Low Sodium Lifestyle
Credit: ARA

Implementing a low-sodium diet is a challenge because sodium is everywhere. The typical American eats a high number of processed foods such as frozen dinners, boxed noodle and rice dishes, canned soups and canned vegetables, all of which are very high in sodium. So, even if you do not add salt while cooking or use a salt shaker at the table, you are probably eating too much.

Sodium is the word used on labels for packaged and processed foods and it is the main ingredient in salt. The total daily intake of sodium is that which is known to be in food items plus the extra salt that one uses in cooking or seasoning food.

If you have recently suffered a heart attack and been told you have heart failure, it’s likely your doctor advised you to cut back on your sodium intake because heart failure causes the body to hold on to extra sodium, which in turn causes extra fluid to build up in your body. The extra fluid makes your heart work harder, which is not a good thing for a muscle already under strain.

A low-sodium diet includes no more than 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. That is the same as two to three grams of sodium a day. To give you an idea of how much that is: one teaspoon of salt equals approximately 2,300 mg of sodium.

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