Why is it important to limit sodium when you have heart failure?
Sodium causes your body to hold on to extra water. This may make heart failure symptoms, like shortness of breath or swelling in your legs, worse. By limiting sodium, you may feel better.
How can you get started eating less sodium?
Eating less sodium doesn't have to be hard, but you do have to think about it. You need to do more than just not use the salt shaker. After all, almost all foods contain sodium naturally or as an ingredient.
The biggest source of sodium in the diet is not salt added at the table. In general, the biggest source of sodium is processed foods and foods from restaurants. Processed foods include canned foods, frozen dinners, and packaged foods such as crackers and chips. They also include dry mixes, such as those you add to hamburger or noodles.
You can start reducing the sodium in your diet by:
- Limiting canned, prepared, and packaged foods.
- Limiting restaurant foods.
- Not adding salt to your food during cooking or at the table.
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