By Kaitlyn Ashner, RDN, LD · Updated September 29, 2026
You stand up and the room tilts. Your heart races like you just ran stairs. And someone tells you to "just drink more water."
If you're searching for the best foods for POTS, you're in the right place. Food won't cure POTS. But what, when and how you eat can make your days feel a lot steadier.
This one is personal for me. Someone in my family was diagnosed with POTS, and I watched them struggle to find accurate information, real relief and simple steps they could actually take.
As a dietitian who works with neurodivergent clients, I kept meeting people with POTS, too. That's not a coincidence. There's a big overlap between neurodivergence and autonomic dysfunction, the group of conditions POTS belongs to. So I dug in, and it became one of my specialties.
POTS often comes with low blood volume, and salt and fluids help your body hold on to more of it. The Big 4: more salt, more fluids, smaller meals and gentler carb timing. Big, carb-heavy meals can make symptoms worse for a few hours. MCAS or EDS means extra tweaks. Your care team sets your personal targets, so don't guess alone.
Drink a glass of an electrolyte drink before you get out of bed tomorrow. That's it. That counts.
Why Food Matters With POTS
POTS stands for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. When you stand up, your heart rate jumps way more than it should. You might feel dizzy, foggy, shaky, wiped out or nauseous.
One big piece of the puzzle: many people with POTS have lower blood volume than they should. Experts list it as a common driver of symptoms (Vernino et al., 2021).
Think of it like a garden hose 🌱
Imagine watering plants on a hill with a hose that's only half full. The water struggles to get up there. So you turn the pump way up.
That's your body when you stand. Gravity pulls blood toward your legs and belly. Your heart (the pump) speeds up to push blood back up to your brain.
Salt and fluids help fill the hose. With more fluid in the system, your heart doesn't have to work as hard.
This isn't just a theory. In a Vanderbilt study, a high-sodium diet raised blood volume and lowered the heart rate jump on standing in people with POTS, compared with a low-sodium diet (Garland et al., 2021).
The POTS Food Big 4
There's no single "POTS diet plan" that works for everyone. But most POTS nutrition plans build on these four pieces.
1. More salt 🧂
Salt (sodium) helps your body hold on to fluid, so it can fill that hose. Most people with POTS are told to eat more salt than the general public, not less.
Your doctor or dietitian will give you a personal target. It depends on your blood pressure, kidneys, heart and other meds.
POTS guidelines often suggest about 10–12 grams of salt a day (roughly 3,900–4,700 mg of sodium), plus 2–3 liters of fluids (Garland et al., 2021). For reference, 1 teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 mg of sodium. Your needs are individual, so treat this as a starting conversation with your care team, not a number to chase on your own.
2. More fluids 💧
Salt needs water to do its job. Think of them as a team. Salt without fluid won't fill the hose.
Guidelines often suggest 2–3 liters a day. Sip steadily through the day instead of chugging all at once. Water, electrolyte drinks, broth, milk and tea all count.
3. Smaller, more frequent meals 🍽️
After a big meal, a lot of blood heads to your gut to help with digestion. That can leave less for your brain. Hello, post-meal crash.
Smaller meals and snacks every 2–4 hours are often easier on your body than 2–3 large ones.
4. Gentler carb timing 🍞
Carbs are not the enemy. Your brain and muscles need them. But a big, carb-heavy meal can make POTS symptoms spike.
In one study, a large dose of sugar made upright heart rate climb higher in people with POTS than in people without it (Breier et al., 2022).
What helps: spread carbs across the day, and pair them with protein, fat or fiber. Think toast with eggs, not a giant bowl of pasta on its own.
You don't need to do all four at once. Pick the one that feels easiest and start there.
How to Increase Salt Intake for POTS (Without Feeling Gross)
"Eat more salt" sounds easy. Then you try to salt everything and your mouth feels like the ocean. Let's lean into ways that actually work.
High-Sodium Foods for POTS (and Easy Salt Boosts)
Tip: spread salt across the day, just like your fluids. A lot at once can upset your stomach.
Myth: "Salt is always bad for you"
For the general public, lower salt is often the advice. POTS is different. Your body may be working with less blood volume, and salt helps.
In one study, a short-term high-salt diet did not harm blood vessel function in women with POTS (Smith et al., 2021).
More salt isn't right for everyone. High blood pressure, kidney or heart conditions and some medicines change the plan. Always check with your care team before raising your salt.
When MCAS or EDS Is in the Mix
POTS often travels with friends. Two of the most common are MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome) and EDS (Ehlers-Danlos syndromes). Think of them like puzzle pieces that change the shape of your plan.
POTS + MCAS 🌸
Some people with MCAS react to high-histamine foods. The tricky part? A few classic POTS salt sources are also high in histamine, like pickles, aged cheese and long-simmered bone broth.
If that's you, lean on lower-histamine salt sources instead: salted fresh foods, plain salted crackers, fresh-made broth or electrolyte drinks without triggers.
POTS + EDS 🧩
EDS can affect your gut, too. Many people deal with slow digestion, early fullness, nausea or reflux. Jaw pain can make chewy foods hard.
That's where smaller meals, softer textures and drinkable options (smoothies, soups, shakes) really shine.
When POTS, MCAS and EDS show up together, I don't try to fix everything at once. We start with the symptoms that are hardest on your daily life. Then we weave the POTS basics (salt, fluids, meal rhythm) into the plan as we go.
You don't need a perfect list of "safe" and "unsafe" foods. We look for patterns in your body and build from there.
What It Can Look Like
Here's what I hear from POTS clients all the time:
- "I almost passed out at work. Again."
- "I've fainted at the worst possible moments."
- "My blood pressure keeps dropping and I don't know why."
- "I was told there's nothing I can do for POTS."
- "All anyone says is 'drink water and eat salty foods.' But how? How much? Why?"
When eating keeps making you feel awful, it's natural to start eating less. But under-fueling can make POTS symptoms worse, not better. It's a loop, and it's not your fault.
Myth: "Just drink water"
This is the #1 thing people with POTS are told. And on its own, it often doesn't work.
Water without enough salt can pass right through you. Remember the hose? Salt is what helps your body hold on to the fluid, so it stays in the system where you need it.
Myth: "There's nothing you can do for POTS"
There's no cure yet. But there is a lot you can do. Food, fluids, salt and meal rhythm are some of the most practical tools you have, and they're ones you can start using today.
Low-Spoon POTS Strategies
Pick one to try this week.
🛏️ Front-load before you stand
Keep an electrolyte drink and a salty snack by your bed. Have some before you get up. Your morning self will thank you.
🧊 Make fluids easy to reach
Fill a big bottle you actually like and keep it where you spend the most time. Out of sight really is out of mind.
🥣 Go small and often
Set a gentle alarm every 3 hours as a check-in. A snack counts. A smoothie counts. A cup of soup counts.
🧀 Pair your carbs
Add protein or fat to carb-heavy foods: crackers + cheese, toast + peanut butter, fruit + yogurt.
🪑 Sit to prep
Use a stool in the kitchen. Choose no-cook or low-cook meals on flare days. Pre-cut veggies and frozen meals are tools, not failures.
What a Steadier POTS Day Could Look Like
Here's one example of how the Big 4 can fit into a real day. It's not a meal plan or a set of rules. Think of it as a menu of ideas to borrow from.
Portions, salt and fluids look different for everyone. If you have MCAS, swap out high-histamine picks like pickles, olives and aged cheese for ones that feel safe for you.
📋 Free printable: the POTS Salt & Fluid Starter Kit. It has a 7-day tracker plus a high-sodium grocery list.
Let's Build Your POTS Plan Together
The internet is full of POTS food lists. What's missing is a plan built around your body, your energy and your real life.
Here's what a win often looks like for my POTS clients:
- ⚡ More consistent energy through the day
- 🧍 Feeling steadier on your feet, with less lightheadedness
- 📈 Blood pressure that's more stable
- 🧠 Clearer thinking and less brain fog
Together, we'll:
- Find salt and fluid sources you actually like
- Build a meal rhythm that fits your energy
- Work around MCAS triggers, gut symptoms and sensory needs
- Adjust as your symptoms, meds and seasons change
No food rules. No shame. Just steadier days.
Most clients pay $0 with insurance, and you can start within 1–2 weeks. I see clients virtually in 27 states.
Want to learn more first? Read about my POTS, EDS and MCAS nutrition support.
Brain fog making meals hard to remember? You might like my post on ADHD forgetting to eat, too.
Foods for POTS: Quick Questions
What are the best foods for POTS?
High-sodium foods like olives, pickles, pretzels, canned soup and cottage cheese, plus plenty of fluids. Eat smaller meals every few hours and pair carbs with protein, fat or fiber. Your care team can set personal targets.
How can I increase my salt intake for POTS?
Try an electrolyte drink in the morning, broth, salted nuts, crackers, olives or cottage cheese. Spread salt across the day. Ask your care team before starting salt tablets.
Why do I feel worse after eating with POTS?
After a meal, blood moves to your gut to help digest food, leaving less for your brain. Large, carb-heavy meals can make this stronger. Smaller, balanced meals often help.
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About the Author
Kaitlyn (Kait) Ashner, RDN, LD is the Divergent Dietitian. She specializes in POTS, EDS and MCAS, plus eating disorders, ARFID and neuro-affirming nutrition. She sees clients virtually in 27 states through Nourish.
This article is for education only and isn't medical advice. Talk with your care team before changing your salt or fluid intake.