Migraines can be absolutely awful and sometimes it can be difficult to find out exactly what triggers them. Bright lights, lack of sleep, stress, and hunger, are just a few of things that can trigger migraines and certain foods can bring on a migraine in some people too.
Unfortunately, the only way to work out what food is triggering your migraines is through experience, but there are some foods that are known to be triggers that you might want to avoid.
Here are top foods that people report do frequently trigger migraines.
Wine: Alcohol is often cited as a trigger of migraines, but wine seems to be the biggest culprit. Drinking any alcohol will dehydrate you and that can bring on migraines. Wine though, especially red wine also contains tannins and flavonoids, which are thought to trigger migraines. Red wines are thought to be worse than white, because they contain higher concentrations of these compounds.
Coffee: Coffee, or more accurately, the caffeine in coffee, is quite often a trigger of migraines. If you think that caffeine might be what is causing your migraines you will need to switch to decaffeinated coffee and watch out for caffeinated soda drinks too. Alternatively, try just reducing your intake of caffeine and see that if that helps.
Hot, spicy foods: The capsicum in chilies and hot peppers, which is what creates the heat, is also a known trigger for migraines, so foods like curry and other hot and spicy dishes could also be what set of your migraine headaches. In fact, chili peppers are so well known as a trigger for migraines that they are often used in research into the causes and effects of the condition.
Citrus fruits: While some people do say that citrus fruits, such as oranges, limes and lemons trigger their migraines, research has yet to prove beyond doubt that this is the case. Although it’s not a very common cause of migraines, it is still worth considering if it could be the cause of your own. The best way to find out for sure is to keep a migraine journal. Keep a note what you eat and when you suffer a migraine attack, and then you may be able to tie down exactly what is triggering your migraines.
Chocolate: Chocolate as a migraine trigger may actually be just a myth, but it is still worth a mention. While many people report that it is chocolate that triggers a migraine attack, it could be that the migraine attack is triggering a craving for chocolate. In Nothing has been proven for certain, though, so chocolate should stay on your list of possible migraine triggers.