Hi Jbsusie,
I don't know if you can call caffeine a "food," but it definetly should be avoided. Lately, I've been seeing a lot of people drink energy drinks such as "Red Bull," and not realizing that the high caffeine content is triggering their anxiety! I always see a number of people that don't seem to realize that the coffee, tea, Iced tea, and/or soda that they drink is triggering anxiety for them!
Over the years, I've heard a number of different antedotes about different foods, but no real consensus. I've had clients claim that juice (which has a high amount of suger) triggers anxiety. That makes some sense to me, because if you feel a change in your body due to consuming a large amount of sugar, the sensation alone could trigger anxiety (body sensations are one of the triggers for anxiety). For other people, just getting overly hungry can trigger a panic attack.
I've heard some people claim that fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants are "calming" foods. I don't know if that's really true, but we all know that these types of foods do have tremendous health benefits for us.
For me, the lesson here again seems to be to eat a healthy diet, avoid caffeine (and alcohol), high amounts of sugar, and do not allow yourself to get overly hungry.
As far as the foods that trigger migraines, I'll let Dr. Walcutt answer that one as she is an expert in the area of headaches!
Regards,
Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D.
www.thestressmasters.com