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Low Sodium Diet for Congestive Heart Failure

By Re g ina Romain, eHow Contributor

1.

Congestive heart failure occurs when your heart can't pump eno ugh blo od tomeet the body's n eeds. The h eart h as n ot failed total ly, but is less powerful topump with the same force, causing fatigue, dizziness, shortn ess of breath andswelling , especially in the legs and feet. According to Ehealthmd.com, between 2to 3 million Americans h ave heart failure.

 You can lower your risk of developing or ag gravatin g your hear t diseas e with alo w-sodium diet. Eliminating sal ty foods fro m your diet and r educing the amountof salt used in co oking are important measures for go od h ealth.

Reducing Salt with Heart Failure

 A low-sodium diet is required for an yone with congestive hear t failure, an ddocto rs reco mmend a maximum sodium intake of 2000 to 3000 mg of sodium perday. One l evel teaspoo n of s alt equals appro ximately 2300 mg of sodium. Forpeople with h eart failure, extra s alt intake can cause fluid to be retained in thetissues and aggr avate symptoms.

If you are foll owing a lo w-sodium diet there are many foods th at should beavoided, such as s alted snacks , precooked meats, canned vegetables an d fastfood. You sh ould also con trol th e use of con diments such as k etchup, barbecuesauce, mustard or Worcestersh ire sauce to 2 teaspoon s per day.

Th ere are lo wer-sodium substitutes such as lig htl y salted peanuts, lo w-sodium vegetable juice, an d n o-s al t-added canned vegetables. FDA allows Heal th y Ch oiceor Campbell 's Healthy Request brands to h ave no more th an 480 mg of s odium insoups and n o more than 600 mg in fro zen dinners. You can also add spices,seasoning s and herbs to your foo d in place of table salt.

Look for fo ods with sodium con tents of 200 mg o r less. One full meal sh ouldcon tain less th an 400 mg o f sodium. Avoid pro ducts listing salt o r so dium nearthe beginn ing of th e ingr edients list. Labels l ist ingr edients in descending order by weig ht. Look fo r "unsal ted," "n o sal t added," or "l ow sodium" versions of preferr ed foods.

Use reduced-fat cook ing methods such as bro iling , ro asting and steaming . Avoidfrying and deep-fat frying. Use low-fat an d low-salt sauces and marinades. Freshfoods such as poultry, fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables are th e lowest in sodium.