This article explores how diet may influence vestibular migraines and provides a guide for dietary changes that may help alleviate symptoms.
Vestibular migraine is a specific type of migraine characterized primarily by vertigo.
Individuals experiencing vertigo feel either that they are moving when they are not or that their surroundings are moving around them when they are stationary. This sensation can resemble motion sickness.
A vestibular migraine episode can last from a few seconds to several hours. Symptoms may include a loss of balance, motion sickness, dizziness, lightheadedness, disorientation or confusion, nausea and vomiting, and a severe headache.
While migraine attacks often involve recurrent, throbbing headaches, vestibular migraine episodes do not always include headache symptoms, making this condition more challenging to diagnose.
Interestingly, some research suggests that lifestyle and dietary changes may help reduce the frequency and severity of vestibular migraine attacks.
If you suffer from migraines, episodes may be triggered by factors such as certain foods, scents, or stress.
Your migraine triggers will induce your typical migraine symptoms, not a different type of migraine. Therefore, if you tend to experience vestibular migraines, your triggers could lead to a vestibular migraine episode.
How Does Your Diet Affect Vestibular Migraine Attacks?
The exact cause of vestibular migraine remains unknown. However, this condition appears to be more common among women. Genetic factors, diet, lifestyle, and environmental influences may all play roles.
Research suggests that avoiding dietary triggers may reduce the occurrence and intensity of migraine attacks, including vestibular migraines.
Common dietary triggers for migraine attacks include chocolate, alcohol, coffee, aged cheeses, and processed meats. These foods contain chemicals like tyramine, nitrates, histamine, and phenylethylamine, all of which have been linked to migraine symptoms.
Some individuals report that their migraine symptoms worsen if they skip meals, suggesting that fasting may trigger an attack. Even mild dehydration, which can occur if you forget to drink water, can provoke a migraine episode.
Keep in mind that trigger foods may vary from person to person. Some individuals may find that their diet does not affect their migraine episodes.
What Does a Vestibular Migraine Diet Entail?
Currently, there are no official dietary guidelines specifically for vestibular migraines. However, it is worth considering whether certain foods, known to be migraine triggers, are associated with your migraines. You can start by eliminating these specific foods to see if it affects your migraine frequency.
If identifying a dietary trigger proves challenging, an elimination diet might be a viable approach. With this method, you remove foods you suspect may exacerbate your symptoms. Since individuals respond differently to various foods, elimination diets are tailored to each person.
You then reintroduce these foods gradually, group by group, to determine if any specific food or food group triggers your symptoms. Typically, an elimination diet lasts for about 5–6 weeks and should only be conducted under the supervision of a health professional, such as a dietitian or doctor, due to the risk of nutritional deficiencies if followed incorrectly or for an extended period.
Keep in mind that vestibular migraines are a complex condition, and dietary changes may not affect your symptoms.
An elimination diet consists of two main phases: elimination and reintroduction.
The Elimination Phase
During this phase, you avoid foods that may trigger vestibular migraine symptoms. By eliminating nearly all possible trigger foods, you can determine whether your diet influences your symptoms. This phase typically lasts 2–3 weeks.
The Reintroduction Phase
In this phase, you slowly reintroduce the eliminated foods or food groups. Each food group should be introduced individually over a span of 2–3 days while you monitor and record how it affects your vestibular migraine symptoms.
If reintroducing a food or food group does not worsen your symptoms, it is likely safe to include in your diet. Conversely, any food that triggers symptoms may need to be permanently excluded from your diet.
The reintroduction phase usually takes another 2–3 weeks, depending on the number of food groups you initially eliminated. This phase may last longer if recommended by your healthcare professional.
Foods to Avoid
An elimination diet for vestibular migraines should exclude foods commonly linked to migraine symptoms, such as:
- Aged cheeses
- Alcohol (particularly red wine and beer)
- Aspartame (an artificial sweetener)
- Chocolate
- Processed meats like bacon, sausages, salami, and cured meats
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Caffeine intake can significantly impact migraines. If you regularly consume caffeinated beverages, altering your caffeine intake—whether increasing or reducing it—might trigger a migraine. Therefore, it is advisable not to change your caffeine consumption while on an elimination diet.
Other foods that may exacerbate symptoms, though supported by less evidence, include:
- Citrus fruits
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Beans and lentils
- Nuts and seeds
- Pickled and fermented foods
- Organ meats, such as beef and chicken livers
- Salted, smoked, and dried fish
- Dairy products like milk, cheese, cream, ice cream, and yogurt
- Canned soups, soup cubes, and bouillon cubes containing MSG
- Fruit juices and carbonated sodas
- Bottled salad dressings and packaged dips
- Vitamins and herbal supplements, especially those containing caffeine
If you suspect that additional foods not listed here may trigger your vestibular migraine symptoms, consult a healthcare professional and consider eliminating those foods as well.
It is essential to discuss with your doctor which foods should be eliminated and the duration of each diet phase before starting an elimination diet.
Keep in mind that these food groups should only be avoided during the elimination phase, as they will be reintroduced later on.
Foods to Eat
During the elimination phase, you can still enjoy a variety of healthy and delicious foods, such as:
- Fruits: Most fruits, excluding citrus and tomatoes
- Vegetables: Most vegetables, excluding onions, beans, and lentils
- Grains: All grains, such as rice, quinoa, couscous, and oats
- Meat, Eggs, and Fish: All fresh meats, such as chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, eggs, and fish, excluding processed or boxed meats and fish
- Dairy Substitutes: Non-dairy milk, such as coconut and oat milk
- Fats: Healthy fats like olive, flaxseed, and coconut oils
- Beverages: Water and decaffeinated herbal teas
- Spices and Condiments: All fresh herbs and spices, plus most homemade condiments (excluding store-bought dressings or dips)
If you find it challenging to stay motivated during this phase, try experimenting with various herbs and spices to flavor your dishes.
Potential Downsides
While an elimination diet may help reduce vestibular migraine symptoms, it has several potential downsides.
Adjusting to an elimination diet can be tricky. You should not follow it for an extended period without the supervision of a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or dietitian. Restricting multiple food groups for too long increases your risk of nutrient deficiencies.
Furthermore, it’s important to note that eliminating trigger foods may not work for everyone, as diet may not play a role in everyone’s vestibular migraine attacks. What triggers one person’s symptoms may not trigger another’s.