Migraine Safe Foods and Potential Triggers by Category

Category

Potential triggers

Safer options

Breads & grains

Fresh baked bread (from the grocer, bakery, or your own kitchen)

Fresh baked bread and pastries after it has cooled for a few hours.

Store-bought bread and rolls in white, wheat, rye, pumpernickel 

Bagels with dried fruit (like blueberry or cranberry)

Plain or sesame seed bagels

Fresh donuts and Danish pastries

English muffins

Nut breads, cheese breads, chocolate breads, raisin breads

Quick breads like pumpernickel or zucchini breads

Pizza—pizza crust is fresh bread made with yeast

Any bread made with yeast (like sandwich breads, dinner rolls) if it is at least 24 hours old

Rice mixes with flavorings

Plain rice (white, brown, etc.) that you prepare at home

Pasta or noodle dishes with added flavorings (like meal mixes)

Plain pasta or noodles

Cereal

Cereals with nuts, raisins, dried fruit, peanut butter, coconut (like many granola-type cereals)

Cereals sweetened with aspartame

Many commercial cold cereals are migraine-safe—the simpler, the better

Crackers 

Flavored crackers (like cheese or chicken-flavored crackers)

Unflavored or minimally flavored crackers (if it’s the kind of cracker you want only if it’s covered in a spread or dip, it’s probably safe)

Pretzels & chips

Soft pretzels and flavored pretzels (like honey-mustard, onion, garlic, and other strong seasonings)

Plain pretzels 

Potato chips made from potato paste molded into uniform shapes

Plain potato chips made from potato slices (some people can have salt & vinegar chips but others can’t)

Most strongly seasoned corn chip or tortilla chip snacks (if the advertisement for the salty or savory snack mentions “intense” flavor, it probably goes in this column)

Corn chips and tortilla chips (unflavored or mildly flavored)

Pies, cakes, cookies, candy, mints/chewing gum

Fruit pies made with lemon juice or lemon extract

Fruit pies made with raisins and/or other dried fruit (some apricot pies use dried apricots) 

Fruit pies (like blueberry and apple) if they’re made without lemon juice

Chocolate cake

Vanilla or cinnamon swirl cake, pound cake

Cookies and cakes made with peanut butter, almond extract, coconut

Shortbread cookies, oatmeal cookies without raisins

Desserts made with buttermilk and/or sour cream

Rice pudding without raisins

Milk chocolate or dark chocolate candy

White chocolate

Any desserts, sweets, mints, chewing gum made with nuts

Any of the above without nuts

Any desserts, sweets, mints, chewing gum made with aspartame

Any desserts, sweets, mints, chewing gum sweetened with sugar, sucralose, or stevia

Salad dressing

Dressings with onion or garlic powder, grated hard cheese (like parmesan or romano)

Home-made combinations made with oil and distilled white vinegar 

Dressings with red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Dips, sauces, spreads 

Most sauces and dips prepared in sealed jars or cans:

Prepared tomato sauces, alfredo or pesto sauces

Prepared gravies, mustard dips, barbecue sauces

Prepared salsas 

(these often contain MSG and other flavorings that may be migraine triggers)

Homemade versions are safest

Fruit spreads made from dried fruits

Fruit spreads/preserves made from potential trigger fruits

Spreads free of artificial sweeteners and foods on the possible trigger list

Meats

Fresh or frozen ham 

Beef liver, chicken liver

Hot dogs, most prepared luncheon meat/cold cuts

Fresh chicken, beef, veal, lamb, fish, turkey, pork

Pre-packaged cured or smoked meats like bacon, ham, sausage, pepperoni, bratwurst, linguica, etc.

Sausage made without MSG, “natural flavor,” onion additives

Fresh or frozen meat prepared with injected tenderizer or broth

Fresh or frozen meat prepared without tenderizer or broth 

Prepared meats:  

Pre-marinated meat (hot, reheat at home, or cook thoroughly at home)

Barbecued meat 

Breaded chicken patties/nuggets

Seasoned rotisserie chicken

Canned meat or meat products, canned tuna in broth, anchovies

Entrees, meals, meal & side dish mixes

Ready-made meals of meat and noodles/rice, like burritos, lasagnas, meal mixes you prepare at home

Rice or noodle side dishes you prepare at home

Canned soups 

There aren’t many good options here but individual brands of frozen entrees or other items may be safer for you depending on your particular triggers 

Dairy products

Aged cheeses like cheddar, Brie, Colby, Monterey Jack, aged mozzarella, parmesan, Romano, Swiss

American cheese

Soft, unaged cheeses like cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella

Chocolate milk, flavored milks

Plain milk

Sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt

Items with aged cheeses: frozen pizzas, breakfasts, snacks

Fruit and juice

Fresh fruits & juices made from:

Citrus fruits (clementines, grapefruits, lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges, tangerines)

Avocados, bananas, dates, figs, papayas, passion fruit, pineapples, plums, raspberries

Fresh fruits & juices made from:

Apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mangoes, melons (like cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), nectarines, peaches, pears, strawberries

Dried fruit, especially if preserved with sulfites

Vegetables & legumes

Broad Italian beans, fava beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, onions, pea pods, sauerkraut and fermented vegetables

Artichokes, asparagus, beets (red), broccoli, Brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, chickpeas, corn, eggplant, garlic, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, peppers, potatoes (fresh), shallots, spring onions, string beans, squashes, yams, zucchini

Instant mashed potato mix

Some frozen mashed potatoes (check label for seasonings)

Canned or frozen peas

Prepared salads with seasonings or potential vegetable triggers

Preservative-free bagged lettuce 

Nuts, seeds, popcorn

Cheddar cheese flavored popcorn

Some microwave popcorn (check ingredients for flavorings)

Nuts of all kinds and nut butters 

Almond extract for cooking

Coconut

Unflavored popcorn that you pop at home

Poppy seeds, pumpkins seeds, sunflower seeds without added natural flavor, sesame seeds 

Soy products

Soy sauce, miso

Tempeh, soy burgers

Products containing soy protein isolate or concentrate 

Soy products of any kind until you have achieved a reduction in attacks or headache diaries clear soy as one of your triggers

Lower-risk items to try: Soy milk, soy flour, plain tofu, soy oil

Sweetener

Aspartame

Sweeteners made from potential trigger fruits

Sugar, maple syrup, molasses, corn syrup, stevia, sucralose

Beverages

Coffee, coffee substitutes, black tea, green tea with caffeine

Hot chocolate

Colas with caffeine (regular or diet)

Lemon-lime sodas, orange sodas, fruit-flavored sodas

Root beer or any non-cola soda with added caffeine

Any diet beverage sweetened with aspartame or saccharin

Swiss water processed decaf coffee, black tea, green tea

Caffeine-free herbal tea (like chamomile)

Apple juice, apricot nectar, cranberry juice, grape juice, pear juice (without artificial sweeteners)

Caffeine-free colas & sodas sweetened with sugar or corn syrup (not diet)

Caffeine-free diet sodas and beverages sweetened with sucralose or stevia

Alcoholic beverages

Wine (especially red wine), champagne, beer, strong spirits or mixed drinks, mixers with migraine triggers

If you consume alcoholic beverages, vodka-based drinks (with migraine-safe mixers) tend to be tolerated the best