Sodium information for patients with heart failure

Sodium is a compound found widely in nature and in foods. Many foods contain sodium naturally, but do not taste salty.

One teaspoon of salt contains 2,400 milligrams of sodium. A low-sodium diet allows 2,000 milligrams a day.

Eating high amounts of sodium can be especially harmful if you have heart failure. When you have heart failure, your heart cannot pump as well as it once did. Sodium causes your body to retain, or hold, more water. This increases the work of your heart as it pumps blood through your body.

A guide to choosing foods low in sodium

If you are on an eating plan of 2,000 milligrams of sodium a day, the chart and recipes below may be a help in planning your meals and snacks.

Low-sodium foods chart

Spice blend recipe

Herb blend recipe

It is best to limit yourself to only one food a day with more than 400 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Special low-sodium cooking tips

There are a few simple things you can do to reduce the sodium in your diet:

• Use less salt when you cook.
• Leave the salt shaker off the table.
• If salt is important to the flavor of the food, reduce the salt amount gradually (by a fourth, then by a half, and then by three-fourths).
• Use herbs and spices to season food. Try flavored vinegar, sherry, wine and lemon juice. Parsley, thyme, and basil are flavorful in many foods.
• Cut back or eliminate: processed foods (such as luncheon meats, prepackaged soups and sauces, Hamburger Helper® and Tuna Helper®, TV dinners) and salty foods (such as pickles, olives, sauerkraut, salted snacks, flavored salts, seasoned salts).
• Avoid products with these words on the labels: monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium nitrate, sodium benzoate, sodium bicarbonate.
• Use bouillon granules in half the amount called for on packaging; they contain a high amount of sodium. Use lower sodium bouillon granules.
• Use lemon and lime juices or tomatoes to add zest to meat, salads, vegetables and fruits.
• Save cooking liquid from vegetables to use in place of water in sauces and gravy.
• Replace garlic and onion salt with garlic and onion powder.
• Rinse canned vegetables to remove some of the sodium (about one-third). To reduce more sodium, use fresh, frozen or low-sodium canned vegetables.

*Follow any sodium restrictions given to you by your health care team.

Great low-sodium meals

Breakfasts

• two pieces of raisin toast with margarine or cream cheese, fresh or canned fruit, juice and coffee
• cereal with 6 to 8 ounces milk, juice and coffee
• omelet of 1/2 cup egg substitute with vegetables, toast with cream cheese, juice and coffee
• oatmeal (not instant), toast with jelly, juice, fruit and coffee.

Lunches and dinners

• sandwich of unprocessed turkey on two slices of bread with lettuce and tomato, fruit, carrot sticks
• broiled or baked fish, baked potato with 1 teaspoon margarine, dinner salad, salad dressing
• macaroni and cheese from Kraft® using only half the cheese packet, dinner salad, salad dressing
• 2 ounces boiled shrimp, 1 cup rice, sliced tomatoes
• Healthy Choice® frozen dinner, fruit cup

Salt-free flavoring ideas
Beef	bay leaf, curry, dry mustard, sage, marjoram, mushrooms, nutmeg, onion, pepper, thyme
Lamb	curry, garlic, mint, pineapple, rosemary
Pork	apples, applesauce, garlic, onion, sage, peaches
Veal	apricots, bay leaf, curry, ginger, marjoram, oregano
Fish	bay leaf, lemon juice, marjoram, mushrooms, paprika
Chicken	cranberries, paprika, thyme, sage
Asparagus	lemon juice
Corn	green pepper, tomato
Green beans	dillweed, lemon juice, marjoram, nutmeg, unsalted french dressing
Peas	onion, mint, mushrooms, green pepper
Potatoes	onion, mace, green pepper
Squash	cinnamon, ginger, mace, onion
Tomatoes	basil, onion, oregano