Migraines are a common health problem that can be triggered by certain foods. These foods may react with the mucus membrane and stir up intense pain due to the body rejecting the food’s constitutional makeup. Migraine symptoms include pounding headache, nausea, double vision, and nausea and vomiting, along with dizziness and mental confusion. Migraines often require medical attention if they are reoccurring in nature, and sometimes they will not go away without some action or medical treatment.

In addition to environmental factors (i.e., smells and noise), common foods in your diet may be responsible for triggering a migraine:

1. Wheat
Wheat is a grain that opens the pores and allows toxins that can trigger a migraine like reaction. This coupled with any other food groups can cause a full-blown migraine. You don’t have to avoid wheat forever, as certain types of wheat react differently with different metabolic systems and time can change your physical make-up. Hard wheats like corn can be a good starting place in an elimination diet. Soft wheats like chips can often be tolerated in smaller amounts. Flour is a close second to the wheat family for triggering migraines.

2. Soda
Soda has a number of chemicals that can trigger one into a migraine state. If caffeine is also a factor, this can expand the brain blood vessels too quickly and then a quick contraction, once a food is eaten, can cause intense migraines that could last for days. This type of migraine can come up a few days after ingesting the soda depending on the food combination. Wheat and dairy coupled with soda is likely not good.

3. Dairy
Dairy is a migraine triggering food that couples with wheat to cause migraines. Ice cream often has chemicals that react with wheat to stimulate the blood vessels into opening and closing at irregular intervals and not allowing proper flushing of the brain system. Dairy also causes intestinal distress and that can cause one to want to eat sweets, further perpetuating the migraine. Overall, avoid any foods that go through a pasteurization process, as bacteria may be left over during the production and pasteurization process, which can trigger a migraine.

On the opposite side, food foods to eat to prevent migraines include fresh veggies and fruits, as well as lean protein. If a food makes you feel unwell, take note of the food and how long after a migraine occurs. After a few migraines, you should be able to identify the food as a migraine trigger, and eliminate that food from your diet.