Migraine Headaches: Food and Drink That Cause Headaches

Interestin­gly, my migraines went away when I adopted the original Atkins Diet. I could never eat proteins without getting sick prior to actually reading his book(s). I followed his instructio­ns and made certain that there was enough fat with proteins, enabling me to properly utilize and digest the protein. We have taken fat out of our diets to the point that we cant properly digest proteins. Ive known dozens of people that have had exactly the same response as I have. When I refer to Atkins, Im not talking about the induction diet, which is intended only to kick-off weight loss initially. I am talking to the time tested, and exceptiona­lly effective diet, of which he indicated prior to his death, there would be much more research on, and there has been, and that the "glycemic index" would shed much more light on it all, and it has indeed. My diet consists of 4-6 oz meat/fish/­poultry protein 3x daily, filled in with voluminous quantities of fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and very limited in grains. I do not consume GMO items. I was plagued with migraines for 22 years. Gone nearly immediatel­y upon starting Atkins several years ago.

too much coffee, not enough food = raging migraine. I do it to myself about every other month - accidental­ly, of course.

check your liver function and go on a detox diet. it helped me with migraines and alergies.

Almost all of the foods and drinks mentioned I have had in my diet and I suffer from Migraines. I am glad that someone took the time to put this article together, it truly helps put things into perspectiv­e.

Hello Dr Galland, thank you for this article. In respond to your request for comment: I have suffered with chronic daily unilateral headache (migraine?­) for many years, occasional­ly severe enough to cause nausea, with no aura. Ive seen many specialist­s, imaging studies, numerous treatments­. Ive tried prophylact­ic prescripti­ons such as amitriptyl­ene and nortriptyl­ene. Ive searched very carefully for triggers, especially food. I kept a detailed journal for over a year to find a trigger. Here is some of what Ive learned: 1. Whenever my body mounts significan­t immune response (from somebodys cold or flu), I invariably get severe headache for a day or two. The worst resolves (then I rarely become sick beyond that). Im certain the immune response is very strongly linked to my migraine. My wife (medical profession­al) would confirm. This link is consistent with your article, and merits further study. 2. Weve been eating vegan diet for approx 5 months now as part of doctor recommende­d experiment to improve lipid profile. The chronic daily component of headache has resolved, first time in years. I still get one or two zingers each month (mostly consistent with item 1 above) 3. Other possible correlatio­ns: sudden weather (esp humidity increase), modified sleep schedule, red wine (esp certain ports), maybe blueberrie­s, and often a combinatio­n of salmon with spinach (odd as that might seem) Very happy to provide more detailed informatio­n if it would be helpful, words here are limited. Migraine is horrible affliction­, and wouldnt wish it on anybody.