No one knows for sure what causes migraine headaches. However, many migraine sufferers claim that there is a relationship between some constituents of their diet and their headaches.
Unfortunately, these triggers, as they are known, are as numerous as there are people who suffer migraine headaches. Even worse, it may not be one particular factor but a compounding of several different foods that is the culprit.
Discovering if your migraines are triggered off by items in your diet, and thus eradicating them, is a great way to find Migraine Relief" href="http://naturalmigrainerelief.net/" target="_blank">natural migraine relief.
So how can you discover if it is a specific food or drink or perhaps an ingredient of a foodstuff or beverage that is responsible for your migraine attacks? The easiest method to find out is to use an elimination diet.
The first thing to do is to compose a list of potential culprits. If your migraine headaches appear after you’ve eaten, take a note of what you had to eat. Next time you experience a migraine, check what you had to eat for the last meal or two. If there is a common item in your meals prior to the onset of a migraine you may have ascertained your particular trigger. Remove this item or ingredient from your diet for a while and see if your migraines are eliminated or at least alleviated. If not, keep trying to find a link.
For starters, here is a list of some of the most common migraine triggers that sufferers have reported.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a major constituent of many ordinary drinks including coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks. It is also found in several other foods such as those incorporating chocolate. Caffeine can be a substantial trigger for many folks, resulting in them developing headaches rapidly after consumption. An additional problem connected with caffeine is that it is possible to get “hooked” on it and suffer withdrawal headaches when it is removed from the diet.
Sauces and Condiments
Salad dressings and sauces such as tomato are a trigger for many. The reason is unknown, but it may be tied to a combination of several triggers all coming together at the same time.
Processed Meats
Nitrates are thought by many to be a potent migraine trigger. Most people get most of their nitrates from refined meat, for example, items like hot dogs, sausage, bacon, tinned and loose processed lunchmeats, etc.
Spices and Additives
There is a large variety of different spices and any one of them can behave a trigger. There is, perhaps, a link, at least in part, to scent sensitivity, as many spices have a pungent odor. Seasonings that appear to give migraine sufferers the most problems include monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer and meat tenderizer, (a very common ingredient in many Asian foods), artificial sweeteners, food dyes, and vinegar.
Sugar Cane
The association between migraines and cane sugar (or refined sugar), has been well-documented. Sugar is on the top ten culprits list for migraine triggers.
Sensitivity to sugar is not always purely an allergic response. Many migraines linked to sugar are, in fact, actually related more to overly high or lowblood sugar. Diabetics report severe migraines in cases of a “dump” of sugar into the system, confirming the fact that migraines can be triggered by sugar, even if it is not due to a ‘sensitivity’ as the term is normally used.
Cheese
Cheese in all its forms can be a major trigger for many migraine sufferers. In particular the hard or aged cheeses have the potential to trigger off more migraines than soft cheeses like cream cheese and young cheeses.
After reading the above you should have a better idea of how to find and eliminate food or drink migraine triggers from your diet. It can take some time to discover just what it is that triggers off attacks for you personally, but it is well worth the effort in order to gain some relief from migraine.