Sodium and potassium are classified as major minerals, as well as electrolytes. Because they are electrolytes, these minerals play an important role in fluid balance. Normally, the amount of sodium and potassium in your body is tightly controlled by various physiological processes. If you have an underlying medical condition, however, it can disrupt the way your body handles sodium and potassium. As a result, you may require a low-sodium or low-potassium diet.
Low-Sodium Diets
Your doctor may recommend a low-sodium if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or kidney disease. According to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, the average American eats at least 5 tsp. of salt per day, which is 20 times more than the body needs to function properly. A low-sodium diet generally restricts sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,000 mg, or 1.5 to 2.0 g, per day, which is less than 1 tsp. While adding salt to foods during cooking and eating is an obvious source of sodium, the most significant amount of sodium in the average American's diet comes from processed foods.
Tips to Lower Sodium
Canned foods, frozen foods and packaged foods often contain too much sodium, which is used as a preservative. Choosing fresh foods, whenever possible, can help reduce your daily sodium intake. Many foods are available in low-sodium or sodium-free varieties. Choose these whenever possible. Instead of adding salt to dishes, season your dishes with fresh herbs, lemon juice or sodium-free spices. When you are on a low sodium diet, make reading labels a habit. Avoid foods that contain monosodium glutamate, baking powder, brine or salt, which indicates they may be high in sodium.
Low-Potassium Diet
Your doctor may tell you to follow a low-potassium if you have kidney disease or chronic kidney failure. The normal potassium recommendation for healthy adults is 4,000 mg, or 4 g, per day. A low-potassium diet generally restricts daily intake to 2,000 to 3,000 mg, or 2 to 3 g, per day. The specific amount depends on your health condition and the reason for lowering your potassium intake. When following a low-potassium diet, avoid the highest sources of potassium, such as bananas, honeydew, pears, oranges, tomatoes, avocado, beets, brussels sprouts, cooked spinach and both white and sweet potatoes. Bran cereals, whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, nuts and chocolate also contain high amounts of potassium. Salt substitutes usually contain potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride, so do not use these on a low-potassium diet.
Potassium-Lowering Tips
You can reduce the amount of potassium in certain foods by following a few recommendations from the Greenwich Hospital. Cooking frozen fruits and vegetables in water and draining the water before eating them can help reduce the potassium content of the produce. Rinsing and draining canned fruits and vegetables may also remove some potassium. Some foods contain hidden potassium in the form of artificial sweeteners, so check labels of processed foods and avoid foods that are made with potassium-containing ingredients.
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