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Welcome to the Migraine Diet Forum

Have you tried an elimination diet?

What is an elimination diet?

First of all, I am a firm believer in the elimination diet. I am currently in the process of going through my second elimination diet to try to identify foods that trigger my Migraines.

My first elimination diet was very successful and although it is still relatively early during my second elimination diet, I believe it is already paying off. I have developed additional food triggers that passed my first elimination diet, but will trigger me now.

One thing to keep in mind is that not everyone will have food triggers, but what better way to determine if you have them than to go through an elimination diet? The other thing to note which is important is that it can take up to forty-eight hours after being exposed to a food trigger that you get the Migraine.

There are a few ways to identify food triggers. One is basically by discovery. Every time you eat a particular food, you notice you get a Migraine. Some people will notice a food trigger when they review their Migraine diary and will see that every time they have a specific food, they will get a Migraine. You can eliminate that food and then introduce it back to see what your reaction is after.

Another way to do an elimination diet is to basically eliminate a whole class of food at a time. You would not eat anything in that class for a certain amount of time and then introduce one item from that class once every week.

The way I did my elimination diets was to cut out all foods except to keep a basic diet for a certain amount of time and then start introducing one new food once per week. When eliminating foods, this also includes anything you drink or consume.

No matter which way you approach the elimination diet, you should keep a migraine diary and/or journal. This may also help you identify other triggers or patterns.

aspartame is the only food trigger I have identified. Most of my triggers are more environmental.

I am only about a week into my elimination diet but have already noticed an improvement. Wednesdays are normally a migraine day but luckily so far today I am migraine free and don’t feel one coming on (touch wood). Unfortunately I suspect chocolate is a trigger

Further to my earlier post, I would also like to add that I’ve been keeping a diary of everything I eat and drink. This has inadvertently had a dramatic effort on my eating habits. Since starting the diary I have become so much more aware of what I eat and when I eat. I was actually shocked at how little I was eating and how often I tended to skip breakfast and even lunch. It’s amazing how just skipping one meal or eating lunch late can trigger off a migraine. Now I am very strict with myself and make sure I get 3 square meals a day no matter how busy I am!

It’s great when we can identify what our food triggers are! This way when we avoid those triggers, we can avoid some unneeded Migraines.

It’s so nice after going on the elimination diet when you start feeling better. Sometimes you may not get a reduction in the number of Migraines right away, but just feeling better is a motivation to keep doing what you’re doing and eating three square meals a day is very important too.

Good luck with your diet!

After reading this, I may just have to try an elimination diet. I have an idea what some triggers are (alcohol, nitrates found in lunch meat, MSG) but I’m sure there are more culprits, some of which I don’t want to admit to. Please, oh please let it not be chocolate! Diet Coke would break my heart too. A girl has gotta have some fun after all =) What have been some surprises for you all?

If anyone needs information and tools for an elimination diet, you can find information and a free downloadable workbook at http://www.helpforheadaches.com/articles/migraine_food_triggers.htm.

Trigger identification and management is so important that I think everyone should try the elimination diet to see if they have food triggers. After all, if we find we have triggers we can avoid, that can mean fewer Migraines.

For anyone who’s triggered by aspartamine, don’t take the medicine Cambia. It’s got 25mg of it in it. It’s an NSAID designed specifically for migraines, so WHY they put that in there, I have no idea since so many with migraines can’t have it.

For me, I’m atypical in all ways with my migraines – meds, triggers, foods, etc. Chocolate, caffeine and alcohol all help my migraines or at least help my meds work better on the pain.

The food trigger that gives me the most grief is MSG. This is really difficult to eliminate because it is very sneaky and hides. Labeling will not necessarily read as MSG, but may read Autolyzed Yeast Extract, spices, flavoring, or even natural flavor among other potential listings. Because it is such trouble for me I try now to eat very “clean”. This means if great grandma wouldn’t know what to do with it, I try not to eat it. That said, I sometimes try to go eat out – did it just last night – and often suffer terribly as a result. Note to self: Mongolian stir fry is a b-a-a-a-a-d trigger *sniffs* That’s what I get for trying to treat myself…

Teri, this link is no longer valid: http://www.helpforheadaches.com/articles/migraine_food_triggers.htm.

Any idea where I can find something similar? I have chronic migraines and I’m not sure if I have food triggers or not (I dont have any that I know about — as you know, with chronic migraine, it can be really tough to determine the trigger).

Thanks in advance

Sorry, Kym. Let me try again – http://www.helpforheadaches.com/articles/Migraine-Food-Triggers.htm