Can a Tannin-Free Diet Reduce Migraine Risk?

This eating plan is considered a fad diet. Fad diets often promote quick weight loss that is unsustainable and may severely restrict what you eat. They may be harmful and generally do not have long-lasting health benefits. Talk to your healthcare provider before making any major changes to how you eat.

However, because tannins are in so many healthy foods, following a tannin-free diet is a lot harder than just giving up a glass of wine during happy hour.

How Does the Tannin-Free Diet Claim to Work?

The idea behind a tannin-free diet is pretty simple: Avoid foods and drinks that contain these plant compounds to potentially reduce your headache risk.

You probably won’t be able to completely eliminate tannins from your diet, though, because they are in such a wide variety of foods. But you can identify the major sources of tannins and try to cut back.

What Can You Eat on the Tannin-Free Diet?

It’s most likely unrealistic to go completely tannin-free. But knowing which foods have the most tannins may help you find the best ways to reduce your intake.

Foods to Include

Tannins are naturally found in plants. So you can eat plenty of meat, poultry, and fish without worrying about being exposed to tannins. The same goes for milk, eggs, and many dairy products.

Foods to Avoid

• Strawberries
• Persimmons
• Cloudberries
• Raspberries
• Cranberries
• Blackberries
• Pomegranates
• Mangoes
• Grapes

Potential Benefits of the Tannin-Free Diet

On social media, many people with migraine swear that you can eliminate migraine attacks with a tannin-free diet. But these accounts are all anecdotal. It’s hard to say whether someone would benefit from trying this type of diet.

There’s no research proving that a tannin-free diet directly prevents or reduces the frequency or severity of migraine attacks, or that eating this way might eliminate any headaches you experience after drinking red wine.

Potential Risks of the Tannin-Free Diet

Strict adherence to a tannin-free diet may be very difficult, given how many different plants contain these compounds. It may be especially challenging if you’re vegetarian or vegan, since plant-based proteins often contain tannins.

There are also some potential health risks to eliminating every source of tannins from your diet:

• Nutrient Deficiencies Not eating enough fruit and vegetables can lead to vitamin C deficiency, which over time can cause scurvy. Left untreated, scurvy can lead to anemia, bleeding gums, loose teeth, and bleeding under your skin.

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• Potential for Disordered Eating Any restrictive diet can lead to psychological distress, which has the potential to increase your risk of disordered eating behaviors, like binge eating or purging.

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• Lack of Scientific Evidence There’s no research that proves a tannin-free diet directly reduces the frequency or severity of migraine attacks or other types of headaches.

Is the Tannin-Free Diet Right for You?

The tannin-free diet is a fad diet. It has not been proven to help relieve migraine attacks or headaches.

Eating this way might make it hard for you to get sufficient nutrients and increase your risk of disordered eating.

If you live with migraine, talk to your healthcare provider about proven therapies to prevent and treat the condition.

The Takeaway

• Tannins are plant compounds found in many fruits and vegetables. They’re also present in tea and red wine.
• Some people with migraine claim that avoiding tannins in food reduces their risk of a migraine attack, but there is no reliable evidence to back this up.
• Following a tannin-free diet can be hard, especially for people who eat mostly plant-based foods. Plus, the diet increases the risk of not getting enough nutrients.
• If you’re living with migraine, talk to your healthcare provider about how best to manage your triggers and symptoms.