Learning how to avoid migraines is just as important as learning how to treat them. One of the biggest challenges is identifying your triggers which, as most of you know, are the things that lead to a migraine. Migraine triggers tend to be unique to each person. (If you haven’t already done so, hop on over to my Website and sign up for my “12 Migraine Triggers & Solutions” report.)
A migraine journal is a great place to keep notes about your migraines because you can make note of things like when they happen, how severe and debilitating they become, what the symptoms are, how you treat them, what were you doing at the time and whether the treatments are effective. Collecting all this information will help you learn the best ways to prevent and treat your migraines. (Click the link “migraine journal” to get a free copy.)
While you can, of course, use your smartphone, and choose one of the great apps for keeping a migraine journal (such as the Migraine Buddy), the pen and paper method of keeping a migraine journal is a tried-and-true method. If you don’t like the pre-printed forms like the one I have linked, you could use a loose-leaf binder or notebook and write it out like a diary journal entry.  These methods are really useful for analyzing your migraines and learning more about your triggers.

Migraine Journaling 101
When you have the first signs of a migraine, get a piece of paper or grab the migraine journal provided here, and write the date and time along with all the symptoms you experience.

Whatever method you the use to treat your migraine, write it down, being specific as to what you did and when you did it.

If your symptoms change, write down the time and what changed.

When (finally) your migraine is over, write down the time it ended and how long it lasted.

Rate your migraine severity on a scale of 1 to 10.

Make note of everything you did and everything you ate in the days preceding the migraine. (Keeping daily track of foods though makes this less cumbersome at the time of a migraine or in its aftermath.)
Once you have started using a migraine journal, you can study the entries to learn more about what triggers your migraines and what is most effective for treating them. This information will also be valuable to your doctor. Most neurologists or physicians appreciate you taking a migraine journal to your appointment. This is also something I encourage my migraine clients to bring to their appointments to share with me as it gives great insight into how I can more effectively help that person.

Food Correlation 
Once you have started developing your migraine journal, you should then pay special attention to the food you are eating. Many foods are known trigger migraines, and the effects vary widely from person-to-person.
For example, while some people find that caffeine actually helps relieve their migraines, for others, it is a migraine trigger. Keeping track of your migraines in a journal is the only way to know for sure whether a particular food is triggering your migraines.
Some foods have specific components that are known to trigger migraines. Tyramine, which is a chemical compound created naturally from the amino acid tyrosine which breaks down over time, is found in any protein-rich food when it is aged, fermented, or stored for a long time, meaning that it is found in aged cheeses and cultured milk products like yogurt and sour cream, deli meats, pork products (including bacon and ham), and fermented soy products like tofu, tempeh, and soy sauce. These types of food should definitely be on your radar as potential migraine triggers.
Also fermented foods are potential migraine triggers – whether they contain tyramine or not. Some fermented foods known to trigger migraines include sauerkraut, pickles, and olives. Alcoholic beverages, especially red wine and high-malt beers, are common migraine triggers.
Citrus fruits will trigger migraines in some people, including oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, papayas, and passion fruits. Some of the other fruits that can trigger migraines include plums, raisins, figs, bananas, and avocados.
Quite a few migraine sufferers find that chemically processed foods are a huge migraine trigger, especially processed foods containing artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin. Other triggers along the processed foods lines include food coloring, preservatives, canned foods, bouillon cubes, MSG, seasoned salt, meat tenderizer and even Brewer’s yeast.

Other foods known to trigger migraines include:

•    Breads, raised coffee cakes, doughnuts, pizza
•    Chocolate, cocoa, carob
•    Caffeinated drinks including coffee, tea, cola
•    Beef and chicken livers
•    Nuts and seeds
•    Pod beans including lima beans, navy beans, peas, lentils, snow peas
•    Peanut butter
•    Onions
•    Eggs
While this may seem to be a huge list of migraine triggers, the good news is that no one seems to have all of these foods on their migraine trigger list!  The key is using your migraine journal to identify the specific foods that are problematic for you and then taking steps to avoid those foods. So, if you take nothing else away from this article, remember this:
Journal your foods and find your own triggers.

In my book, “The Ultimate Migraine Handbook,” I go into more detail on migraine triggers and some effective natural remedies to help prevent and relieve pain associated with migraines.  Click below for more information on my migraine relief book.