Heart failure occurs when your body cannot pump enough blood to meet your body's needs. Heart failure usually develops after years of high blood pressure or heart disease. Although you cannot reverse heart failure, you can manage your condition and improve your quality of life by controlling the amount of sodium in your diet.
Physiology
If you have heart failure, your body is particularly sensitive to sodium. When there is too much sodium in your blood, the sodium pulls water from your tissues into the blood, which increases your blood volume. When blood volume increases, it makes it harder for the blood to travel throughout your blood vessels. As a result, your heart works harder to try to pump blood to meet the needs of your body. This puts excess strain on your heart, which can worsen your condition. Restricting your sodium intake is important can help prevent water retention and help you control your condition.
Sodium Recommendations
The recommended daily allowance for sodium for healthy adults is between 2,300 and 2,400 mg per day, which is equivalent to approximately one teaspoon of salt. If you have heart failure, it is recommended that you keep your sodium intake below 2,000 mg per day. Cleveland Clinic notes that evidence suggests that keeping your sodium intake below 1,500 mg per day may be even more beneficial for those with heart failure.
Tips for Reducing Sodium
A good basis for a low-sodium diet is to consume most of your foods fresh. Avoid canned foods, frozen foods and packaged foods, which usually contain high amounts of added salt. Cooking and eating most of your meals at home, rather than eating out, can help you control the amount of sodium that you consume. If you must consume a frozen entrée, choose varieties that contain less than 600 mg of sodium per serving and limit intake to only one per day. If you use canned vegetables or beans, rinse them off before consumption. This can remove excess salt and reduce the sodium content of the food.
Warnings
Salt contains a combination of sodium and chloride. Salt substitutes use potassium in place of sodium to create potassium chloride. If you consume too much potassium chloride, it can lead to high levels of potassium in the blood, which can disrupt normal heart rhythms and lead to heart attack. This is especially dangerous for those with heart failure. If you have heart failure, consult your doctor before using salt substitutes. Instead of replacing salt with salt substitutes, use fresh herbs, sodium-free spices, citrus juices or marmalades, which can add flavor without adding sodium.
