Migraine food diary
Migraine is a neurologic condition that can include severe headaches and sensory sensitivity; certain foods can be triggers for some people.
Track meals, caffeine, and timing to discover personal migraine trigger patterns.
- Throbbing head pain
- Nausea
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensitivity to sound
- Visual aura
- Log every beverage with a time
- Watch for aged foods clustered in one day
- Compare attack days to calm days
How this helps
A clear, condition-specific plan for your next two weeks.
Capture caffeine timing, not just the beverage.
Scan for aged or fermented foods that stack together.
Compare 24 to 48 hour windows before attacks.
Top sensitivities to check
Tools to compare the patterns that show up most often.
Common triggers to track
These ingredients often show up in patterns—worth checking first.
Recommended 2-week workflow
Follow these steps to get meaningful data.
Log every meal, snack, and drink for 14 days.
Record caffeine timing and dose, not just total.
Flag aged or fermented foods using the tyramine checker.
Check for MSG or glutamate-rich ingredients in packaged foods.
Note sleep, stress, and menstrual timing if relevant.
Review for repeated patterns 24 to 48 hours before attacks.
Example: You notice attacks after days with both red wine and aged cheese. You separate them for a week and the pattern becomes clearer.
Common mistakes
Avoid these so your results stay clear.
Only tracking headache days and missing baseline.
Changing caffeine intake too quickly.
Ignoring non-food triggers like sleep.
FAQ
Quick answers before you start logging.
Do all migraines have food triggers?
No. Triggers vary a lot; some people have none and others have a few consistent ones.
How long should I track before deciding?
Two weeks gives enough variation for patterns to show up.
Is this page medical advice?
No. Use it to organize observations and share them with your clinician.
Related conditions
If your symptoms overlap, start here next.
Track smarter in the app.
Log meals, spot patterns automatically, and share reports with your healthcare provider.
Prefer paper? Download a free template