A Low Sodium Diet: Tips for Shopping
A cardiac diet is often prescribed for someone with hypertension, heart disease, myocardial infarction and a number of heart conditions. A low sodium diet or cardiac diet may also be used as part of regimen to prevent cardiovascular disease. The diet consists primarily of foods that have a variety of nutritional values such as an increase in fruits and vegetables, fiber and whole grains. The goal of the low sodium diet is to reduce the consumption of salt and fats, which may increase the risk of heart disease.Diet Restrictions
A dietician will typically help to design a recommended cardiac diet that is low in sodium. Someone on a low sodium diet or a cardiac diet will be restricted on their intake of fat, sodium, cholesterol and in some situations, caffeine. If it has been recommended that you or a loved one be placed on a diet that is low in sodium to improve cardiac health, shopping for food items can be slightly tricky at first. The following tips may be beneficial in helping you choose items that are low in sodium and fat content.Fruits and Vegetables
Always read the labels on canned vegetables and fruits to determine how much sodium is in the canned item. Fresh vegetables are also the best for you , but many canned vegetables are available with a low sodium content. Read the label to determine the actual grams of sodium in the food and when using canned vegetables, if you wash them before using them it will also reduce the amount of sodium by about another 30%.Canned Soups
Canned soups are typically not permitted on a low sodium diet because they have an extremely high sodium content. There are a few brands of soup that contain lower amounts of sodium, but remember to read the label because sometimes when a product says lower sodium on the label, it does not mean zero sodium and the amount may be higher than your daily allotment. Making homemade soups with frozen vegetables will taste better and you can control the amount of sodium.Salt Alternatives
Breaking the salt habit is extremely difficult for some and if you insist on sprinkling a dash on meals, switching to kosher salt will give you the salty taste without the large amounts of sodium found in iodized salt. Consider trying some of the seasoning alternatives that contain herbs, garlic or pepper to flavor foods during cooking. Mrs. Dash produces some delicious fiesta lime and chipotle seasonings.Reading Labels
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when on a low sodium diet or a cardiac diet is to learn to read labels. Each item must have a nutritional label adhered to it with detailed information regarding the salt in the food item. The label will typically read as the daily recommended percentage is and how much is in the particular food item. For example, it may read contains 10% of the daily limit. The daily limit is typically 2400mg so the amount of sodium in this particular item would contain 240mg of sodium, however, a low sodium diet is typically much less than the recommended 2400mg.
Overall, knowing that you can choose fresh fruits and vegetables for the foods to complement your meals that have the lowest amounts of sodium is probably the most important piece of information you could have. Second, reading the labels is empowering, because you then know how much sodium is contained in the food product and how many servings are in the container. Yep, the servings fairies are fairly mean sometimes when it comes to sodium and portion sizes. Be careful!
Start with a heart healthy meal plan, and know what the restrictions are for your heart healthy diet, and you will be well on your way to health.
