4 Foods That Can Trigger Migraines

Plus, how to identify the snacks and drinks that could be fueling your bad headaches

Beth Howard,

AARP

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En español

Published July 13, 2023

a businesswoman in a gray suit has a migraine and massages her temples

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Nancy Rones Zolotorofe, 51, is no stranger to migraines — the kind that start with searing pain behind the eyes that sometimes stretches to the teeth. It took her years to figure out what was causing them. She knew sleep and weather played a role — two common culprits. And eventually, she made a connection between what she was eating with how she was feeling.

Now that chocolate and monosodium glutamate (MSG) are out of her diet (for the most part), she experiences far fewer headaches. “When I became aware of my food triggers, 85 percent of my migraines disappeared,” says Zolotorofe, a college counselor in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Up to 50 percent of people who get migraines report having a food trigger, says Vincent Martin, M.D., director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute. Although food triggers can vary from person to person, Martin says, there are a few usual suspects that can bring on these headaches from hell.

1. Caffeine

When it comes to headaches, “caffeine is a two-edged sword,” says Martin, who is also president of the National Headache Foundation. If you have a bad migraine, a stiff cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage may actually help your headache. In fact, many over-the-counter analgesic medications, such as Excedrin, contain caffeine along with the pain-relieving ingredient.

On the other hand, if you consume caffeine on a daily basis, your brain becomes acclimated to that dose, Martin says. “Studies have shown that if you normally drink two cups of coffee per day, and on one day, you drink four or five cups of coffee, then you’re more likely to have a migraine,” he says.

Likewise, if you normally drink two cups of coffee on a given day, then you go without the coffee, you can have caffeine withdrawal migraines.

“If you sleep in on a Saturday or a Sunday, and delay your coffee until noon or 1 in the afternoon, that could be enough time to develop a caffeine withdrawal headache,” Martin says.

His advice: Consume the same amount of caffeine every day, even on weekends, and consume it at the same time of day.

2. Alcohol

About 29 to 36 percent of people who suffer from migraines say alcoholic beverages bring on their headaches. But not every vintage, brew or spirit is the problem. “It probably depends on what kind of alcoholic beverage you’re talking about,” Martin says. One study showed that red wine was far more likely to lead to a migraine than vodka.

“We don't really know for sure how alcoholic beverages trigger headaches,” Martin says. One theory involves chemicals called histamines, which are released by the immune system and are best known for their role in causing allergy symptoms.

Histamines are also produced as a part of the fermentation process. Although the histamines in alcoholic beverages don’t cause allergic symptoms, they are often fingered as headache triggers, Martin says. Research shows that wines with the greatest histamine content are more likely to cause migraines.

Other data shows that alcohol is more likely to be a trigger if it is consumed during a time of stress. Plus, dehydration could be a contributing factor, says Hope O’Brien, M.D., an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and CEO and medical director of the Headache Center of Hope in Cincinnati.

“Wine tends to be a diuretic,” O’Brien says, “and we know that dehydration is a migraine trigger.”

Keep in mind that high histamine content may be also the reason that aged cheeses and fermented foods bring about headaches in susceptible people. One solution: Take an antihistamine if you expect to consume them.

3. Chocolate

Up to 22 percent of people who experience migraines report that chocolate is a trigger. Studies looking at the diaries of people with migraines bear that out: Days when chocolate is consumed are more likely to be headache days.

However, a review of several studies published in the journal Nutrients looking at the relationship between chocolate and migraines didn’t find enough evidence to warrant a ban on the sweet treat for migraine sufferers.

A possible reason for the discrepancy, says O’Brien: “When people have certain cravings like [for] chocolate, it’s due to low levels of serotonin, which can cause migraines.” Migraine sufferers may then blame the chocolate for the headache.

4. Common food additives

Your favorite salty, sweet and savory foods could be at fault, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which says certain chemicals and preservatives in foods may cause headaches in people with sensitivities.

One example is MSG, a flavor enhancer found in everything from restaurant food to canned vegetables. Researchers say there’s not enough evidence to label MSG as a cause of migraines, though some studies have linked the two. What’s more, the Food and Drug Administration has received reports over the years from people who experience headaches and nausea after eating foods containing it.

If this is you, experts advise avoiding the additive. The only problem: MSG is in thousands of packaged and processed foods, from chips to salad dressings and sauces, Martin says — and it’s not always listed on the label. Look for the words “natural flavor,” “kombu extract,” “hydrolyzed plant protein,” “hydrolyzed vegetable protein” or, simply, “flavoring” on the ingredient label. These ingredients can often clue you in that MSG is part of the mix.

A few other additives you’ll spot on lists of headache triggers include nitrates (found in processed meats such as hot dogs and pepperoni) and artificial sweeteners, though the evidence for this one is mostly anecdotal.

Identifying your triggers

Regardless of the trigger, determining the cause of your headaches is well worth the effort. “Not every migraine patient is sensitive to every food,” Martin says.

You can use a migraine diary to record headache days along with the foods you ate and other factors such as a lack of sleep (or too much sleep) or a drop in the barometric pressure. You can try systematically eliminating suspect foods, then reintroducing them and taking note of what happens.

In the meantime, try an anti-inflammation diet, Martin suggests. Similar to the Mediterranean diet, it emphasizes lots of fruits and vegetables — to amplify your intake of antioxidants — beans, nuts, small quantities of lean meat, and fish, especially those rich in omega-3 fats (think: wild salmon, swordfish and tuna).

“A diet that is healthy for people is generally a diet that is healthy for migraines,” Martin says.

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Beth Howard is a North Carolina–based health and lifestyle writer. She has written for dozens of publications, including U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Prevention, Better Homes & Gardens and Reader’s Digest.