What to eat when you have vertigo and nausea? Your dietary guide

October 10, 2025 •

4 min read

According to research, vertigo and dizziness are common conditions, with a high prevalence affecting a significant portion of the population. When you have vertigo and nausea, the right nutrition can be an essential part of managing symptoms and supporting your overall health.

Quick Summary

Managing vertigo and nausea with diet involves staying hydrated, eating low-sodium and bland foods, stabilizing blood sugar with frequent meals, and incorporating anti-inflammatory ingredients. Avoiding common triggers like high salt, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol is also crucial for reducing symptoms.

Key Points

Stay Well-Hydrated: Drink plenty of water and consume hydrating fruits and vegetables to support inner ear fluid balance and prevent dehydration-induced dizziness.
Choose Bland, Easily Digestible Foods: Opt for gentle options like bananas, toast, rice, and clear broths to soothe nausea and avoid irritating the digestive system.
Limit Sodium Intake: Reduce your consumption of high-sodium processed foods, canned goods, and salty snacks to prevent fluid retention that can worsen vertigo.
Avoid Common Triggers: Steer clear of caffeine, alcohol, and high-sugar foods, which can exacerbate vertigo and nausea symptoms.
Eat Small, Frequent Meals: Maintain stable blood sugar levels by eating smaller portions throughout the day to prevent drops that can trigger dizziness and weakness.
Incorporate Ginger: Use ginger tea or chews as a natural remedy to help alleviate nausea associated with vertigo.

Navigating Nutrition with Vertigo and Nausea

Experiencing the dizzying sensations of vertigo coupled with the discomfort of nausea can be debilitating. While medical consultation is crucial for an accurate diagnosis and treatment, dietary choices can significantly impact your symptoms. Certain foods and eating habits can help stabilize your body, manage fluid balance, and soothe your stomach, while others can act as triggers and make your condition worse. Focusing on simple, hydrating, and nutrient-dense options is key to feeling more stable and comfortable.

The Importance of Hydration and Fluid Balance

Dehydration is a known trigger for both dizziness and vertigo, as it can decrease blood volume and affect the fluid balance in the inner ear. Maintaining consistent hydration is arguably the most important dietary strategy when you're feeling unwell.

Water: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Aim for 6-8 glasses, or adjust based on your activity and climate.
Hydrating Fruits and Vegetables: Incorporate water-rich produce like cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce, and celery.
Low-Sodium Broths: Clear, low-sodium broths can provide hydration and electrolytes without the high salt content that can exacerbate symptoms.
Herbal Teas: Ginger and peppermint teas are excellent choices, known for their anti-nausea properties.

Embracing a Bland and Simple Diet

When nausea is present, your digestive system can be sensitive. Sticking to bland, easy-to-digest foods can help minimize irritation and discomfort. This approach is similar to the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), but can be expanded to include other gentle options.

Bananas: Rich in potassium, bananas help regulate fluid balance and blood pressure, which can alleviate dizziness.
Whole Grains: Foods like oats, brown rice, and whole-wheat toast provide sustained energy, helping to prevent blood sugar drops that can trigger vertigo.
Lean Protein: Mild-flavored, lean protein sources such as skinless chicken, baked fish, or eggs support overall nerve and muscle function.
Mildly Seasoned Vegetables: Cooked vegetables like steamed carrots, peas, and spinach are often well-tolerated and provide essential nutrients.

Foods and Substances to Limit or Avoid

Just as certain foods can help, others can worsen symptoms by affecting fluid balance, blood flow, or triggering inflammation. Paying attention to these triggers can be a game-changer.

High-Sodium Foods: Excessive salt intake causes fluid retention, which can increase inner ear fluid pressure and intensify vertigo, particularly in conditions like Meniere's disease. Avoid processed snacks, canned soups, cured meats, and fast food.
Caffeine: A stimulant that can constrict blood vessels and disrupt inner ear fluid dynamics. Common sources include coffee, strong tea, chocolate, and energy drinks.
Alcohol: Affects the central nervous system, impairs balance, and causes dehydration, making vertigo symptoms worse.
High-Sugar Foods and Refined Carbs: Rapid fluctuations in blood sugar can trigger dizziness. Avoid sugary drinks, candies, pastries, and white bread.
Tyramine-Rich Foods: For those with vestibular migraines, foods containing tyramine, such as aged cheeses, cured meats, and some fermented products, can be a trigger.

Nutritional Strategies for Managing Symptoms

Beyond what you eat, how you eat can also play a role in symptom management.

Eat Small, Frequent Meals: Avoid skipping meals, as low blood sugar can induce dizziness. Eating small portions every few hours keeps energy levels stable and prevents drops that can trigger symptoms.
Supplement Nutrients: If dietary intake is insufficient, your doctor might recommend supplements. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). Magnesium and Vitamin B12 also support nerve function.
Consistency is Key: Try to eat and drink at roughly the same time each day to help your body maintain its internal fluid balance more consistently.

Helpful vs. Harmful Foods for Vertigo and Nausea


Foods to Incorporate	Foods to Limit or Avoid
Hydration: Water, ginger tea, coconut water	High Sodium: Processed foods, salty snacks, canned soups
Bland Starches: Bananas, applesauce, toast, rice	Caffeine: Coffee, energy drinks, strong tea
Lean Proteins: Chicken, fish, eggs, quinoa	Alcohol: Wine, beer, and liquor
Whole Grains: Oats, brown rice, whole-wheat bread	High Sugar: Soda, pastries, candy
Hydrating Fruits/Veggies: Watermelon, cucumbers, spinach	Processed Meats: Hot dogs, bacon, deli meats
Healthy Fats: Avocado, walnuts, salmon	Aged Cheese: Parmesan, aged cheddar (if sensitive)
Anti-Nausea: Ginger (chews, tea)	MSG: Flavor enhancers in some fast foods

Putting It All Together

Managing vertigo and nausea with diet requires a proactive approach. Beyond avoiding triggers, focusing on consistent hydration and nutrient-rich, bland foods can help stabilize your symptoms. A low-sodium intake is especially critical for those with inner-ear disorders like Meniere's disease, which is influenced by fluid balance. Consistency in eating patterns is also important for stabilizing blood sugar levels and preventing dizziness. Combining these dietary adjustments with proper medical guidance and lifestyle changes, like stress management, can provide significant relief.

It is always advisable to consult a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before making major dietary changes, especially if you have an underlying medical condition. For more detailed information on dietary adjustments for specific inner ear issues like Meniere's disease, authoritative resources like the National Institutes of Health provide valuable insights.

Conclusion

Diet plays a pivotal role in managing the disruptive symptoms of vertigo and nausea. By prioritizing hydration, controlling sodium intake, and choosing bland, blood-sugar-stabilizing foods, you can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of episodes. Avoiding common triggers like caffeine, alcohol, and high-sugar items is equally important. This dietary approach, combined with medical oversight, offers a powerful tool for regaining a sense of stability and well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, dehydration can trigger or worsen vertigo and dizziness. It affects blood flow to the brain and can disrupt the delicate fluid balance in the inner ear, which controls balance.

A low-sodium diet is often recommended, especially for conditions like Meniere's disease. High salt intake can cause fluid retention that increases pressure in the inner ear and worsens symptoms.

Ginger is well-known for its anti-nausea properties and can also help improve circulation. It can be consumed as a tea, in chews, or in small amounts of grated raw ginger.

Yes, it is often helpful to eat small, bland meals frequently. Skipping meals can cause blood sugar levels to drop, which can exacerbate dizziness and nausea.

Good breakfast options include oatmeal with berries and unsalted nuts, scrambled eggs on whole-wheat toast, or a smoothie with banana and spinach.

Some research suggests a link between deficiencies in Vitamin D and B12 and certain types of vertigo. Your doctor may recommend a supplement if you have a deficiency, as these nutrients support nerve and inner ear health.

Avoid drinks containing caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks) and alcohol, as they can dehydrate you and disrupt inner ear function.