mozzarella, yellow cheeses |
| Bread, cereals, pasta | All baking with baking powder All cooked and raw cereals All pasta | Yeast cakes Bread | - |
| Vegetables | Asparagus, green beans, beetroot, carrots, spinach, pumpkin, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, broccoli, potatoes, cooked onion in dishes, Chinese peas , soybeans, other not listed as contraindicated | Raw onion | Beans, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, any vegetables in vinegar, fermented soybeans (miso) |
| Fruits | Apples, cherries, pears, peaches, other not listed as contraindicated | Oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, pineapples, lemons, limes - 1/2 cup a day Avocados, bananas, raisins, figs, dried fruit, papaya, passion fruit, plums | - |
| Nuts and seeds | - | - | All nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, all seeds, sesame |
| Soups | Homemade soups from permitted ingredients, homemade broth | Canned, powdered soups with MSG | - |
| Drinks | Decaffeinated coffee, fruit juices, decaffeinated sodas | No more than 2 servings a day: Coffee and tea - 1 cup=1 serving Cocoa and chocolate milk - 360 ml=1 serving Not more than 1 alcohol dose: 120 ml of wine or 45 ml of vodka | All alcoholic beverages except those listed as permitted under restriction Fermented beverages |
| Sweets and desserts | All that contain permitted products | Chocolate-based desserts and sweets: 1 cup of ice cream or 1 cup of pudding or 1 chocolate chip cookie | - |
| Food additives | - | - | Monosodium glutamate in large amounts, nitrates and nitrites, yeast, yeast extract, brewer's yeast, meat extract,papain, bromelain, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce |
| Fats, oils, spices |
All oils and fats Spices not listed as prohibited | Wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and other fermented vinegars | - |
Migraine is characterized by attacks of severe, throbbing headaches and related symptoms: nausea, sensitivity to light, sound and head movements. In migraine, headache may not always be the dominant symptom. Occasionally, patients complain of dizziness, earache, or pressure in the sinuses2 .
Migraine is a chronic disease that manifests itself periodically. It appears as a result of neurovascular disorders. The attack is likely due to dilation of sterile, inflamed brain vessels caused by the release of neuropeptides from nerve endings9 .
About 13% of the population suffer from migraines. Women are three times more exposed to it than men. Migraine is most common between the ages of 30 and 50, but it can occur at any age. It appears in various forms throughout life. The tendency towards migraines is familial and inherited2,9 .
About the author
Aleksandra Żyłowska-Mharrab, dietician Food technologist, dietitian, educator. A graduate of Biotechnology at the Gdańsk University of Technology and Nutritional Services at the Maritime University. A supporter of simple, he althy cuisine and conscious choices in everyday nutrition. My main interests include building permanent changes in eating habits and individually composing a diet according to the body's needs. Because the same thing is not he althy for everyone! I believe that nutritional education is very important, both for children and adults. I focus my activities on spreading knowledge about nutrition, analyze new research results, and make my own conclusions. I adhere to the principle that a diet is a lifestyle, not strict adherence to meals on a sheet of paper. There is always room for delicious pleasures in he althy and conscious eating.
Read more articles from this author