What are your Food Triggers

[Seaine]

Hello, I have migraines 2-5 days per week, every week. I am 25 years old and I've been getting them for 12 years now. I have recently discovered that eating foods with the coloring red #40 in them increases my chance of getting a migraine within the next 8 hours or so to near 100%. Also, when I eat this coloring the migraine is especially painful. Since completely cutting out anything with red #40 in my diet, the pain of my migraines has decreased significantly to the point that I know FOR SURE if I accidentally ate something with the coloring just from the amount pain I'm feeling.

However, the number of migraines I'm getting has not seemed to drop at all, only the pain. Another discouraging thing; I have never once seen red #40 on any of those long lists of possible food triggers for migraines. I am of the opinion that people who have one migraine trigger in common likely share other triggers in common.

Therefore, please tell me if you have noticed anything with red #40 in it giving you migraines and please tell me any and all food triggers for you. I'm talking about stuff you are at least 90% sure gives you a migraine, not stuff your doctor told you causes migraines and you simply believed! I hate all that crap about "stop eating cheese, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, meat, and anything else delicious" nonsense.

[sara12345]

It's terrific that you have found one of your migraine triggers.  They say to keep a journal of exactly what you eat and when you get the headaches.

It may be difficult to find out others since it can (or maybe not) take eliminating the trigger food 4 weeks to identify it.  I got the IgG food sensitivity blood testing.  My one neurologist told me the test had found nothing, but my headache specialist told me that with migraines, even slight sensitivities could cause migraines and that I would have to not eat the particular foods for 4 weeks to know for sure.

Another patient of his who I met, found out that she was sensitive to cauliflower and dairy products.  When she eliminated them from her diet, she stopped having her daily bad migraines!!!  If that were you, that would eliminate cheese, ice cream, etc.--some of your delicious foods that you think those triggers are "all crap".  And on this same website you will find a ton of postings under the heading, "Headaches after consuming alcohol".  Many, many people have that problem with another one of those delicious things which you hate the "stuff" your doctor tells you as "all crap".  

You are young, but as you get older, you will probably find that a whole bunch of other "crap" is likely to find it's way to you biologically as a lot of us have found out the hard way.

I was told the IgG blood tests might not be covered by my insurance since they were sent out of state and that the cost could be in the thousands of dollars.  You might be told something different, hopefully.  

My neurologist also recommended magnesium and another neurologist recommended COQ10.  I can't tell if either of them help me, but it doesn't hurt to take them.

Good luck to you with learning life's tough lessons.

[Seaine]

Which kind of magnesium do you take, and does it help with your migraines?

[Caryopteris]

When I was a kid I announced that I thought peanuts were giving me headaches.  The family ridiculed me.  The doctor said chocolate and cheese were likely migraine triggers.  Later in life when I was having many issues, I realized that stopping milk fixed my sinus problems and allergies.  Still later I was finally told I had Celiac disease and needed to stop eating gluten.  It turns out true nuts also cause migraines for me.  I never even thought about dyes, but I attempt to eat foods that are not very processed as much as possible for the nutritional benefits.  I also take magnesium 500 mg every morniing and calcium at night.  Also vitamin D, L-arginine and ginkgo biloba.