Migraine and nutrition: which food and drink triggers?

Migraine affects up to 15% of adults worldwide to a greater or lesser extent. More women than men suffer from migraines. Migraines can significantly reduce people's quality of life. The exact cause of migraines is unknown in 2020, but people who suffer from migraine attacks are sensitive to certain triggering factors (called triggers for short). Many factors can cause migraines, such as medications you take, (major) hormonal changes and a lack of sleep. Your diet also plays a role. Roughly 10-60% of migraine sufferers experience that certain foods trigger migraines. Certain foods such as food or drink can trigger a migraine attack. These triggers are different for each individual. By avoiding certain foods you can prevent migraines. Certain lifestyle and dietary habits, such as too little nutrition, skipping meals and irregular eating, are also triggers.

List of migraine triggers: nutrition

A list of diet migraine triggers can help you find out what's causing you migraines

Tyramine in aged cheese Aged cheese is often identified as a migraine trigger. The substance tyramine in aged cheese can trigger a migraine attack in people who are sensitive to it. The substance affects the blood vessels; it narrows blood vessels which can cause headaches. Other foods high in tyramine, whether stored for a long time, dried, smoked or in brine, are cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, salami, sauerkraut