Congestive heart failure describes a condition in which your heart cannot pump adequate amounts of blood to meet your body's needs. The lack of blood causes a decrease in the amount of oxygen that reaches your tissues, resulting in shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness and irregular heartbeat. Several lifestyle changes, including a low-salt diet, can help you manage congestive heart failure and improve your quality of life.
Physiology
When you consume too much salt, the sodium moves to your blood and disrupts the electrolyte balance. To compensate for the excess sodium and try to maintain electrolyte and fluid balance, your body retains water and pulls more of it into the bloodstream. This increases the volume of your blood, which increases your blood pressure. Increased blood pressure puts excess strain on the heart and can worsen congestive heart failure.
Salt Recommendations
Limiting the amount of salt in your diet is important to keep your blood pressure steady. If you have congestive heart failure, the general recommendation for sodium intake is less than 2,000 mg per day, according to MayoClinic.com. Your specific sodium recommendation may differ based on your individual condition. If you have congestive heart failure, work with your doctor or a dietitian to determine the right sodium intake for you.
Tips to Avoid Salt
The craving for salt is often an acquired one. Fortunately, because you develop the craving for salt over time, you will likely be able to reduce the craving and acquire a taste for lower-salt foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally low in salt. Adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet can help keep you full, reducing the amount of other types of food in your diet. Try to avoid canned vegetables. Manufacturers often add significant amounts of salt to help preserve the vegetables. Other naturally low-salt foods include poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, milk, yogurt, pasta, rice and oatmeal. Instead of using salt or spices that contain sodium, season your foods with fresh herbs, lemon juice or pepper.
Checking Labels
Most of the salt in your diet comes from processed and packaged foods. When trying to reduce your salt intake, it is important that you check labels. The University of California San Francisco recommends avoiding foods that contain more than 350 mg of salt per serving. The ingredient list on a nutritional label lists ingredients based on the volume of the ingredient in the food. Avoid foods that have sodium or salt listed as one of the first five ingredients.
