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If you're living with heart failure, limiting sodium is one of the most important things you can do to help manage your symptoms. This video explains where sodium hides in everyday foods, how much to aim for each day, and practical tips for cooking at home, reading food labels, grocery shopping, and eating out. Your care manager can help you make these changes and answer questions along the way.
Questions? Reach your care team through the chat in the app, or find more nutrition videos in the Resources section.
If you are someone living with heart failure, limiting dietary sodium or salt is one key thing you can do to help your condition. While sodium helps keep a normal balance of fluid in your body, those living with heart failure need to follow a low-sodium diet to help manage symptoms and prevent further heart issues. So how can you limit sodium in your day-to-day food choices?
Where sodium comes from
There are many ways that we consume sodium in our daily eating habits. About half of the sodium we consume comes from processed foods, which can be frozen, canned, pickled, or smoked, as well as from certain dairy products like cheese and buttermilk. About one-third comes from that salt shaker during cooking or while at the table. A small amount may also come from water and foods that naturally contain sodium, like meat, fish, and vegetables. Additional sodium comes from baking soda, baking powder, and added flavorings like soy sauce, mustard, and chili sauce.
How much sodium
For heart failure, the recommended sodium intake is 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams per day, but less than 2,000 milligrams per day is ideal. Keeping this in mind, a teaspoon of salt contains approximately 2,000 milligrams of sodium.
Cooking at home
When cooking, try adapting your recipes by using half of the amount of salt, and eventually, you'll be able to fully remove it. Try cooking your foods with spices and herbs such as garlic, basil, or others.
Grocery shopping
It's important to look at sodium per serving on the food label when grocery shopping. Try to choose low-sodium foods by limiting and watching for the following words: salt, sodium, baking powder, brine, and monosodium glutamate. Try to choose products with no more than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving and look for 5% or less daily intake on the nutrition label.
You should look to purchase fresh or frozen vegetables. If you are using canned items such as vegetables or tuna, you can drain the liquid and rinse the contents before consuming to help lower that sodium content.
Eating out
People with heart failure are still able to eat out and enjoy social eating with friends and family, but it's best to be careful and select low-sodium foods no matter where you eat. At a restaurant, you can ask for dishes that are cooked without salt or that are not high in sodium. Order salad dressings, sauces, and gravies on the side so you can add them sparingly, and beware of fast foods as nearly all of them contain a lot of sodium.
Snacks
Try to make foods such as bread and bagels more interesting by adding a small amount of unsalted peanut butter or cream cheese. Use jam, jelly, and preserves, as these contain almost no sodium. You can also snack on leftovers such as homemade soups, vegetables, or potatoes, as these foods contain less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Wrap-up
Try your best to prepare foods at home, as this allows you to control the amount of sodium in those dishes. We encourage you to work with your care manager to discuss limiting dietary sodium and other ways to successfully thrive with heart failure. Please communicate any questions or concerns in the chat function of the app. We value your health and safety, and we are here to help.
Thank you for watching Limiting Dietary Sodium. You can find more educational videos on nutrition and other topics in the resource section of the Movn app.