Health care providers usually prescribe a low-sodium diet, such as one that limits your daily sodium intake to 2 g or less, to alleviate stress to your heart from conditions like water retention and high blood pressure. Since just 1 tsp. of table salt contains well over 2 g of sodium, the idea of initiating a low-sodium diet may seem overwhelming. Learn some simple guidelines for the diet and increase your understanding about low-sodium foods to adapt to your 2 g sodium diet.
General Diet Guidelines
When transitioning to a low-salt diet, it may be easier to think of the intervention as a lifestyle change, rather than simply a dietary change. Because there is sodium in almost everything we eat and drink, the change may be difficult, particularly at first, and following several guidelines may ease the process. Think of the 2 g sodium diet as a no-salt-added diet. Do not add salt to your foods while cooking or eating them. Make several lists of allowable low-sodium foods. Keep one in your kitchen, and carry one when you are grocery shopping or eating away from home. Avoid eating out often at restaurants, particularly fast food. If you must eat out, choose low-sodium menu options, and ask that your meal be prepared without added salt. If you find the diet to be too confusing or complicated, enlist the help of a nutritionist or registered dietitian.
Decoding Food Labels
Food manufacturers recognize the importance of offering low-sodium products, and they market and label them as such. Understanding what those labels mean allows you to choose the right foods for your diet. Products labeled as "no-salt added" or "unsalted" are prepared and packaged with no additional salt. Remember, however, that the sodium occurring naturally in the food is still there, so look at the label for the actual sodium content per serving of any food you buy. Companies often produce foods that contain 25 percent less sodium than full-sodium versions, and label these as "reduced sodium" foods. Products labeled "low sodium" contain less than 140 mg of salt per serving, and "very low sodium" foods contain less than 35 mg of salt per serving. Manufacturers can label any food containing 5 mg or less of sodium per serving as "sodium free."
Acceptable Low-Sodium Foods
Fresh meats, vegetables and fruits eliminate the guesswork of researching how much sodium a manufacturer has added to your food. Eating mostly fresh foods is a good way to control the salt you eat. Choose low-sodium versions of vegetable and fruit juices. Drink milk in moderation: Up to two cups daily is acceptable. For breads and cereals, choose whole-grain alternatives to those containing refined ingredients. Choose a well-rounded, nutritious menu, selections of which add up to a total daily sodium of 2 g or less. If you indulge in a sodium-rich food, offset that by choosing low-sodium foods the remainder of the day.
Foods to Avoid
There are many foods to avoid when following a 2-g sodium diet, and they include processed foods and foods prepared with processed ingredients, such as crackers, chips, many canned soups and gravies, and commercially prepared bread, biscuit, pancake and dessert mixes. Stay away from processed, cured or smoked meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage and deli meats. Most canned vegetables contain too much sodium, as do sauce-added frozen vegetables and full-sodium vegetable juices. Boxed potato, noodle and rice dishes are better left on the shelf, and most frozen dinners better left in the freezer case. When embarking on a low-sodium diet, many feel the list of what they cannot eat is much longer than what they can. Ask your doctor if you have questions about your low-sodium diet.
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