Balance Disorders and Your Diet

One of the best Web sites for balancing your life and vestibular disorders that we always refer our patients to is vestibular.org. I was looking through the site and came across some suggested dietary guidelines for Meniere’s Disease and other balance disorders. For Meniere’s Disease, it’s important to maintain a steady fluid consistency to help manage the disease. Here are some tips for dietary considerations with balance disorders.

• Distributing food and fluid intake evenly throughout the day and from day to day.
• Avoiding foods and beverages that have a high sugar or salt content. Foods with complex sugars (e.g., those found in legumes and whole grains) are better choices than foods with a high concentration of simple sugars (e.g., table sugar and honey). Sodium intake also affects body-fluid levels and their regulation. Each individual’s physician will be the best judge of appropriate levels of sodium intake.
• Drinking adequate amounts of fluid daily. If possible, fluid loss from exercise or heat should be anticipated, and extra fluids drunk before and during exercise and in hot weather.
• Avoiding foods and beverages with caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that can make tinnitus louder. Its diuretic properties also cause excessive urinary loss of body fluids.
• Limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption. Alcohol can directly and adversely affect the inner ear by changing the volume and composition of its fluid.
• Avoiding migraine triggers including foods that contain the amino acid tyramine. Examples of such foods include red wine, chicken liver, smoked meats, yogurt, chocolate, bananas, citrus fruits, figs, ripened cheeses (e.,g., cheddar and Brie), and nuts.

http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/treatment/diet.php