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Food and drinks can be significant triggers for migraines, but the right foods can also play a role in setting the person free from these headaches. Common migraine triggers include alcohol – especially red wine and beer, chocolate, aged cheese, cured meat, smoked fish, yeast extract, food preservatives that contain nitrites and nitrates, artificial sweeteners, and anything with monosodium glutamate or MSG. Migraine sufferers will often say that missing meals can trigger headaches. The resultant low blood sugar from going long periods of time between meals seems to be a trigger. Caffeine intake is a bit of a tricky one. Caffeine can help treat migraine headaches. People with migraines will often report that coffee or soda helps to reduce their head pain. Caffeine is also a common ingredient in over the counter headache medicines. Many migraine sufferers know that medicines with caffeine are more helpful than those without. However, caffeine is a drug and like many other drugs and could cause problems when overused caffeine can be useful when used infrequently, but using it daily can lead to medication overuse headaches, also known as rebound headaches. I tell people that they shouldn’t use the over the counter pain medications, especially those with caffeine, any more than two to three doses per week. In general, people with occasional migraines should limit their caffeinated drinks to one to two per day and those with daily migraines should avoid caffeine completely. The tips I recommend for people with migraines: 1. They should eat small frequent meals. 2. Use whole grains. 3. Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet. 4. Eat healthy fats. 5. Limit sodium intake to less than 2300 milligrams per day. 6. Avoid known food or drink triggers. 7. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. 8. Avoid sugary drinks like soda or juices.
