Foods That Can Trigger Headaches (and What to Eat Instead)

By H. Rand Scott, MD — Medical Director, Newport Pain Management Reviewed and updated July 2026

For people prone to vascular headaches like migraine, certain foods contain chemical compounds — tyramine, nitrates, and others — that can trigger an attack. Not everyone is sensitive, and triggers are individual, but if you get frequent headaches, an elimination trial is a low-risk way to find out whether diet is playing a role.

Eliminate the trigger foods below fairly completely — and give it time. Dietary changes may not show their full effect until you've been consistent for at least a month. Follow the plan strictly until your headaches are better controlled, then reintroduce foods one at a time, a few days apart, so you can judge each one's effect. Keeping a simple headache-and-food diary through this process is the single most useful thing you can do — it turns guesswork into evidence.

Aged and fermented items (high in tyramine): aged cheeses, fermented and cured meats (hot dogs, bacon, bologna, salami, pepperoni, sausage), herring, sauerkraut, and anything aged, canned, cured, marinated, or containing nitrates or nitrites. Milder cheeses — American, cream, and cottage — are generally fine.

Alcohol, especially red wine and champagne. (Vodka tends to be best tolerated.)

Certain produce: avocado, bananas, canned figs, raisins, red plums; citrus fruits and juices (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, pineapple); onions; and the pods of broad beans, lima, fava, navy beans, and pea pods.

Common additives and specific items: MSG (common in some Chinese food and processed foods), aspartame (NutraSweet), chocolate, chicken livers, nuts and peanut butter, yogurt and sour cream, and vinegar (white vinegar is acceptable).

Caffeine, which is double-edged — helpful acutely for some headaches but a rebound trigger with daily use. If you're cutting back, wean over about two weeks, and know that caffeine-withdrawal headaches can temporarily worsen things before they improve. Also watch for hidden caffeine in combination pain and sinus medications.

Juices such as apple, cranberry, grape, tomato, and V8. Vitamin C and citric acid are fine. Milder cheeses as noted above. For a hot-drink substitute, caffeine-free options work for many people; herbal teas are a wildcard — their compounds vary and aren't well characterized, so treat them cautiously during an elimination trial.

Diet is one lever, not the whole machine. Skipping meals is itself a common trigger (the mid-afternoon dip is real), so when you eat matters as much as what. If dietary changes help but don't fully control your headaches, that's normal — food is rarely the only factor. Combine this with the broader strategies on our main Headaches page, and if headaches persist, call Newport Pain Management at (949) 759-8400.

This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.