Migraine: Attacks, Meals and a Balanced Diary
Understand migraine care and keep useful notes about attacks, meals, sleep and medicines without assuming that one food explains every headache.
A migraine can interrupt the day long before lunch is on the table. Looking back, it may be difficult to separate the meal you missed from the symptoms that had already begun.
Start your food and symptom diary
Understanding Migraine
Migraine is a condition involving recurring attacks that may include headache, nausea and sensitivity to light or sound. Some people have aura. Diagnosis considers the pattern, and new or unusual neurological symptoms need assessment rather than being assumed to be migraine. [1]
Care and everyday food decisions
Treatment may address an attack or aim to prevent attacks. Ask about appropriate medicine use, since frequent painkiller use can worsen headaches. Regular meals and sleep may help your routine, but avoid excluding many foods on the strength of a single episode. [1]
Keeping a useful personal record
Record when symptoms began, how long they lasted, medicines taken and relevant context such as sleep or a missed meal. Note symptoms that came before eating as well as afterwards. One Food Forward can preserve that sequence, but cannot establish a trigger or diagnose the type of headache.
Does a headache after chocolate prove chocolate caused it?
No. Timing alone does not show cause. Bring a repeated pattern and the wider context to your clinician before making restrictive changes. [1]
Keep the details somewhere you can find them
There is no need to tell the whole story at once. Start with today’s meal, a symptom or a few words about how you felt. Those small entries give you something to return to when it is time to talk about your care.
Sources and further reading
Your healthcare team should guide diagnosis, treatment and changes to your diet or medicines.
Spotted something that needs correcting? Contact One Food Forward support and include this page’s address.