Curious about what a vestibular migraine diet is? This post explains it all.
Vestibular migraine is the most common cause of neurological vertigo symptoms, yet very few treatments that are researched specifically for it. Often I get asked if a low tyramine diet like Heal Your Headache will also work for those with vestibular migraine and the answer is yes! In fact, it’s this particular diet that helped me go from constant chronic dizziness and vertigo attacks to migraine-free days. In this post I’ll share a little bit about my story, why this works as a vestibular migraine diet, and then give you some tips for success.
Why I Tried A Vestibular Migraine Diet
Technically this diet works for all types of migraine, but I’ll share how it was helpful for me in particular. About three years ago, I was hit hard with unexplained dizziness. To elaborate on that, I had feelings like I was moving when I was standing still. Migrainous vertigo, giddiness, brain fog and confusion, as well as light sensitivity and derealization were an everyday occurrance. My vestibular migraine symptoms were so bad, I ended up having to leave my career in watch development for Fossil (it also didn’t help they were horrible with workplace accommodations and forced me to leave).
Eventually I found a wonderful neurologist who understood exactly what was happening to me and diagnosed me with vestibular migraine. Since I knew I wanted to start a family soon, I needed to get this illness under control quickly and as naturally as possible.
Low Tyramine and Additive-Free
I spent all my free time researching this illness, which there was hardly any information for at the time. Several resources, like Johns Hopkins Migraine Patient Handout, mentioned a low tyramine diet as being effective for migraines, which eventually led me to find the Heal Your Headache book by Dr. David Buchholz.
The moment I read it, I found myself constantly highlighting helpful notes about migraine disorders. Tips no one else ever told me! You also can’t possibly get from an hour long consultation with your doctor (and I know that’s long for most!). His list went through some of the most commonly reported triggers that he has found
While I started off with medication in the beginning and saw some slight relief, when I finally combined it with a migraine diet and supplements, along with a few other natural treatments, I saw amazing results. Sometimes it's helpful to know that there isn't only one component to finding relief.
This is just a condensed version of the full migraine diet.
Although it does seem like a lot, check out the foods allowed list. This includes so many fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and all different types of meat so you won't feel too restricted.
What Doctors Say
If you’ve read my Vestibular Migraine Guide you’ll realize there are fewer than 10 specialists in the nation for vestibular migraine specifically. However, many of them including Dr. Timothy Hain, Dr. Michael Teixido, and Dr. Edward Cho insist that diet is crucial when it comes to managing vestibular migraine symptoms.
Dr. Timothy Hain from Chicago Dizziness and Hearing has an incredibly helpful website and the first method of treatment on his flow chart of vestibular migraine medication is a migraine diet.
Dr. Michael Teixido who spoke on the topic at the 2019 Migraine World Summit claimed diet was an important part of treatment for his patients. He also wrote the Johns Hopkins migraine diet patient handout.
Dr. Edward Cho from the House Clinic has had great feedback from his patients which have tried the Heal Your Headache migraine diet to manage their vestibular migraine symptoms.
Eliminating Caffeine for Vestibular Symptoms
While other types of migraine attacks can sometimes be eased or even aborted with caffeine, it seems that vestibular migraine patients are typically more sensitive. In one study, halting caffeine consumption resulted in a 15% improvement from the patients tested. For me, even conventional decaf coffees and teas set off an episode. I can only tolerate Swiss Water Processed coffee, or reputable water processed brands that are 99.9% caffeine free.
Eliminating caffeine and reducing salt intake can also have a positive impact on Meniere's patients, another vestibular disorder. Occasionally there is also crossover when it comes to Vestibular Migraine and Meniere's Disease. While more studies need to be performed to confirm, the overall conclusion is that refraining from caffeine consumption can help an overall positive impact on those who suffer from vertigo.
One thing that's important to remember is that eliminating all of these items isn't forever. The idea is to eliminate everything at once to allow the brain to calm down. This will also raise your threshold where an attack may happen before reintroducing potential trigger foods. The list above isn't a list of everything that will be a trigger for you, just common triggers based on tyramine content, MSG, caffeine and additives.
For more information on a Vestibular Migraine Diet see these posts.
What is the Heal Your Headache Diet
Pantry Staples for a Migraine Diet
How to Start a Migraine Elimination Diet
Caffeine Free Coffee Alternatives for Vestibular Migraine
Vestibular Migraine Guide
Vestibular Migraine Symptoms
Any ideas for a good electrolyte drink? I've been drinking gatorade zero when needed to help avoid dehydration and it looks like that may be something to avoid.
Thank you so much for this post and finding you!! Been going through all of this, and this article gives me hope. They mentioned today at physical therapy that eggs can be a trigger which led me to you. I normally do eggs every morning, with the exception of a fruit smoothie a couple days a week. Your experience and list is absolutely so helpful, thank you so much for sharing your journey!!
I'm so happy you found me! Usually soy free eggs tend to do the trick if people are egg sensitive. I recommend not cutting them out initially unless you notice an issue because eggs have Omega-3's which are really helpful for your brain and can also aid in migraine prevention.
Hey Alicia!
Thanks so much for the information. I've been trying so many things to get my life back and needless to say it has been an arduous journey of almost 4 years with no luck so far :(. Excited to try the diet!
When mentioned about MSG the list includes both autolyzed and nutritional yeast + yeast extract and yeast food. Does this include packaged bread from the store since yeast is present? Are we able to eat any bread at all?
Thanks!
Hey Mitch - no this does not include regular yeast that's used in baking. Most breads are ok, and I have some suggestions in my pantry staples. Some people find that they are sensitive if there are items with yeast that are fresh baked and tolerate it better 24 hours later, or after freezing. It's not a very common trigger, but I do see it every so often so it's something to be aware of.
I meant to post a long time ago but just wanted to let you know how much your information on VM helped me. I was diagnosed in March of 2020 and felt so alone. There was virtually no help or information. Then miraculously your website appeared and changed everything. I spent about 9 months on the elimination diet before I felt like I had figured it out. I took my time, kept a food journal and I'm happy to say (knock on wood) that I've been almost a year with no episodes. This diet was such a gamechanger for me. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for this! So often people forget to let me know these things or if a recipe is really good, and I really appreciate you taking the time to do it!
Thank you for this informative article. Can you explain more about why fermented foods are triggered? Will cooking them and other food remove the triggering agents?(eg can I bake with yogurt and ripe bananas?)
Hey Nancy - no baking doesn't seem help from an overall standpoint, although it could end up helping you personally - it would be something you'd have to test later on. Fermented foods are both high in tyramine and histamine. From what I see on here from readers, they're fairly common triggers so definitely worth avoiding at first till you feed good enough to reintroduce them.
Alicia, do you have weird eye symptoms as well with your vestibular migraines?
is almond milk ok with vestibular migraines
I’m curious about this one too!
The foods to avoid list all nuts, so that would include almonds. You can find a list of foods allowed here.
What about canned fish? I know that salmon, sardines and even anchovies are generally very healthy and filled with beneficial nutrients like omega fatty acids, but are canned fish permissible on the VM diet? You posted a link for a canned tuna in water but what about in olive oil? Can you give some more guidance on this area please? Thanks so much for all your information!
Salmon is ok, anchovies should be eliminated (tyramine), but fresh is always the best if you can do that.
Are dairy products ever a trigger for VM?
Fermented dairy is typically the most common. Otherwise they're usually not unless you have a dairy allergy/sensitivity.
I was just diagnosed a week ago with VM, and I had an allergic reaction (itching) to the first med, nortriptyline, so now I'm on predisone for 7 days. In the meantime, I'm not able to drive to the store, so I'm ordering my groceries from the list I was given, so in the meantime, I'll work on the diet portion. I'm confused because I have Dr. Michael Teixido's list that doesn't include eggs, but have you found that eggs are ok for you. I don't eat them very often, but bake with them. Any words of wisdom you could share as I'm just starting on this journey. I'm a senior widow, and it's hard cooking for one! Thanks.
Hey Teresa, I'm not 100% sure but that could be an oversight cause I think he wrote the list for Johns Hopkins which allows eggs.
I do find eggs trigger some people, but I did just fine without eliminating them. It seems to be better for people if they're eaten baked into things as opposed to on their own. I also see people mention getting them as fresh as possible - organic, pasture raised, etc. which is what I do as well. I've also heard looking for "soy free" eggs helps people sensitive to soy cause the chickens aren't fed it as part of their diets. I hope I didn't thoroughly confuse you?! 🙂 All this to say that I'd choose the best eggs possible for now, and then if you find you're getting symptoms after or not improving you can try eliminating them.
I imagine it's very hard to cook for one! One tip I have is you can adjust the servings on my recipes to account for 1/2 of one (it adjusts the measurements for you), but I think freezing will be your friend. You might have some really happy neighbors if you do some baking!
Thank You!
Thanks Alicia. Gee, it's great to know I can still eat hot chips (as we call fries here in Australia).
Haha yes! Enjoy them as long as they're just seasoned with salt and pepper. 🙂
Alicia
What do you think are the best type of restaurants/cuisines for a VM sufferer? Italian? Indian? Pub food?
It just depends! Usually I can find at least a few things on a menu anywhere - Italian you just have to be careful with the onions, but sauces without onions and parmesan are usually ok. Pub food you can typically get away with a burger (just seasoned with salt and pepper) and then with lettuce and tomato (if you're keeping tomato in). Sometimes they have goat cheese or american that you can add. Fries are ok if theyre just simply fried with salt and pepper. Indian you just have to watch out for onions and yogurt. Chipotle is a great place for a quick meal if you build a bowl there. I usually scope out the place I'll be eating online and see what they have. Sometimes I'll just get a salad and bring my own dressing or use olive oil with salt and pepper.
Thanks Alicia. Gee, it's great to know I can still eat hot chips (as we call fries here in Australia).
Hello,
Thank you so much for the list of "OK" foods - makes shopping and eating out so much easier. I do have one question regarding sweet potatoes. They are listed as migraine safe on your list, but everything I read online says they are very high in tyramine. Please advise as I am a i bit confused which way to. I suffer from a kind of hybrid of vestibular migraine / menier's disease, and making the dietary changes has made a big difference in how I feel (even lost some weight and lowered my blood pressure - win win win).
Best,
Jodi
Hey Jodi,
There are soooo many migraine "diets" online, you could drive yourself crazy if you tried to follow them all (or make sense of it). Sweet potatoes are allowed on Heal your Headache, the National Headache Foundation list, and Johns Hopkins. They're pretty safe for most people on what I've seen. And most of the time when I see lists with one off items like that, if you dig, they usually don't have anything to back them up. I would eat your sweet potatoes and enjoy...and stop looking at all the migraine diets out there! 🙂
Thank you for the clarification on the sweet potatoes. Also want to thank you for recommending the Theraspecs glasses - really helped me with the anxiety aspect of living the after effects of vertigo attacks.