The key to finding the best migraine headache diet is finding out what types of food trigger migraine headaches in you. Triggers will vary from person to person, so it is important for you to determine your personal triggers. The best way to do this is to keep a food journal for several weeks or even months. Note what types of foods you eat day to day, and note the days and times that you get a migraine. Look for a pattern after some time of keeping the journal; this may help you develop the best migraine headache diet for you.
Any migraine headache diet should abide by a few general rules: avoid excess sugars and unnatural chemicals, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and eat regularly to avoid sudden drops in blood sugar levels. Most importantly, your migraine headache diet should include plenty of fluids throughout the day, as dehydration can be one trigger. Very often, chemicals commonly found in foods can trigger migraines; monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is commonly identified as a potential trigger for migraines. Generally speaking, eating a healthy diet full of the vitamins and minerals the body needs will help prevent health issues including migraines.
Food allergies can lead to migraines, so your migraine headache diet should exclude any foods that you are allergic to. This may be a tricky determination to make, since it is sometimes difficult to identify allergies. This is why a food journal is necessary; tracking what foods you eat and what abnormal behaviors or occurrences follow them could help you track down food allergies. Be sure to note any sleep disruptions, mood swings, muscle aches, and so on in your food journal, as these may be signs of an allergy as well. Pay close attention to foods that include gluten, such as wheat products and certain types of alcoholic drinks like beer.
Try to include foods in your migraine headache diet that are rich in calcium and magnesium to help keep blood vessels open and functioning properly. Constriction of blood vessels can lead to migraine headaches, so taking a magnesium supplement or adding foods that are rich in magnesium can aid in prevention. Also try to include foods that will raise serotonin levels; these foods will be rich in tryptophan, which helps produce serotonin. Some common foods that contain tryptophan include turkey, walnuts, whole grains, rice, and sesame.