What to eat to stop hands from shaking?

November 17, 2025 •

4 min read

A staggering number of people experience involuntary hand tremors, a condition often influenced by nutritional factors. Knowing what to eat to stop hands from shaking can provide a non-invasive way to manage symptoms and support overall nerve health.

Quick Summary

Certain foods and nutrients can support nerve function and help manage hand tremors. Adjusting your diet to include key vitamins and minerals while limiting stimulants can help control symptoms.

Key Points

Magnesium Intake: Incorporating magnesium-rich foods like leafy greens, almonds, and avocados can support proper nerve and muscle function, potentially reducing tremors.
Boost B Vitamins: Ensure adequate intake of B-complex vitamins, especially B12, through foods like meat, fish, eggs, and fortified cereals, to protect nerve function.
Avoid Stimulants: Limit or eliminate caffeine from coffee, tea, and soda, as it is a well-known trigger for increasing tremors.
Limit Alcohol: While alcohol may provide temporary relief for some, its long-term effects and withdrawal can significantly worsen tremors.
Balance Blood Sugar: Eating small, regular, balanced meals helps prevent blood sugar fluctuations that can induce tremors, especially those related to hypoglycemia.
Prioritize Hydration: Staying well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day can prevent dehydration, which can aggravate shaky hands.
Embrace Omega-3s: Add fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseed to your diet to provide anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids that support nerve health.
Adopt a Mediterranean-style Diet: A dietary pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in inflammatory foods has been shown to support neurological health and may help manage tremors.

The Nutritional Link to Hand Tremors

Hand tremors, which can include essential tremors or be linked to other conditions, can sometimes be influenced by what you consume. Nutritional deficiencies, inflammation, and blood sugar imbalances can all play a role in nerve health and muscle control. Making informed dietary choices can complement other management strategies and potentially reduce the severity of symptoms. The goal is to nourish the nervous system with essential vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats while avoiding substances known to aggravate tremors.

Foods to Incorporate for Nerve Support

Magnesium-Rich Foods

Magnesium is a vital mineral for proper nerve and muscle function. A deficiency can cause muscle spasms, twitches, and tremors. Increasing your intake of magnesium-rich foods can help support stable nerve cell activity. Foods to add to your diet include:

Leafy greens: Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard are excellent sources.
Nuts and seeds: Almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cashews offer a healthy boost of magnesium.
Avocado: This fruit is a nutrient-dense source of magnesium.
Bananas: A convenient and tasty way to get more magnesium and potassium.

B-Complex Vitamins

The B vitamin family, especially B12, B6, and B1, are crucial for nerve health. A vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to significant neurological symptoms, including tremors.

Vitamin B12: Found in meat, fish (like salmon and sardines), dairy products, and eggs. Fortified cereals are also an option.
Vitamin B6: Sources include salmon, chicken breast, chickpeas, and bananas.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Get it from whole grains, legumes, and seeds.

Potassium-Rich Foods

Potassium is an electrolyte that works closely with magnesium and calcium to regulate nerve signals and muscle contractions. Maintaining a good electrolyte balance is crucial for tremor management. Top sources include:

Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes: Especially when eaten with the skin.
Spinach: A leafy green loaded with both potassium and magnesium.
Bananas and oranges: Well-known for their potassium content.
Lentils and beans: Legumes are a great source of minerals.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3s have anti-inflammatory properties that can support nerve health and may help protect against neurodegeneration. Good sources include:

Fatty fish: Wild-caught salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
Walnuts and flaxseed: Excellent plant-based sources.

Foods and Substances to Avoid

Just as certain foods can help, others can exacerbate tremors. Limiting or eliminating these may lead to a noticeable reduction in symptoms.

Caffeine: A stimulant found in coffee, tea, chocolate, and some sodas, caffeine is well-documented to increase tremors in many individuals.
Alcohol: While some people report a temporary reduction in tremors with a small amount of alcohol, it is not a recommended treatment. The effects are temporary, and long-term use or withdrawal can significantly worsen tremors.
Refined Sugars and Carbs: These can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, which may trigger tremors, especially in cases of hypoglycemia.
Excessive Saturated Fat: Some evidence suggests diets high in saturated fats can increase inflammation, potentially worsening neurological symptoms.
Dairy (for some): Some individuals with essential tremor find that dairy products can trigger an inflammatory response that aggravates symptoms, though this is not universal.

Dietary Comparison Table


Category	Foods to Include	Foods to Avoid/Limit
Magnesium	Spinach, kale, almonds, pumpkin seeds, avocados, bananas	N/A
B Vitamins	Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, fortified cereals	N/A
Potassium	Potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, bananas, oranges	N/A
Omega-3s	Salmon, mackerel, walnuts, flaxseed	N/A
Stimulants	Decaffeinated herbal teas, water	Coffee, caffeinated tea, soda, energy drinks, chocolate
Alcohol	Water, fruit juices, herbal teas	Beer, wine, liquor
Sugars	Whole grains, complex carbs, fruits, vegetables	White bread, pastries, sugary snacks, high-fructose corn syrup
Fat	Healthy fats from fish, nuts, seeds, avocados	Excessive saturated fats from red meat, fried foods

The Importance of Hydration and Steady Blood Sugar

Beyond specific nutrients, two fundamental aspects of diet are crucial for managing tremors: hydration and stable blood sugar. Dehydration can worsen shaking. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is one of the simplest and most effective strategies. For blood sugar stability, eating small, balanced meals and snacks regularly can prevent the rapid fluctuations that can induce tremors related to hypoglycemia. Pairing carbohydrates with protein and healthy fats, like cheese and crackers or fruit and nuts, helps maintain more even blood sugar levels.

Conclusion: A Holistic Approach

While a modified diet is not a cure for conditions that cause hand tremors, it can be a powerful tool for symptom management. By focusing on nutrient-rich foods that support nerve health and consciously limiting stimulants and inflammatory triggers, you can take proactive steps to improve your quality of life. For the best outcome, always consult with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes, as they can help identify any specific nutritional deficiencies and create a plan tailored to your needs. For more information on managing tremors, consider visiting the Essential Tremor page on the Mayo Clinic website.

Frequently Asked Questions

While diet alone cannot cure most underlying causes of hand tremors, it can play a significant role in managing and potentially reducing the severity of symptoms. Addressing nutritional deficiencies and avoiding certain substances are key strategies.

Magnesium and B-complex vitamins, particularly B12, are critical for nerve function and muscle control. Potassium is also important for electrolyte balance. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory benefits that support overall neurological health.

Yes, for many people, caffeine acts as a stimulant that can increase the intensity of tremors. It is generally recommended to reduce or completely avoid coffee, tea, and other caffeinated products to see if it helps manage your symptoms.

While some people experience a temporary calming effect from alcohol, it is not a safe long-term solution. Regular alcohol consumption or withdrawal can worsen tremors and have other negative neurological effects over time.

Dehydration can worsen tremors. Staying adequately hydrated helps all body systems, including the nervous system, function optimally. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is an important step.

Yes, fluctuating blood sugar levels, such as those caused by consuming refined sugars and carbohydrates, can trigger or worsen tremors, particularly for those prone to hypoglycemia. Eating balanced meals helps maintain stable blood sugar.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, which promote overall health and can help combat neurodegeneration and inflammation. This broad nutritional support may help reduce the severity of tremors in some individuals.