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Living with Heart Failure: Strategies to Reduce Sodium
Living with Heart Failure: Strategies to Reduce SodiumWhen you have heart failure, what you eat will have a big impact on how you feel.One of the most important changes you can make to your diet is reducing the amount of salt or sodium youeat. Here’s why.Sodium causes your body to hold onto water.When there’s too much fluid, it leaks from your blood vessels into your tissues, where it can cause swelling. If itleaks into the lungs, it can cause shortness of breath. Excess fluid also means your heart has to work evenharder to pump blood.The more sodium you eat, the more fluid you hold onto, and the worse your symptoms will get.The American Heart Association recommends you aim to eat less than 1500 milligrams per day. This is lessthan one teaspoon of salt.Talk to your healthcare provider about a healthy goal for you.“We recommend for patients to check nutrition labels, choosing food items that are no more than 140milligrams of sodium or less per serving.”If you are used to using a lot of salt, cutting down can be a challenge.“This was the hardest part. I’m not going to lie. I love shellfish. You know, the shellfish is sodium-rich inand of itself, because we get it from the ocean, right? So, that was a really big challenge for us.”Here are some ways to help you reduce the amount of salt you eat.Begin by keeping track of the amount of sodium you eat in each meal. You can find valuable information aboutthe sodium levels in packaged foods on the Nutrition Facts label. Sodium is listed in milligrams.When eating out, you can ask your server for sodium information.Keeping track makes it easier to plan your day’s sodium. Over time, it will get easier as you get used to payingattention to sodium in the foods you eat.When it comes to “hidden” sodium, two of the biggest culprits are packaged foods and restaurant foods.Many packaged foods have very high levels of sodium, including foods you might not think of as “high sodium”foods.“You look at the label, and this label here may be 500 milligrams of sodium. Look at this other label,Hm, only 50 milligrams of sodium. So which one am I gonna pick? The 50 milligrams of sodium."Some foods to avoid include certain cheeses like cottage cheese, American cheese, or anything labeledprocessed cheese food.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG10157C EN LivingWithHeartFailureStrategiesToReduceSodium.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2Living with Heart Failure: Strategies to Reduce SodiumInstead pick natural cheeses like Swiss, mozzarella, or cheddar.Avoid processed meats that are high in sodium, like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, luncheon meats andsalami.Pick fish, chicken, turkey or non-processed, lean cuts of beef or pork. They are healthier for you and tastegreat.Be aware that a lot of sauces, soups, dips, dressings and glazes are high in sodium.Try plain yogurt or sour cream as a dip, and just use oil and vinegar or lemon juice to flavor your food.And choose versions of food products that are low in sodium, or sodium free.Cheeses, pretzels, potato chips, peanuts, tomato sauces, popcorn, and soups have healthier, low sodium orno salt versions you can buy.Restaurant foods may also contain very high levels of sodium.Look for “heart healthy” menu items and ask about sodium levels.If you can’t get information on sodium levels, stick with low-salt foods like salads, fruit, and lean proteinswithout sauces or extra flavorings.You should also eliminate or reduce the amount of salt you use in the kitchen and at home.Don’t add salt to your food, even while cooking. Instead, you can use fresh or dried herbs or flavorings likevinegar or lemon juice.Remove the salt shaker from your table.“Well, one of the big changes that I had to make was obviously salt. I did salt. I did Adobo. Garlic salt.So, these were things obviously; huge changes. So, these are not things that I utilize anymore.”Be careful about using spice mixes, however. Unless they are labeled “low salt” or “sodium free,” they mighthave high levels of sodium.Get in the habit of checking the nutrition label.By limiting the amount of sodium you eat you are taking a big step in limiting your heart failure symptoms. Meetwith your healthcare provider about ways you can reduce sodium in your foods and start today.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG10157C EN LivingWithHeartFailureStrategiesToReduceSodium.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
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