What is sodium?
Sodium is a mineral found naturally in foods. It is also added to processed, canned, and convenience foods to keep them fresh. Salt is made out of two minerals — sodium and chloride. A diet high in salt is a diet high in sodium.
Why do I need to limit my sodium?
Sodium helps balance the fluid in your body, but if you have too much sodium, extra fluid can get trapped in your body. Eating a low-sodium diet will help prevent fluid build-up, control symptoms and keep your heart failure from getting worse.
How much sodium can I have?
Every patient is different. Your healthcare provider will tell you what your daily sodium limit is. Many patients with heart failure have a 2,000 mg sodium limit per day. Keep a record of how much sodium you have every day.
Tips to limit sodium
- Do not add salt to your food. This includes table salt, sea salt and pink Himalayan salt.
- Use fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits.
- Avoid canned and packaged foods. These often have added sodium. If you buy these types of foods, choose low-sodium (140 mg or less per serving) or sodium-free (less than 5 mg per serving) varieties.
- Use vinegar or juice (such as orange, lemon, lime or pineapple) as a base for meat marinades.
- Avoid lunch meat/deli meats or choose low-sodium varieties.
- Choose seasonings and spice blends without salt. Use fresh herbs, onions and garlic to add flavor to foods.
- Do not use a salt substitute unless your doctor says you can use one.
- Check the label on poultry. Do not use poultry with added sodium/sodium solution.
Read the label
- Read nutrition labels on foods to know how much sodium is in a serving.
- If you eat more than one serving, count the sodium for the amount you eat.
Avoid the salty six
The American Heart Association’s Salty Six includes six foods that are high in sodium. You should avoid or limit these foods.
Bread and Rolls
Check the label to find out how much sodium is in your bread. You can easily go over your daily sodium limit by eating several pieces. Choose low-sodium breads.
Cold Cuts/Lunch Meat and Cured Meats
Just one serving of lunch meat can contain half of your daily sodium limit. If you eat these meats, choose low-sodium versions.
Pizza
A piece of pizza with several toppings can add up to more than half of your daily sodium limit. Choose veggies to top your pizza, and limit the amount of cheese you have.
Tacos and Burritos
Tacos and burritos are filled with items that have a lot of sodium. Choose tacos and burritos that contain lean protein and lots of veggies.
Soup
Choose low-sodium or sodium-free canned soups. Carefully read the label. Some regular soups have more than 900 mg of sodium per serving, and many cans contain more than one serving.
Sandwiches
Ready-to-eat and fast-food sandwiches contain a lot of sodium. If you do eat them, have only half a sandwich with a side salad to avoid going over your daily sodium limit.
Limiting Your Fluids
Why do I need to limit my fluids?
You may need to limit fluids to keep your heart failure under control and avoid fluid build-up in your body. Ask your doctor if you need to limit your fluids and how much you can have each day.
My daily fluid limit is ____ ounces (____ cups/ ____ milliliters)
1 ounce (oz) = 30 milliliters (ml)
8 oz = 240 ml = 1 cup
What counts as a fluid?
Fluids include all foods that are liquid at room temperature. They also include pudding, gelatin (Jell-O), soup (thick or thin), Popsicles, ice cubes and ice cream. If you are not sure if something is a fluid, ask your doctor or nurse.
How do I track my fluids?
An easy way to keep track is to use a 2-liter bottle and mark your limit on the bottle. Fill the bottle to your limit mark in the morning, and each time you drink something or have other fluids, empty the same amount from the bottle. When the bottle is empty, you have reached your limit for the day.
Keep a daily log of your fluids, either on paper or with an app on your phone/computer. Use the log until you are comfortable with your limit and can keep track of fluids without measuring.
What if I get thirsty?
Being thirsty does not always mean your body needs more fluid. DO NOT replace the fluids that diuretics ("water pills") help remove from your body.
Try these tricks if you get thirsty:
- Snack on frozen grapes or strawberries.
- Suck on ice chips or a washcloth soaked in ice water.
- Chew sugar-free gum or suck on hard candy.
- Use lip balm or petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to keep your lips moist.
- Avoid milk, ice cream and salt/sodium. These can all make you thirsty.
Symptoms of extra fluid in your body
- Weight gain.
- Feeling more short of breath than usual/trouble breathing.
- Feeling more tired than usual/fatigue.
- Having a hard time being active or exercising.
- Swelling in your ankles, feet, legs, hands or belly.
- Bloated (full) feeling in your stomach.
If you have symptoms of extra fluid in your body, write them down and call your healthcare provider.
What to do if you are short of breath because of extra fluid
If this is a new symptom or worse than usual, call your healthcare provider.
Cut back on sodium and fluids for 2 days
- For example, if you normally have about 2,000 mg of sodium per day, limit it to 1,500 mg for 2 days.
- If you normally have 8 cups of fluids (64 oz) per day, limit your fluids to 6 cups (48 oz) for 2 days.
- If you cut back on sodium and fluids for 2 days and are still short of breath, call your healthcare provider.
Sleep in a different position
- If you are short of breath at night, use pillows or a cushion to stay more upright. You can also try sleeping in a chair. Make sure you tell your healthcare provider that you have made these changes.
