Anti-Inflammatory Meniere’s Diet: Foods to Eat and Avoid

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet is aimed at quelling inflammation in the body by restricting foods that are known to cause inflammation. Many of us with Meniere’s disease (or other immune and inflammation based diseases) have had success at reducing or eliminating many of our symptoms by following an anti-inflammatory diet. Here’s my list of recommended foods to eat and avoid based on my experience with Menieres’s and recommendations from nutritionists, allergists, ENT’s and naturopathic doctors. These foods are a combination of other anti-inflammatory diets such as AIP, Mediterranean, Paleo, Keto and Vegetarian.

Food List for Lowering Inflammation

*note this list is not all inclusive of every possible food on the planet. Follow the general guidelines below if you discover a food not on the list and most importantly, follow what makes YOUR body feel the best that it can.

General Guidelines:

Consume a diet of mostly plants, organic when possible and non-GMO if possible. Focus on vegetables as the sugar in fruits can be an issue for some. Add fruits more often if you find they do not contribute to symptoms.
Protein should be high quality pasture raised or wild caught fish, seafood and poultry. Eat mostly non red-meats.
Grains should be non-gluten and focus on whole grains.
Legumes and starches are okay in moderation. Starches eaten in high amounts convert to sugar so can contribute to inflammation. Legumes can also be more difficult to digest and can contribute to inflammation in some individuals. You can choose to add fiber rich legumes and starches back to your diet more fully after inflammation is controlled and if you find you are not affected by them.
Eat fermented foods. You can also take a probiotic supplement.
Eliminate refined sugars and refined flours.
Lower your sodium intake to a moderate level and use pink Himalayan salt.
Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.

Vegetables

Vegetables that are okay:

Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocado
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Garlic (raw)
Kale
Lettuces
Mushrooms
Olives
Onions
Peppers of any kind
Rutabaga
Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)
Spinach
Tomatoes
Turnips
Zucchini

Vegetables to eat in moderation:

Beans (white, black, pinto, lentils, chickpeas/garbanzo, etc)
Beets
Cassava/Tapioca
Carrots
Corn/Maize
Parsnip
Peas
Plantain
Potatoes
Soy/Edamame
Squash of any kind
Taro
Yams/Kumera/Sweet Potato

Fruits

Fruits that are okay:

Apples
Bananas
Cherries
Dates
Figs
Grapes
Lemon
Lime
Melons of any kind
Pears
Pineapple
Pomegranate

Fruits to eat in moderation:

Apricots/peaches/nectarines/plums
Berries of any kind
Grapefruit/oranges/tangerines/other citrus

Grains

Non Gluten Grains that are okay:

Buckwheat
Millet
Oats
Quinoa
Teff
Sorghum
Wild rice

Non Gluten Grains to eat in moderation:

Corn/Polenta
Brown rice
White rice

AVOID: Gluten containing grains:

Barley
Rye
Semolina
Triticale
Wheat (spelt, farro, kamut, durum)

Proteins/Meat

Proteins/Meat that are okay:

Anchovies
Chicken (pasture raised is ideal)
Eggs (from pasture raised chickens)
Turkey (pasture raised is ideal)
Duck
Wild caught saltwater fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, cod, sea bass, herring, etc.)
Wild caught freshwater fish (walleye, perch, trout, northern pike, bass, crappie, pan fish, muskellunge, etc)
Wild game birds (pheasant, quail, partridge, etc)
Wild hunted game (deer, elk, moose, caribou, etc)*

Proteins to eat in moderation/occasionally:

Beef (pasture raised is ideal)*
Bison (pasture raised is ideal)*
Goat (pasture raised is ideal)*
Lamb (pasture raised is ideal)*
Pork (pasture raised is ideal)*
Shellfish: Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops, Mussels, Clams
Deli sliced and processed meats (look for all natural, un-cured, no nitrates added)

AVOID: heavily processed meats with additives or sweeteners

*Red meat allergies and sensitivities have become more prevalent particularly in the Southeastern United States due to certain tick born pathogens. Red meat in general has a higher tendancy to cause inflammation especially if it is raised in confinement or fed genetically modified feed.

Dairy

Dairy that is okay*:

Butter
Ghee
Kefir (plain, unsweetened)
Yogurt (unsweetened, whole milk, Greek is ideal)
Sheep’s cheese (manchego, pecorino)
Goat cheese (chevre)

Dairy to eat in moderation/occasionally*:

Heavy Cream
Sour Cream
Whole milk
Cottage cheese (2% fat or higher)
Raw milk cheeses (there is some controversy over consuming raw milk enzymes so consume only if you’re comfortable with it)
Sharp or aged cheeses (parmesan, asiago, gorgonzola, blue, sharp cheddar, etc)
Soft aged cheese with the rind (brie, Camembert, etc)
Soft fresh milk cheeses (farmers cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, marscapone, neufchatel, cream cheese)

AVOID:

Skim or reduced fat milks (fat is required to absorb the vitamins in milk so using skim/reduced fat removes any benefit to consuming milk)
Cream cheese “spreads” (these typically have undesirable additives to make them spreadable)
All cheeses that are processed cheese “food” (Velveeta, most american cheese slices, squeeze cheese, cheese in a can that does not require refrigeration)

*all dairy has been shown to increase mucous production and can be inflammatory. Sensitive individuals should eliminate dairy completely to avoid inflammation.

Nuts/Seeds

Nuts and Seeds that are okay:

Almonds
Brazil Nuts
Cashews
Chia seeds
Coconut
Flax seed
Hazelnuts
Pecans
Walnuts
Pine nuts
Pumpkin seeds/pepitas
Sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds

*any nut or seed butters made from above without sugar added are also okay

Nuts/Seeds to eat in moderation/occasionally:

Peanuts (this is technically a legume and causes inflammation in some)
Soybeans (this is technically a legume and causes inflammation in some and contains phytoestrogens that can be problematic)

Fats

Healthy Fats that are okay:

Avocado Oil
Butter
Coconut oil (virgin)
Flax oil
Ghee
Grape seed oil
Olive oil
Sesame oil
Sunflower oil

AVOID these fats:

Canola oil
Fake butter spreads (like “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter”)
Margarine
Peanut oil
Soybean oil

Condiments

Condiments that are okay:

Apple cider vinegar
Chili pastes (watch for added sugar/salt)
Coconut aminos
Herbs and spices
Mustards (unsweetened is ideal)
Mayonnaise (watch to avoid additives however)

Condiments in moderation/occasionally:

Barbecue – all natural, (avoid heavily sweetened varieties)
Ketchup – all natural, (avoid heavily sweetened varieties)
Tamari soy sauce (low sodium is best)
Salad Dressings – all natural (avoid heavily sweetened varieties)
Other vinegars (white, rice, balsamic, white wine, red wine)

Beverages

Drinks that are okay:

Water or natural flavored water with no sugar added
Unsweetened sparking water (flavor with natural fruit, cucumber or lemon is okay – no added sugars)
Coconut water
Coffee (no sugar) *only consume if caffeine is not an issue for you.
Kefir (water kefir or dairy based kefir)
Kombucha
Tea (black, green or herbal – just be sure they are not sweetened) *only consume if caffeine is not an issue for you.
Bone broth

Drinks to AVOID:

Sodas
Fruit juices
Energy drinks
Premixed “health“ shakes or smoothies – usually these have a lot of sweetener added and have additives
Alcoholic beverages (if you do choose to have a drink, pick dry red wine, or a clear alcohol like vodka without sugary mixers and stick to just one drink or maybe 2 just occasionally)

Sweeteners

Natural sweeteners are okay in MODERATION for most (unless you’re managing candida then avoid these too):

Maple syrup
Honey
Agave
Molasses
Organic cane sugar (this is the least healthy as it is still refined)
Stevia – this is an extract from the stevia plant leaf and is okay to use on no sugar diets and for candida diets
Xlitol – this is a sugar alcohol and is okay to use on no sugar diets and for candida diets
Erythritol – this is a sugar alcohol and is okay to use on no sugar diets and for candida diets