Page 6

SODIUM

Two of the most important things you need to know about living well with CHF are to lower your salt intake every day, and to weigh yourself every day. First, let’s talk about salt and sodium--two words that mean the same thing when we are talking about a CHF diet.

Sodium is a magnet for liquids. Another way to picture sodium is as a sponge: the more sodium you eat, the more your body soaks up liquids. With CHF, since the heart isn’t working as well as it should be, fluids may already be building up in the body. So, if you consume a lot of sodium, even more fluids build up.

Remember that traffic jam we talked about earlier? Well, the traffic will start to get all jammed up again. You should avoid sodium so that your body does not retain extra fluid, causing swelling and/or filling your lungs. More than 1,500 milligramss of sodium every day will make your CHF worse.

One teaspoon of salt equals about 2000 milligrams of sodium. Just ONE teaspoon has MORE than the TOTAL amount of sodium you’re allowed for the whole day! Because salt and sodium are the same thing, yes, you should avoid adding salt to your food. However, a low-sodium diet is about more than whether or not you use the salt shaker.

Did you know that sodium hides in a lot of foods? Things like pizza, fast food, Chinese food, cold cuts, like ham, and bologna, cheeses, frozen meals, and canned foods, especially canned soups, are all very high in sodium.

Fast foods are very dangerous and are considered the skull and crossbones for a CHF patient’s diet. They are VERY high in sodium, and can cause fluid buildup and swelling. If you eat fast foods on a regular basis you won’t feel good and you may even end up back in the hospital.