E AT ING T HE B ASICS Eat consistently throughout the day. Do not go longer than 4 hours without eating! Eating Well with Meniere's Disease Role of Diet and Meniere’s Disease Meniere’s disease is thought be caused by problems with fluids in the inner ear. By controlling the fluid in the inner ear with diet = we can reduce symptoms. Limit or avoid alcohol 1 drink max per day This can help prevent migraines 1 drink = 12 oz. of regular beer or 5 oz. wine or 1.5 oz (shot) of liquor Limit caffeine. Avoid things like coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks (Monster or Red Bull), chocolate, and diet pills. Caffeine will stimulate the nervous system and make migraines and tinnitus worse. Avoid MSG (monoSODIUM glutamate) - which is form of sodium that is a common migraine trigger. Common foods that contain MSG include Asian foods, Ramen noodles, and Accent seasoning Eat a low sodium diet. Sodium causes fluid retention and can make your symptoms worse in your inner ear.
Transcript
EAT
ING
T H E B A S I C S
Eat consistently throughout
the day. Do not go longer than
4 hours without eating!
Eating Well with
Meniere's Disease
Role of Diet and Meniere’s Disease
Meniere’s disease is thought be caused by problems with fluids in the inner ear.
By controlling the fluid in the inner ear with diet = we can reduce symptoms.
Limit or avoid alcohol
1 drink max per day
This can help prevent migraines
1 drink = 12 oz. of regular beer or 5 oz.
wine or 1.5 oz (shot) of liquor
Limit caffeine. Avoid things like
coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks
(Monster or Red Bull), chocolate,
and diet pills. Caffeine will
stimulate the nervous system
and make migraines and tinnitus
worse.
Avoid MSG (monoSODIUM glutamate) - which is form of sodium that
is a common migraine trigger. Common foods that contain MSG
include Asian foods, Ramen noodles, and Accent seasoning
Eat a low sodium diet. Sodium
causes fluid retention and can
make your symptoms worse in
your inner ear.
EATING WELL WITH MENEIRE ’S D ISEASE
T I P S T O R E D U C E S O D I U M
Eating Well with
Meniere's Disease
Low Sodium Diet
2,000 mg sodium limit can help alleviate symptoms, but some people need to limit their sodium
intake to 1500 mg. If this limit does not help, please consult your doctor.
Read nutrition labels. Know how much sodium is in your foods.
What if your food doesn’t have a label? Look up nutrition facts for free at
calorieking.com
Look at the
serving size
first.
Then look at the
sodium. This number
relates to the
SERVING SIZE—not
the entire package.
Remember to multiply
the amount of sodium
by the number of
serving sizes you are
eating!
Bonus tip: Read your ingredients list for words like sodium and salt. Sneaky
ingredients contain salt like baking soda, baking powder, monosodium glutamate
(MSG), and preservatives such as sodium benzoate, sodium citrate, and sodium
nitrate.
EATING WELL WITH MENEIRE ’S D ISEASE
T I P S T O R E D U C E S O D I U M
Eating Well with
Meniere's Disease
Low Sodium Diet
2,000 mg sodium limit can help alleviate symptoms, but some people need to limit their sodium
intake to 1500 mg. If this limit does not help, please consult your doctor.
Rethink your seasonings
Just a pinch of salt is equal to 600 mg of sodium!
Sodium free seasonings are best such as Mrs.
Dash powdered or liquid marinades which can
help infuse flavors.
Get creative!
EATING WELL WITH MENEIRE ’S D ISEASE
T I P S T O R E D U C E S O D I U M
Eating Well with
Meniere's Disease
Low Sodium Diet
2,000 mg sodium limit can help alleviate symptoms, but some people need to limit their sodium
intake to 1500 mg. If this limit does not help, please consult your doctor.
Food Group Choose more
Low sodium
<100 mg/serving
GREEN LIGHT
Choose less
Medium sodium
100-300 mg/serving
YELLOW LIGHT
Avoid
High sodium
>300 mg/serving
RED LIGHT
Spices, sauces, condi-
ments, seasonings
Cinnamon, garlic, curry,
mint, lemon juice, dill,
onion, parsley, basil, dry
mustard, paprika,
oregano, Tabasco sauce,
vinegar, Mrs. Dash etc.
BBQ sauce, catsup, chili
sauce, salsa, gravies,
mustard mayonnaise,
tomato sauce, bottled
salad dressing
Salt, MSG., garlic salt,
onion salt, marinades,
teriyaki sauce,
Worcestershire sauce
Grains Flour, rice, pasta noodles,
whole grains, matzo, hot
cereals (not instant),
unsalted popcorn, Shred-
ded Wheat
Breads and rolls, most
ready-to-eat cereals,
biscuits, muffins, cakes,
pies, cookies, pastries,
pancakes, waffles, etc.
Commercially prepared
spaghetti with sauce,
instant hot cereals, pret-
zels, crackers, salted pop-
corn, chips and other
snack foods
Fruits and vegetables Fresh, frozen and canned
fruits, fresh and plain
frozen vegetables (not
types with sauces or
seasonings)
Canned vegetables,
frozen lima beans, frozen
peas
Pickled vegetables,
olives, pickles,
sauerkraut, vegetables
with seasoned sauces
Beverages Carbonated beverages,
coffee, tea, most mineral
water
Milk, buttermilk Tomato juice, vegetable
juice
Fish, Poultry, Meat and
Other Dishes
Fresh meat w/o salt such
as beef & veal, lamb,
poultry, pork, eggs,
unsalted nuts and peanut
butter, tofu, green soy-
beans
Fresh shellfish, salted
peanut butter
Bacon, ham, corned beef,
luncheon meats,
sausages, salami, pro-
cessed turkey, frozen,
restaurant or
prepackaged entrees,
canned/packaged soups,
salted nuts
Milk Products
Cream cheese, ricotta or
Swiss cheese, unsalted
butter or margarine
Milk, buttermilk, salted
butter or margarine, ice
cream, pudding
Most cheeses, such as
blue, cottage, parmesan,
American
EATING WELL WITH MENEIRE ’S D ISEASE
T I P S T O R E D U C E S O D I U M F O R D I N I N G O U T
Eating Well with
Meniere's Disease
Low Sodium Diet
It’s hard to limit sodium while dining out, so whenever possible cooking at home is best.
Many chain dining and fast food have much of their food pre-cooked and processed, so
often there isn’t much control over the sodium content of their
foods, but here are a few tips for when you have to eat out.
1) Check the nutrition facts before you go. Go into restaurants with a game plan of their
lowest sodium items. If you don’t check before you go, don’t hesitate to ask your server
for a nutrition facts listing of their menu. Chain dining restaurants are required by law
to provide you with such info. Calorieking.com can be a great resource to look up
foods. If it’s a local place, ask a lot of questions about how food is cooked!
2) Cut back on portions. Restaurant portions are often much more than we need to eat.
Eating only part of your food in one sitting can help distribute the sodium content. Eat
half today and half tomorrow.
3) Ask to leave off sauces and dressings completely or keep them on the
side. Sauces are loaded with sodium and best if they’re avoided
especially if you don’t know their sodium content. Ask for lemon, lime,
or orange slices, oil, vinegar, pepper (black or red) to help give flavor.
4) Pair foods with fresh fruits and vegetables (without sauce or dressing)
