Following a sodium restricted diet goes far beyond just shaking less salt on your food. You must be an educated consumer and be aware of everything you eat. This includes restaurant food as well as items you buy at the grocery store. Your doctor may put you on a sodium restricted diet to help manage a chronic illness, and it will be important to follow instructions. If you are having difficulty, a registered dietitian can help you to plan a diet that is low in salt but still allows you to eat foods you enjoy.
Identification
According to the University of Michigan, a low sodium diet is one that is 2,000 milligrams per day or less. This is the amount found in 1 tsp. of table salt. If you are healthy you can go as high as 2,400 milligrams, if you have been diagnosed with a chronic disease you may need to limit your intake to 1500 milligrams or less. The average salt intake is closer to 4,000 to 8,000 per day. You will need to eliminate adding table salt to your food and learn to read food labels. Your doctor will help you find the right level that is safe depending on your individual health concerns.
Benefits
Your body needs some sodium to properly function. However, too much sodium will cause your body to retain water. As the level of fluid increases in the body, various systems will have to work harder to process the extra fluid. Your heart muscle will need to pump harder which can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and heart failure. Your kidneys and liver also play a role in regulating fluid and can become overworked. This can lead to chronic disease or failure of these organs. Restricting the sodium in your diet, will help to reduce the workload of these structures and prevent serious disease. In addition, water retention can lead to weight gain and obesity. Lowering your salt intake, will play a large role in your weight loss plans.
Features
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests that when buying prepared or packaged foods look for options that have 140 mg or less per serving. The foods to be especially careful of include soup, tomato-based products, frozen meals and snack foods, such as chips and pretzels. In addition, when you are at restaurants you may need to ask for your food to be prepared without salt. The USDA also recommends including foods that are high in potassium, as potassium may counteract the effects of sodium on blood pressure.
Prevention/Solution
The National Institutes of Health developed a program called the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet to help lower and prevent high blood pressure. Individuals who followed this program were able to lower their blood pressure or prevent high blood pressure from occurring. Along with all of the above recommendations, it suggests eating a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables which are naturally low in sodium. While you can include frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, you need to read the labels and find low sodium choices. You can also wash and drain canned items to help rinse some of the sodium away.
Considerations
You can try experimenting with various seasonings and herbs as an alternative way to add flavor to foods. When eating out ask for dressing and sauces on the side as they can be high as well. Watch out for water softeners as many add sodium to the water. Experts at the Mayo Clinic state that the sodium added to water softeners is usually low, however you can buy products that do not add sodium, or use softened water only for drinking and regular tap water for cooking.
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