Low Sodium Diet for Congestive Heart Failure

The majority of people with congestive heart failure are required to eat less salt in their diet. Too much sodium makes your body retain water and makes your heart work harder. This can worsen the symptoms of congestive heart failure, which include shortness of breath and swelling.

Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure occurs when your heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. The heart has not failed totally, but is less powerful to pump with the same force, causing fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath and swelling, especially in the legs and feet. According to Ehealthmd.com, between 2 to 3 million Americans have heart failure.

You can lower your risk of developing or aggravating your heart disease with a low-sodium diet. Eliminating salty foods from your diet and reducing the amount of salt used in cooking are important measures for good health.

Reducing Salt with Heart Failure

A low-sodium diet is required for anyone with congestive heart failure, and doctors recommend a maximum sodium intake of 2000 to 3000 mg of sodium per day. One level teaspoon of salt equals approximately 2300 mg of sodium. For people with heart failure, extra salt intake can cause fluid to be retained in the tissues and aggravate symptoms.

If you are following a low-sodium diet there are many foods that should be avoided, such as salted snacks, precooked meats, canned vegetables and fast food. You should also control the use of condiments such as ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard or Worcestershire sauce to 2 teaspoons per day.

There are lower-sodium substitutes such as lightly salted peanuts, low-sodium vegetable juice, and no-salt-added canned vegetables. FDA allows Healthy Choice or Campbell's Healthy Request brands to have no more than 480 mg of sodium in soups and no more than 600 mg in frozen dinners. You can also add spices, seasonings and herbs to your food in place of table salt.

Look for foods with sodium contents of 200 mg or less. One full meal should contain less than 400 mg of sodium. Avoid products listing salt or sodium near the beginning of the ingredients list. Labels list ingredients in descending order by weight. Look for "unsalted," "no salt added," or "low sodium" versions of preferred foods.

Use reduced-fat cooking methods such as broiling, roasting and steaming. Avoid frying and deep-fat frying. Use low-fat and low-salt sauces and marinades. Fresh foods such as poultry, fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables are the lowest in sodium.