Diet

If you have Menieres then you are in a desperate battle to conquer it and you have to be fit for the fight. That starts with diet and getting yourself as healthy as you possibly can. Also dietary factors can sometimes be triggers for Meniere’s symptoms depending upon any food allergies you may have.

I would strongly recommend you make time to read this fantastic website from Kari Lund, herself a Meniere’s sufferer for 20 years.

Kari Lund, Meniere’s sufferer for 20 years and author of cookingupclean.com

She has recorded lots of natural solutions that have been successful for herself and others. YOU CAN READ HER NATURAL SOLUTIONS TO MENIERE’S HERE      

Another Meniere’s supporter focused on diet is :
Angelea Bruce, RD, CSO
Registered Dietitian and Board-certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition
USA
 “As a registered dietitian who also suffers from Meniere’s disease, just like most people I was willing to try anything and everything in an attempt to manage my symptoms.  I followed the recommendations of my Meniere’s specialists religiously. For more than 2 years, I took diuretics, followed a very low sodium plant-based diet, completely eliminated alcohol and all sources of caffeine, and practiced meditation to manage anxiety.  I underwent allergy testing and shots. Out of desperation and despite evidence to the contrary, I also incorporated a popular dietary supplement regimen recommended on various Meniere’s disease support pages and underwent a course of upper cervical chiropractic treatment.  And yet my symptoms continued to rage out of control. I finally got relief from the vertigo through a series of gentamicin injections in my affected ear.”

“While diet and nutrition alone are unlikely to be enough to adequately treat the symptoms of Meniere’s disease in most people, they have been shown to reduce the risk for, or to help manage, other conditions like muscle loss, high blood pressure, and diabetes, which almost certainly will make you feel worse when combined with Meniere’s.  Following a healthy diet and staying as physically active have also been shown in the general population to improve sense of well-being, reduce anxiety and depression, and generally improve quality of life. So even if dietary and lifestyle changes don’t seem to affect your Meniere’s disease symptoms, there are still lots of reasons to eat well and keep your body moving in whatever ways you can.”

“For many reasons, nutrition is a very difficult science to study.  The interrelationships between food, nutrients, and disease are extraordinarily complex.  Yet it is well-established that certain dietary patterns, in combination with regular physical activity and good social support, are better than others for reducing risk for several chronic diseases.  In particular, a diet with its foundation in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and small amounts of lean meats, fish, and low fat dairy products has been observed across many cultures and parts of the world to confer protection against obesity, heart disease, and diabetes  (The Blue Zones, Dan Buettner, 2010).  It has also been shown that consuming foods that are high in dietary fiber from a variety of sources and including fermented foods in one’s diet promotes healthful populations of gut microbiota that, among other things, support a healthy immune system while crowding out less desirable microbes that can contribute to chronic inflammation.”

“While it is unlikely that diet plays a direct role in the risk of developing Meniere’s disease (or at least there is no evidence of this so far), there does exist some scientific and anecdotal evidence that it may play a role in symptom management for some people (“Prevalence of Allergy in Meniere’s Disease”, M. Jennifer Derebery, Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000 Jul;123(1 Pt 1):69-75.)”

“Wherever you happen to be in the stages of Meniere’s disease, I can speak from personal and professional experience that making healthy, sustainable diet and lifestyle choices can improve your general sense of well-being and overall health.  At the same time, it is important to keep the role of food and nutrition in managing Meniere’s symptoms in perspective. If adding or eliminating something from your diet doesn’t produce measurable, repeatable improvement in your symptoms within a few weeks, move on.  While self-experimentation may help you identify possible food triggers, try to keep a healthy relationship with food and eating while trying to figure this out.  Taking anything to extremes without a plausible or supported reason to do so is neither healthy nor sustainable, so try not to make yourself crazy with extreme diets that make extraordinary claims.  When it comes to recommendations for any specific diet in the management of Meniere’s disease, the evidence just isn’t there yet.

“There are a number of excellent books available mediterranean diets like this one here “

“Or you can buy the book here along with a companion set of 50 grocery list pads to serve as healthy reminders of Mediterranean foods every time you go shopping. You can get this here “

Adriana Londono has also written and published a cook book of recipes from across the world for Meniere’s sufferers to encourage you to eat healthily. this is also gluten free:

Adriana was diagnosed with Meneire’s at the age of 28 and focuses in this book on healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle to try and beat the disease.

You can buy a copy of this book off Amazon here  .

Adriana also has a website of her cooking here

There are also a number of video’s available of Adriana actually cooking her recipes like this healthy looking sweet potato risotto here 

Menieres itself comes with it’s own recipe of ingredients

The caveat to any diet to improve your health and avoid any reaction to certain food types is that it is all anecdotal and everyone reacts differently to different things. Some people will have triggers/allergies/intolerances and others may have none.

My Diet

To be the best I can be for Meniere’s I personally have followed the recommended Mediterranean-style diet which is basically plant based whole foods with lots of fibre.

The big ticket items often mentioned in relation to Meniere’s:

Alcohol – suppresses your immune system hence I don’t drink at all. Well maybe the very occasional glass of wine or beer on a special occasion. But given I’m on immunology treatment it makes no sense to drink alcohol

Caffeine – I’ve found this a tricky one. Currently I’m on a low caffeine diet and feel better for it. However when acute brain fog kicks in I find a strong coffee often helps clear my head. One or two cups of tea or coffee a day

Water – it’s often recommended to have a high water intake. This made no difference to me. I do like drinking water though and I find drinking water regularly through the day makes me feel better

Salt – sodium has made no difference to me though I don’t ever add salt to a meal

Sugar – has made no difference to me and I have quite a sweet tooth. I try not to go to excess

The picture below is a good pictorial view of a food pyramid I’ve personally found useful :

Mediterranean diet good food pyramid