How much sodium should I have a day with Ménière's disease?

Many specialists suggest around 1,500 to 2,000 mg of sodium a day, which is roughly 3.75 to 5 g of salt. The general UK limit for adults is 6 g of salt. Your GP or ENT specialist can tell you the right target for you.

How do I convert salt on a food label into sodium?

Multiply the grams of salt by 400 to get milligrams of sodium. For example, 1.5 g of salt is about 600 mg of sodium. UK labels show salt, so this conversion is worth remembering.

Does a low-salt diet definitely help Ménière's?

Not definitely. A 2018 Cochrane review found no high-quality trials either way. Many people still find it helpful, and it is a low-risk step specialists commonly recommend alongside other treatment.

Low-salt diet for Ménière's disease: how to actually track your sodium

You have been told to cut down on salt. You stopped adding it at the table and you no longer salt the pasta water. Then you look at the label on a supermarket sandwich and see it holds more than a third of your day's salt before you have even had a packet of crisps. For many people with Ménière's disease, the hard part of a low-salt diet is not wanting to do it. It is working out where the sodium actually is.

This guide covers what the evidence says about salt and Ménière's, where sodium hides in everyday food, how to read a UK label quickly, and how to keep a running count without turning every meal into homework.

Why salt comes up so often with Ménière's

Ménière's disease affects the inner ear and causes episodes of vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus and a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear. It is thought to involve a build-up of fluid in the inner ear, called endolymphatic hydrops, although the exact cause is still not fully understood.

Because of that fluid link, a low-salt diet has long been one of the first things suggested. The NHS lists cutting down on salt among the things that may help, and the Mayo Clinic also describes limiting salt as a common part of managing the condition. The idea is that eating a steadier, lower amount of sodium may help the body keep fluid levels more even, including in the inner ear.

What the research honestly shows

The evidence is thinner than the advice might suggest. A 2018 Cochrane review looked for good-quality randomised trials of salt, caffeine and alcohol restriction for Ménière's and found none that met its standards. That does not mean cutting salt does not help. It means it has not been properly tested in the kind of trial that would settle the question.

In practice, many people with Ménière's report that their symptoms feel worse after a very salty meal or a run of salty days, and specialists still commonly recommend a reduced-salt diet as a low-risk first step. It sits best alongside the other things your clinician suggests, not in place of them.

Consistency matters as much as the total. Many specialists suggest spreading sodium evenly through the day rather than saving it all for one big salty meal.

Salt versus sodium: the conversion that trips everyone up

UK food labels show salt in grams. Ménière's advice is often given as sodium in milligrams. They are not the same number.

Salt is about 40% sodium. So 1 g of salt contains roughly 400 mg of sodium.
To turn salt into sodium, multiply the grams of salt by 400. A ready meal with 2.5 g of salt has about 1,000 mg of sodium.
The general UK limit for adults is no more than 6 g of salt a day, about 2,400 mg of sodium, according to the NHS.
A common Ménière's target is lower, often around 1,500 to 2,000 mg of sodium a day. That works out at roughly 3.75 to 5 g of salt. Ask your GP or specialist what is right for you.

Where the sodium really hides

The NHS estimates that about three quarters of the salt we eat is already in food when we buy it. The salt shaker is a small part of the picture. The usual culprits are:

Bread and breakfast cereals. Not very salty per slice or bowl, but eaten so often that they add up fast.
Cheese, bacon, ham and smoked fish. Salt is part of how these are made and preserved.
Stock cubes, gravy granules, soy sauce and jarred sauces. A small spoonful can carry a large share of your day.
Ready meals, soups and takeaways. Often the single biggest sodium item in a day.
Crisps, salted nuts and savoury snacks. Obvious, but easy to forget once they are eaten.
Sandwiches and meal deals. Bread, cheese, cured meat and dressing stack together.

Reading a UK label in five seconds

Look for the salt figure per 100 g. As a rough NHS guide, more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g is high, and 0.3 g or less is low. Front-of-pack traffic lights help: red for salt means high, green means low. Then check the per-portion figure, because the portion you actually eat may be bigger than the one on the pack.

Practical tips for sticking with it

Swap the stock. Low-salt stock cubes, or herbs, garlic, lemon, pepper and vinegar, carry flavour without the sodium.
Cook a little more from scratch. Even swapping two ready meals a week for simple home-cooked ones can make a real difference.
Give your taste buds a few weeks. Many people find food tastes less bland after a few weeks of eating less salt.
Spread it out. Aim for a similar amount at each meal rather than a low-salt day followed by a salty takeaway.
Ask before you order. Restaurants can often leave salt off or serve sauces on the side.
Be careful with salt substitutes. Some contain potassium, which is not suitable for everyone. Check with your GP or pharmacist first.

What a low-salt diet is not

It is not a cure. It may help some people feel more stable, but Ménière's can still flare on a perfect diet.
It is not zero salt. Your body needs some sodium. Very restrictive diets are not the goal.
It is not a substitute for care. New or changing hearing loss, or vertigo that is getting worse, should always be checked by a clinician.

How VertigoMe helps with this

VertigoMe is a tracking app for vestibular conditions, including Ménière's disease. It is free to download on the App Store and Google Play. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose or treat anything.

On your home screen there is a sodium counter. It shows how many milligrams you have had today, a progress bar, and either how much you have left or how far over you are.

You do not type in sodium numbers yourself. You log what you ate by searching for a food or scanning its barcode, pick your portion, and the sodium is worked out for you. Food can also come in automatically from your favourite food tracker app.

The daily target is 1,500 mg, a common Ménière's recommendation, with a reminder at 2,000 mg. It is the same for everyone, so if your clinician has given you a different goal, follow theirs.

You can also log a salty meal as a trigger yourself, and record your Spins as they happen. Over time, your Insights can show how often your Spins came after higher-sodium days, so you have something real to discuss with your specialist.