A Natural Approach to Migraines - Part 1: Nutrition

For anyone who has experienced a migraine, calling it “just a headache” is a bit like calling a hurricane “some wind”. Migraines are complex neurological events that can significantly affect quality of life, work productivity, relationships, and mental wellbeing. And it affects around 1 in 7 people globally.

Migraine symptoms

Migraines usually manifest as an intense throbbing or pulsating, one-sided headache. This may be accompanied by nausea or vomiting and an increased sensitivity to light, sound, and/or smells. These headaches can last anywhere from 4-72 hours.

A migraine with aura affects around 1 in 3 people with migraines. This is where they experience neurological disturbances like flashing lights, blind spots, numbness, difficulty speaking, or muscle weakness, typically lasting less than an hour. These aura symptoms can start before or at the same time as the headache.

Common triggers

It is important to understand that migraine triggers are very individualised. Migraines may not arise from a single trigger, but rather when there are multiple factors combined and a person exceeds their personal threshold. For example, bright lights may not trigger a migraine on a well-rested, relaxed day, but when combined with poor sleep and high stress levels, or during ovulation or the premenstrual phase of a woman’s cycle, it may be enough to provoke a migraine.

Common dietary triggers include:

• Alcohol: This is one of the most commonly reported migraine triggers, especially red wine, and may be due to the histamines or sulphites (like the preservative, sulphur dioxide, commonly used in wine).

• Caffeine: Migraines can occur in response to caffeine or to withdrawal from caffeine, especially if stopped abruptly.

• Dairy, especially aged cheeses: Cheeses like blue cheese, feta, and cheddar contain tyramine (which comes from the amino acid tyrosine), which may trigger migraines by increasing blood pressure within the brain.

• Cured/Processed Meats: Salami, pepperoni, hot dogs, and smoked fish are also high in tyramine as well as nitrites, used as a preservative, which may trigger migraines.

• Fermented and pickled foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, soy sauce, and miso paste are also high in tyramine.

• Artificial sweeteners: Aspartame as other artificial sweeteners, commonly found in cooldrinks and sugar-free sweets, desserts, and baked goods.

• Dehydration: This has been a reported trigger in around one third of people with migraines.

Other common triggers

• Stress: Migraines can occur at high stress moments, or during the “let-down” period after a very stressful event.

• Poor sleep: Insufficient sleep, poor quality sleep, sleep disturbances, or an irregular sleep schedule can all increase the likelihood or severity of a migraine.

• Hormonal fluctuations: Women may experience an increase in frequency or severity of migraines in response to oestrogen fluctuations, during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or perimenopause.

• Sensory factors: Bright or flashing lights, strong odours or perfumes, or loud noise may trigger a migraine.

Notice a pattern? The nervous system likes consistency. Regular meals, regular sleep, regular movement, less unexpected variables.

The role of nutrition in migraine management

When people think about diet and migraines, they often focus only on trigger foods. But beyond that, what dietary patterns can we support brain health and make the brain more resilient to migraine triggers.  

• A plant-based diet

A whole food plant-based diet may be one of the most helpful dietary approaches for reducing migraine severity.(1)  This way of eating excludes all animal products, including common migraine triggers like processed meats and aged cheeses, but the benefits go far beyond simply removing trigger foods.

Migraines are increasingly linked to neurogenic inflammation, meaning inflammation within the brain may play a role in triggering attacks. Whole plant foods, especially brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, are packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that help calm this inflammation and may make the brain less vulnerable to migraines.

Evidence suggests that neurogenic inflammation may play a role in the development of migraines, and plant-based whole foods (especially brightly coloured fruits and vegetables) are high in antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory compounds that can counteract this inflammation, potentially providing a protective effect.

Research supports this. In a study of 266 women, those who ate more healthy plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, tended to have migraines that were less severe and less disruptive to daily life. On the other hand, diets high in less healthy plant foods, like refined grains, sugary drinks, sweets, and desserts, were linked to more severe and more debilitating migraines.(2)

In other words, simply being “vegan” is not enough. A diet of chips, fizzy drinks, and Oreos may technically be plant-based, but your brain is unlikely to send a thank-you note. The quality of the foods you eat matters.

Sudden blood pressure changes in the brain may also precipitate migraines. Calcitonin   gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a compound that is produced by neurons in the brain that causes blood vessels in the brain to dilate, which can lower blood pressure. Certain vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, beetroots, spinach, and carrots, may have a particularly protective effect on migraines because they contain naturally occurring plant compounds, called glucosinolate and sulforaphane, which can block the effects of CGRP. (3)

Fiber is the roughage of plants that cannot be digested or absorbed by our guts, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean we should ignore this nutrient. One study found that every additional 10 grams of fiber a day was associated with an 11% lower risk of severe migraines.(4) When fiber is digested by the bacteria in our gut, short chain fatty acids are produced as a result, and these are anti-inflammatory and may have a protective effect on the brain.

• Mediterranean diet

A Mediterranean diet focuses on whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, and extra virgin olive oil and minimises ultra processed foods and red/processed meats. The Mediterranean diet and other similar diets, like the MIND and DASH diets, have been found to be protective against migraines and can help to reduce their frequency and severity. (5)

The fruits, vegetables, and olive oil in the Med diet are particularly high in polyphenols, a type of antioxidant, which have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. While whole grains, nuts, and seeds are good dietary sources of magnesium, which is crucial for brain health and may also be protective against migraines.

Long chain omega 3 fatty acids (such as DHA and EPA) from fish and seafood are frequently consumed as part of the Med diet. Omega 3s are vital for brain health and can also help to fight the neuroinflammation that can trigger migraines. If you do not eat fish or seafood, you may want to consider an omega 3 supplement.

• Fasting

Intermittent fasting has many health benefits, however, fasting for several hours (as seen in studies done during Ramadan) has been found to increase the frequency and severity of migraines. (6,7) Skipping meals, especially breakfast, has also been identified as a migraine trigger for some individuals, whose brains may be more sensitive to drops in blood sugar. (8) If someone with migraines wants to try intermittent fasting, it is recommended to start with a 12 hour overnight fast and slowly build up the duration from there.

Everyone who has migraines will have different triggers, and may respond differently to the same lifestyle interventions. However, research consistently shows that including more whole foods from plants and less ultra processed foods and animal products, and focusing on micronutrient-maxxing improves overall health, and in this case, may improve migraines too.

Book a consultation with Dr Becker for your migraines here

References:

1.  Bunner AE, Agarwal U, Gonzales JF, Valente F, Barnard ND. Nutrition intervention for migraine: a randomized crossover trial. J Headache Pain. 2014;15(1):69. doi:10.1186/1129-2377-15-69. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25339342/

2. Askarpour M, Sheikhi A, Khorsha F, Setayesh L, Togha M, Mirzaei K. Association of Plant-Based Dietary Patterns with Migraine Headache Severity and Duration among Women. J Iran Med Counc. 2021;4(1):12-24. doi:10.18502/jimc.v4i1.5737 https://publish.kne-publishing.com/index.php/JIMC/article/view/5737/5152

3. Jain MM, Kumari N, Rai G. A novel formulation of veggies with potent anti-migraine activity. Int J Comput Biol Drug Des. 2015;8(1):54-61. doi:10.1504/IJCBDD.2015.068787 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25869319/

4. Huang H and He K (2023) The association between dietary fiber intake and severe headaches or migraine in US adults. Front. Nutr. 9:1044066. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1044066 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1044066/full#cite

5. Behrouz V, Hakimi E, Mir E. Impact of Dietary Patterns on Migraine Management: Mechanisms of Action and Recent Literature Insights. Brain Behav. 2025;15(7):e70652. doi:10.1002/brb3.70652 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12230356/

6. Abu-Salameh I, Plakht Y, Ifergane G. Migraine exacerbation during Ramadan fasting. J Headache Pain. 2010;11(6):513-517. doi:10.1007/s10194-010-0242-z https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3476230/

7. Al-Shimmery EK. Precipitating and relieving factors of migraine headache in 200 iraqi kurdish patients. Oman Med J. 2010;25(3):212-217. doi:10.5001/omj.2010.59 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3191636/

8. Legesse SM, Addila AE, Jena BH, Jikamo B, Abdissa ZD, Hailemarim T. Irregular meal and migraine headache: a scoping review. BMC Nutr. 2025 Mar 26;11(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s40795-025-01048-8 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11938733/#CR32