{"id":54262,"date":"2022-10-04T09:30:11","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T13:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=54262"},"modified":"2026-07-14T14:55:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T18:55:37","slug":"migraine-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/migraine-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"The best diet for migraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many people think of migraines as really bad headaches. However, chronic migraine is considered a neurological disease, which affects at least 39 million Americans. Characterized by moderate to severe pain, migraine attacks usually cause nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and vomiting. They can also last for days at a time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

With that type of track record, it\u2019s no surprise that people who suffer from migraines want to prevent or minimize them. Some people find that certain foods and drinks can either keep a migraine attack at bay or reduce its severity\u2014or, conversely, bring one on. Read on for specific foods to include or avoid in a migraine diet.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>What is migraine?<\/b><\/a> | <\/b>Migraine statistics<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

What is the best diet for people with migraine?<\/h2>\n

Certain foods and drinks can act as a trigger for migraines, meaning that after ingesting them, a migraine attack comes on. There\u2019s no one migraine prevention diet that can prevent all attacks, but there are diets that may be helpful to people with migraine.<\/p>\n

Plant-based diets<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re looking to reduce migraines, you may want to cut back on meat and add in more vegetables, especially leafy greens. One small study<\/a> found that a low-fat, plant-based diet\u00a0 reduced both the severity and frequency of migraines during a 16-week study. Another case<\/a>\u00a0 showed a single 60-year-old man who had severe migraines for more than a decade benefited greatly from a dietary change. Three months after switching to a Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) diet, his number of \u201cheadache days\u201d went down from from 18-24 a month to zero.<\/p>\n

The diet focuses on nutrient-dense, dark green leafy vegetables and a whole food plant-based diet. The researchers believe that the focus on leafy veggies\u2014like spinach, kale, and watercress\u2014tripled the man\u2019s beta-carotene levels. Beta-carotene is a carotenoid, which is anti-inflammatory and lowers oxidative stress. Systemic inflammation and oxidative stress<\/a> have both been linked to migraines.<\/p>\n

Keto diet<\/h3>\n

The ketogenic diet<\/a> was originally used to treat epilepsy, but it may also relieve migraines as well. While more research is required, one early study demonstrated that while migraine frequency or severity wasn\u2019t altered, there was a clinically important trend<\/a> toward migraine attacks not lasting as long. Another study<\/a> found that after a month of following a keto diet, study participants experienced a reduction in migraine attack frequency and duration.<\/p>\n

Keto diet focuses on high fats, a moderate amount of protein, and extremely low amounts of carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

Elimination diet<\/h3>\n

Because migraine triggers differ depending on the individual, a migraine diet that\u2019s successful in reducing attacks or severity for one person might not work for another. Instead of following one specific diet, you can keep track of what you\u2019re eating to discover a pattern between eating specific foods or drinks and getting migraines.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping a food diary to help identify personal triggers and, once those triggers are known, working to avoid them, is a very helpful way to identify what diet works best for an individual who has migraines,\u201d says Alice Williams, MD<\/a>, a physician based in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/p>\n

Bring your food diary to your next healthcare provider\u2019s appointment, so you can discuss your migraine triggers and how to avoid them. The solution may include an elimination diet<\/a>. This is the process of removing food or drink you think might be problematic from your diet for at least a few weeks. During this time, you\u2019ll record on a calendar how you\u2019re feeling daily (like on a scale from 0-10) while marking the dates of migraines and how long they last.<\/p>\n

After the elimination diet is over, you\u2019ll slowly reintroduce the food into your diet. Continue to track how you\u2019re feeling. Mark on the calendar which foods or drinks have been added. Add one new food or drink every week or two to help with tracking consequences. If, upon reintroducing the food, you notice negative changes, you may need to give it up completely. Of course, before beginning an elimination diet\u00ad\u2014or any diet\u00ad!\u2014it\u2019s important to speak with a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n\t\t