Almost every day I get asked what migraine diet snacks are ok on the Heal Your Headache diet (HYH), so I wanted to pull together a few options and ideas of what you can have for a quick bite.
Please read what is listed carefully as certain flavors or brands may not be ok during the elimination period. Remember that this doesn't include everything ever made...that would take me forever.
Most of the snack ideas below are gluten and dairy free as well so if you see something that interests you, don't hesitate to look it up and see if it fits your personal restrictions.
Vegetable Prep Ideas
Cut fruits and vegetables - carrots, celery, cucumber, bell peppers, jicama, green beans, and radish are great for snacking and dips. Buy them pre-cut (which can get pricey) or devote some time to cleaning them and cutting right away when you get home. Storing cut carrots and celery in water in the fridge will also help preserve their life.
Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes, apples, mango, peaches, nectarines, pears, and melon all make great grab and go snacks.
Dried Fruits - Look for freeze-dried (Karen's Just Apples), sulfite-free, or dehydrate them at home.
Pickles - If you have some fresh cucumbers you can make these quick pickles. Grillo's (found refrigerated at many stores) also has fresh pickles that are migraine-friendly!
Dips
Mix these up on a Sunday and enjoy with vegetables, chips, or pita bread throughout the week. Only the crab dip will need to be consumed within 2-3 days.
- Creamy Shallot Dip
- Artichoke Hummus
- Crab Dip
- Spinach Dip
- Carrot Hummus (cookbook page 119)
- Ranch Dressing
- Salsa Verde
- Store-bought salsas - Tacodeli Salsa Verde (Whole Foods Texas), Tacupeto Molka Fire Roasted, Del Real Green Salsa (Fresh Thyme), Tia Lupita Salsa Verde
- Trader Joe's Organic Hummus
Seed Butters and Bars
Pumpkin seed butter and sunflower seed butter are great for quick snacks. You can also buy plain roasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. My favorite brands are Sunbutter, Trader Joe's and 88 Acres.
- Use either on apples or celery sticks for a crunchy snack with a little bit of fat and protein.
- Spread on a rice cake or dip with pretzels (see below for brand recommendations).
- Mix into oatmeal, chia seed pudding, or overnight oats.
- Use to make my energy balls or protein bars (pg 116).
- Go Raw Sprouted Organic Snacking Seeds
- 88 Acres Seed Bars in Cinnamon and Oats, Mixed Berry.
- Creative Snacks Granola Clusters Bountiful Berry
- Lara Bar Kid Cinnamon Swirl
- Kween Granola Butter
- Gratisfied Oat Bar
Crunchy Snacks
These recipes store well for a long time and hit that crunchy craving.
- Homemade Chex Mix (cookbook pg 127)
- Plain Cheerios
- Popcorn - Original Skinny Pop, Sea Salt and Black Pepper, and Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn are ok. Any other kinds of Skinny Pop are not. Trader Joe's Olive Oil Popcorn and Kettle Corn. Boom Chika Pop Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn as well as the original.
- Potato Chips - any PLAIN brand is allowed on the elimination diet. Lays classic, Boulder Canyon, Cape Cod...
- Crackers - Carr's Original Table Water Crackers, Trader Joe's Classic Original Water Crackers, Good and Gather Water Crackers, Original Triscuit and Hint of Sea Salt, Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheat Crackers, Crunchmaster's Sea Salt Gluten Free and Tuscan Peasant Olive Oil and Sea Salt (not any other types).
- Goldfish Veggie Crackers Sweet Carrot, Trader Joe's Beet Crackers, Orchard Valley Chickpea Chips Original Sea Salt, Terra Vegetable Chips, Simple Truth Root Veggie Crisps, Thrive Market Veggie Chips, Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips.
- Any corn tortilla chips without seasonings.
- Pretzels - Rold Gold Braided Honey Wheat, Utz Honey Wheat Twists, From the Ground Up Cauliflower Pretzels and Butternut Squash Pretzels (Gluten Free).
- Granola - Buckwheat Granola or Seed Granola, Nature's Path Pumpkin Seed and Flax Granola (Costco), Purely Elizabeth Original, Blueberry Hemp, and Pumpkin Cinnamon.
- Gratisfied Original and Pumpkin Granola
Sweet Snacks
- Siete Churro Strips
- Trader Joe's Butter Waffle Cookies and Speculoo's Cookies
- Pepperidge Farm Chessman and Gingerman Ginger Cookies
- Partake Cookie Butter Cookies (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods)
- Mi-Del Gingersnaps
- Marshmallow Fluff
- Field Day Frosted Flakes
- Petit Pot Vanilla Bean & Rice Pudding
- White Chocolate Cereal Bars
- Gooey Blondies
- Salted White Chocolate Cookies
Migraine Diet Cheese
- BelGiosio Mozzarella Balls (or any fresh mozzarella balls)
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Cubed American Cheese (Andrew and Everett, Boars Head, Organic Valley...)
- Farmers Cheese
- Spreadable Goat Cheese (Chevre), unaged. Serve with crackers, jam or honey, fresh herbs, or rolled in black pepper.
- More cheese options
Freezer Storage
These are quick grab and go meal replacements you can keep in the freezer. The pepita protein bars and the energy balls would also fit into this category.
- Chicken Taquitos or Vegan Bean Taquitos (pg 58)
- Cinnamon Oat Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, Ginger Peach Muffins
- Sausage Balls (pg53)
- Meatballs and Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Poppers
- Mini Quiche
- Rollingreens Crispy Cauliflower Wings (Mustard)
- Cinnamon Overnight Oats
If you see anything missing that you love from this migraine diet snacks list, please add your suggestions in the comments!
Here are some pantry staple product recommendations and full foods allowed list.
How about foods like Beyond Burgers?
Hi Alicia, is Mozzarella cheese that comes in a block ok or does it have to be the fresh Mozzarella ball in brine? The ingredients on this block say milk, salt, cultures, enzyme (non-animal rennet. I am in New Zealand so don't have some of the cheeses you refer to. Thanks for your amazing work you do!
what kind of milk to use. I am drinking almond milk but you say no. I also thought you could not have cheese or banana 🍌 but some of your recipes have these ingredients
Hey, I recommend reviewing my foods allowed post. The banana is in one recipe and it's a reintroduction recipe. I have it labeled 3 different times it's for reintroduction. I will always make this very clear in the post.
What is the difference of migraine friendly pickles?
Hello, is there any jams or jelly that are safe to eat?
Yes I have some apricot ones but really any one without gelatin or lemon. Trader Joe's used to have some good ones.
why gelatin and lemon?
Hi there. Thank you so much for all you're doing-- recently diagnosed with VM and entirely overwhelmed by it, but your site has been so helpful. Two specific questions: 1) I'm seeing very mixed messaging about mozzarella. Some sights say avoid entirely, but as I understand it, it's about aging, and most mozzarella isn't aged? Specifically thinking about string cheese and pizza. 2) Is there any safe, store-bought hummus? I can't seem to find any that don't have lemon juice.
Thanks again!
I’ve been looking into multi-vitamins. I used to do gummy’s but they all seem to have gelatin and citric acid. Do you recommend any brands for the migraine diet?
Hey - yes I have a supplements for migraine post with some suggestions like the ONE vitamin and it will also take you to my link which gives you a good discount.
Are tortilla chips and corn tortillas with lime or hint of lime OK? Thanks so much for this post. It's been such a life saver being new to the diet!
Yes, chemical lime or hint of lime is ok. You just wouldn't want lime flavored.
Thank you so much for this list. Newely diagnosed with vestibular migraines and am trying to navigate my way through diet changes. Your information has been invalueable to me.
Are there any granola bars that are okay to eat?
Yes the 88 acres seed bars and natures path are linked above i believe!
This is such a great list and helping me order some groceries before traveling! Thank you 🙂
My husband and I both suffer from vestibular migraines. Ugh. I have the diet down pretty well but was wondering about goat and sheep cheeses. I can’t have any cow dairy but can have goat and sheep. Is goat Gouda, sheep la gruta, goat cheddar, goat pepper jack and goat mozzarella okay for the VM diet? And Thai coconut milk? Thanks.
Jean
Hey Jean - so you can have goat cheese (chevre) and mozzarella, but the others would depend on aging. Typically anything over 3 months is where the cut off is.
Heal Your Headache says you should avoid coconut milk. I'm more in the camp of leave it in unless you notice an issue, especially if you can't have regular milk. 🙂 Its up to you!
Thanks for this list!! I've noticed that most store-bought hummus has lemon juice or lemon oil toward the end of the ingredient list. Is this okay with the citrus restriction? (Maybe a small enough amount?)
You're right - I haven't found a store bought hummus without lemon juice BUT, having just bought The Dizzy Cook book, I've made Alicia's hummus and, seriously, you'll never want store bought hummus again - it's so delicious! Cooking the chickpeas in baking soda (called bicarbonate soda here in the UK) makes the chickpeas super creamy - seriously yummy!
Thank you for the snack ideas! I noticed under the dips section you noted that only the crab dip should be consumed within three days. I have vm also and try to not keep anything longer than 2-3 days but am I overdoing it? Should I only worry about cooked foods?
You really only have to worry about foods with meat (higher protein), especially if you use fresh vegetables. Tyramine increases as bacteria increases so just something to keep in mind.
Thank you