maybe sumac or tamarind could replace the zestiness of lemon/vinegar? and mushroom broth (dried mushrooms soaked in water & strained) or braggs the savoriness of soy (i don't know if braggs is an anti-migraine food)?

Tamarind paste is quite tangy and can act well to replace citrus.

For a spice, try sumac...it has a nice zesty tang that can make flavors pop.

And tangy cheeses like plain greek yogurt or creme fraiche would also act as great non-citrus marinades or to finish soups.

Good luck!

Definitely try tamarind, but use it sparingly - it's potent stuff!

@acbearce - yogurt and creme fraiche are not vegan!

As a physician and a person who experiences migraines I am sensitive to food qualities that trigger these events. Pomegranate juice is great as a marinade and as a souring agent, but it is still controversial as to its effects on migraine. As a powerful anti-oxidant it is a great health food and should reduce headache formation. I use it without trouble. But there is an issue for women, because it is also a phytoestrogen and estrogens for some women are known to be migraine triggers. Sometimes the only answer is for the individual to test and see what happens. I would be concerned about wine because of the frequent use of sulfites as a stabilizing agent and they also can be a migraine trigger.

Migraine is a difficult health topic because there is so much variability in what triggers these events.

Tamarind was a migraine trigger for my mom, but I know they're not universal, so I'd advise wariness on that front. www.foodsubs.com is my favourite website in the world, and might be worth a look.

My sympathies as a former frequent migraine sufferer :(

I'm not sure about the citrus, but remember that there are many non-dietary triggers as well:

-Track the barometric pressure and compare it to the occurrence of your migraines. Sudden changes in pressure trigger migraines for many people. I used to be a human barometer. Back in college, I used to freak people out by accurately saying "it just started raining" from a windowless basement room in the library (one fun parlor trick out of a crappy situation). A benefit here is that by watching the forecast, you will know when to take preventative medication.

-Remember that low blood sugar can also be a migraine trigger. If you're busy, hungry, and the only snack on hand may be a migraine trigger, you still may be better off eating it than not.

-Keep track of stress in your life as well. My migraines never occurred when I was stressed so I thought there was no correlation until I had it all in writing and saw that I always had flare-ups about two days after something stressful had wound down.

-A specialist once told me that it's thought that triggers come in twos. If I eat soy I may have a migraine. If the weather suddenly changes, it's also possible. But if the two happen at the same time, then the likelihood goes up a lot. I was told this about 6 years ago, so the theory may already be outdated, but it's something to consider while you track triggers, particularly while following an elimination diet since experiencing those triggers one at a time may not be an accurate gauge of how they effect you.

Obviously there are many other things to consider, but those points particularly helped me cut back almost daily migraines to only a few occurrences each year. Good luck!

I often use coriander seed powder for a lemony/citrusy flavor, especially with indian-flavored dishes. it's a really versatile spice, and has a wonderful depth of flavor.

I hope you find the solution!

My flatmate was also a real migraine sufferer and cut out lots including citrus, which was major for her, but also dried beans, red wine, dried fruit, raspberries and much more... it did work for her, so take heart. She didn't have a problem with vinegar so I am surprised to hear that. We used it quite a lot to replace citrus.

Have you tried amchoor powder (made from unripe mangoes and quite citrussy)?

you could try using different fresh herbs like tarragon or lemon thyme/lemon basil. organic wines?

I had some of the worst migraine episodes when I was eating a high soy diet - but then again, i was having a variation of miso soup for lunch, edamame as a constant snack, and tofu dinners. too much! Stay vegan, for sure, but don't focus too much on the soy elements of the diet!

Try pure cranberry juice for a good non-citric acid flavor. I also recommend Bragg's liquid amino acids (you can get it at Whole Foods and Co-Ops) - you can use it in place of soy for marinating tofu. I also like a bit of it in my typically soy-based dressings for extra umami punch. Good luck!

lemon replacement - try lemon grass.

wine replacement - if you need the alcoholic content for cooking or marinading, try a 50-50 mix of hard alcohol and water.
- if you need the sweet flavor, try fruit juice.
- if you're not sure - try stock instead.

vinegar replacement - all natural vitamin C substitute (dissolved in water)

Hope this helps.

try mango powder and tamarind, lemon thyme...

I was going to suggest fresh herbs as well, 2Lorah. Lemony herbs & parsley help to brighten a dish, and I often use seaweed or marmite (very sparingly) to add meaty umami flavor to dishes. The other suggestions above also seem useful, but I have no experience with migraine trigger foods.

Sorry you're having to deal with this!

What about spice rubs? If you cube up tofu first and then toss it with some spices and let it sit, that may help some of the flavor get incorporated. For tanginess, what about amchur powder (found at Indian markets)? There are other sour fruits as well out there, like kiwis and apples - their flavors could be a good source of tang.

Spice rubs on tofu are nice, or you can mix them with a juice that you can tolerate for a marinade.

It might also be a good idea to try new things, replacing the tofu and soy stuff with other bean dishes (maybe experiment with making your own bean burgers which can be frozen and reheated). I find that when I replace something for a while I don't miss the old way of cooking it quite so much.

Marlene, try verjus, the juice pressed from grapes that are just beginning to ripen. It's tart and ever so slightly sweet, and is used in cooking as a substitute for wine, lemon, or vinegar, and can make the food more wine-friendly. I work for Bonny Doon Vineyard, and we sell a Verjus that's equally good for cooking and sipping (mixed with a little sparkling water). Incidentally, all our wines are vegan: no animal ingredients are used in production.

Good luck,
Meg

I love marinating it in Olive Oil with some spices. I use Thai seasoning, garlic pepper, or cajun seasonings. Wine is also good, but can trigger migraines for me, I have had problems when I drink it, but not when I've cooked with it.

I'm sorry I second the amchoor powder but I don't know if that's going to work or not. It's very sour.

For me though when I was having a lot of migraines the main elimination was processed soy products. I was vegan at the time and eating a lot of tofu and stuff. It helped me to cut down on processed soy. Overtime I found ways to totally eliminate it. (This is not why I'm not vegan anymore that reason is my significant other.)

Anyway I hope it gets better for you and good luck. My best advice is to find completely new recipes that don't call for any of the things you are avoiding. This will make it seem more fun and less like something you are "giving up."

That is rough--I'm a migraine sufferer as well, but my triggers turned out to be more straightforward.

Maybe try checking out some raw foods blogs for ideas? Obviously, you don't have to go full-on raw food, but I feel like they have a lot of unusual ideas for flavoring things, which might be inspiring.

Thank you EVERYONE for the helpful suggestions, and the kind words! Also, Thank you AT for posting my question!

As an update, to the many who were questioning soy--I was including it in my "safe" foods at first because the particular book I'm using, "Heal Your Headache", said it is only a trigger for some, but now I've decided to go the whole nine yards so I've cut it out. If I'm going to invest all this time into an elimination diet I might as well go all the way, right?

I am eating lots of beans (excepting the ones that are triggers), making my own seitan, eating oatmeal, etc. So I think I'm covering my protein needs. I love the juice suggestions, thank you. I had looked at tamarind too and will try to locate some straight away. Alcohol is out, as is lemon zest. Clearly I won't be eating out for a while. I will try all of these tips! Now if only my "job" were staying home and cooking...

I would suggest either cranberry juice concentrate or pomegranate molasses. These are both simply reduced fruit juice. The cranberry is very tart, while the pomegranate is more sweet-tart. You can get cranberry concentrate at health food stores, or even the Vitamin Shoppe, and pomegranate molasses is available at middle eastern specialty shops.

How long are you doing the elimination diet for? I was a migraineuer up until college. After a gazillion tests, therapies and pills (I was taking PREVENTATIVE pills daily -- it was that bad) my neurologist told me to seriously look into my diet. He pointed out that aged cheeses and chocolate were the most common problem. And just like that, I cut it out of my diet completely. It's a lot easier to eliminate food (regardless of how wonderful they taste) when you can associate it with pain. I haven't had a major migraine episode in 12 years. :)

After I eliminated those two foods, I realized it was possible for me to go vegan. I've accidentally eaten the two on separate occasions and let's just say I avoid them like the plague. Ouch.

Can't really give you any advice on citrus alternatives, but I at least wanted to let you know that I can totally sympathize with your pain and your struggles with food sensitivities!

P.S. Good luck!

Obviously we've all got different triggers, but I strongly recommend against anything with 'aminos' in the name (especially anything high in glutamates/glutamic acid). And in general, many of the problematic foods are those which've been pickled/preserved/fermented, so you might want to avoid miso for a while too -- maybe stick to a fresh/dried/with herbs diet for a while? I've found that it's the citrus oils which cause problems for me, not the juices, but cranberry/pomegranate are nice substitutes. Maybe also lemongrass (or lemon basil, mint, sorrel, any of those other tangy greens), though I"m not sure about that. Also: it's hardly the same, but concord grape juice works nicely as a substitute for wine in recipes.

it sucks getting migraines even occasionally so i feel you on getting them every day.

that said, i'd be careful with the whole 'elimination' diet thing as far as migraines, as low/high blood sugar can be a trigger.

Have you been tested for Celiac disease or gluten intolerance? I suffered from migraines everyday until my doc did a blood test. I gave up gluten but could not be happier!

Have you tried Umeboshi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeboshi)? I make a tea out of 1-2 tsps of the paste and it does wonders for my migraines. Also, a little bit is great on toast and it lasts forever!

To the latest commentators:

The doctor whose research I'm using for my elimination diet ("Heal Your Headache") suggests doing it a total of 4 months. @Tia Rachel, yes, many of the things you mentioned are on that list--in fact, really too many to list here.

I have been tested for Celiac/gluten intolerance, but the results were negative. However, I've heard that the tests aren't very reliable? If the elimination diet gets me nowhere, I'll try cutting out gluten (at which point I'll be a truly nightmarish dinner guest).

I looked into umeboshi, but I thought it only comes pickled? I can't have things that are pickled as they use vinegar. However, I discovered that there is a brine made from salted umeboshis that is called umezu. It's on my list of things to buy this weekend so I can start experimenting.

Thanks again all! There are some terrific ideas here, and it's so nice to get such kind support!

@jenawithoen:

I know, it's such a fine balance--I feel like if a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil I get a migraine! I eat a meal or a snack every four hours to keep my blood sugar levels steady, and keep sugary treats to a minimum.

@stilettoninja: I'm so glad that cutting out those triggers worked for you! I hope for at least some success as well (and also hope that my triggers are only a tiny portion of the complete list of possibles!) Chocolate is definitely a trigger for me, though I became vegan before I found out if cheese was or not. Unfortunately, there seem to be other culprits, since my migraines haven't changed a bit in the years since I've stopped eating chocolate and cheese.

Why is it all the yummy foods?

I definitely recommend going the spice route - sumac, za'atar (an herb blend which contains sumac and is great on breads and hummus), amchur/amchoor powder, and coriander seeds. You may want to try growing your own lemon basil, too.

I order my spices from the Spice House in Chicago, but there are a number of other good online spice vendors... Penzey's and Kalustyan's also come to mind. Good luck!