At the age of 40, the lifetime risk of developing congestive heart failure or CHF is 1 in 5. Following the proper diet is an essential aspect of CHF treatment. A low-sodium diet along with medical management can improve symptoms. As with beginning any new diet, consult your doctor first.
Definition
Congestive heart failure happens when your heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the demands of your body. This could be due to a weak heart muscle or heart defect. As a result of inadequate blood flow, the kidneys receive less blood and filter less fluid out of circulation. Extra fluid builds up in the lungs, liver, eyes and sometimes legs. Because your body retains extra fluid and sodium, a low-sodium diet is often prescribed.
Sodium Sources
Sodium is essential for your body's normal functioning, however, most Americans exceed the 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommendation of 2300 milligrams of sodium per day. CHF is often treated with a low sodium diet, which limits daily sodium intake to less than 2000 milligrams. Although it may seem challenging, small changes in the way you cook, shop and eat will help improve your symptoms of CHF.
Ways to Limit Sodium Intake: Shopping
With CHF, it is important to minimize sodium to avoid fluid retention. One of the easiest way to limit sodium intake in your diet is to buy fresh foods. Fresh foods, such as fruit and vegetables, are not packaged and do not contain added sodium. Choose fresh poultry and lean meats instead of processed deli meats.
Make your own! Instead of buying prepared convenience food such as pasta or rice mixes and sauces spend a little extra time planning and preparing your own. By cooking these items at home, you can control how much (or how little) salt you add.
If you do buy packaged foods, choose the low-sodium version. Snacks foods like pretzels, chips, seeds, nuts along with canned soups, sauces and cheese come in unsalted or low-salt versions.
Label Reading
Reading and understanding a food label is an essential tool for success when following a low-sodium diet for CHF. Food labels can help give you insight into which product is a better choice. Sodium is listed in milligrams (mg) and as percent of daily value. Foods with 5 percent of the daily value for sodium are considered low in sodium and foods with more than 20 percent of the daily value are high in sodium. Select products with 5 percent or less per serving. Also, look for words such as "low sodium," "salt free," "unsalted" or "reduced sodium" when comparing products. When you minimize sodium intake, you help to minimize CHF symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath and fluid retention.
Ways to Limit Sodium: Cooking
Sodium can often sneak into food preparation and cooking, but monitoring your sodium intake from all sources can help decrease the dose or number of medications needed to treat your CHF. Break the habit of adding salt to cooking water for pasta and rice. Instead, taste food after it is prepared and add a small amount if necessary. When using recipes, eliminate or decrease the amount of salt they call for.
People often believe that without salt, food will not taste as good. It make take some time and creativity, but there are plenty of salt-free alternatives to use for people with CHF. Herbs, spices, lemon juice, garlic are popular seasonings that work with a variety of meats, vegetables and pasta. According to the Mrs. Dash website, the company carries 14 varieties of salt-free seasoning blends for all of your cooking needs.
