Food triggers for Migraine

I have a book that says "Anyone with migraines should: stay away from chocolate, sandwich cheese, dairy, MSG, citrus, processed meats (such as bacon, baloney and salami), nuts, alcohol, coffee and tea. Say good-bye to aged cheses and smoked or pickled foods because they contain a migraine-inducing chemical called tyramine. The National Headache Foundation also recommends avoiding herring, sour cream, sourdough bread, lima and fava beans, and pizza."

I wonder why the sourdough bread, in particular?  And What's a fava bean?

Also, I'd temper this info with the knowledge that not all migraine sufferers can trace their headaches to food. I've never been able to.

But I wonder, if anyone HAS experimented and found a particular trigger, how have you done it? How long would you say you should go without eating any of these known triggers before you start to reintroduce them, one at a time, into your diet. And then, how long do you wait to see if you get a migraine from that food?

I also learned, that certain smells can trigger a migraine for some people. Like perfumes, cleaners, insecticides.

~~Pegasis

Hello,

I recently bought a book called "Heal Your Headache". It's written by a neurologist, though his name escapes me at the moment. He describes a program he calls 1-2-3 to relieve Migraines and step 2 is a diet. His Migraine Diet consists mostly of eliminating chemicals (i.e. nitrites, nitrates, msg, and other packaged food chemicals). I was amazed at how many forms MSG can take. The book lists a multitude of different names for MSG. The diet also lists foods that commonly trigger migraines and explains why sometimes foods do and don't trigger them.

I found it very helpful and have been following the diet. It definitely has helped with getting rid of migraines and reducing the ease in which they are triggered.

Hello,

No, I haven't tried that combo, but will investigate further.

Thanks!