Your diet

Salt intake

People with chronic heart failure need to maintain a diet low in salt (sodium). Sodium can make your body retain water, which may cause swelling and stress on your heart. You may consume between 2 and 3 grams of sodium per day. It is fairly straightforward to monitor how much salt you eat:

• Do not use the salt shaker at the dinner table. Instead of salt, use herbs, spices, garlic or salt substitutes (just make sure they do not contain potassium chloride, which could be harmful for your heart). By removing the salt shaker, you are taking an important step toward maintaining a low sodium diet.
• Do not add salt to your food during cooking.
• Check the foods you eat for salt content.
• Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Eat low-salt snacks, such as unsalted popcorn.

Sodium is found in most processed foods, including canned vegetables and frozen dinners. Other foods and condiments high in sodium are:

• Cheese
• Ketchup
• Lunch meat
• Pickles
• Barbecue sauce
• Soya sauce
• Salad dressing

Learn to read food labels to determine how much salt different products contain. Ingredients in prepared food are listed in order – if salt is high on the list of ingredients, it means that there is a lot of salt in the product.

Know what counts

Use the sodium values on food labels and in books to add up the total amount of sodium you are getting each day.

Potassium

HF patients taking diuretics may need to increase the amount of potassium in their diet. Check with your doctor to determine if you need to increase your potassium intake. Potassium is found in:

• Chicken
• Fish
• Meat
• Bananas
• Citrus juice/fruits
• Prune juice
• Dates
• Raisins
• Mushrooms
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Squash
• Tomatoes

Fluid intake

You need to limit the amount of fluids you drink because the more blood there is in your body, the harder your heart works. This extra work puts a strain on the heart of people with heart failure.

It is important to be aware of the amount of fluid you drink – particularly if you are taking diuretics. You should not drink too much or too little fluid. Ask your doctor or nurse to discuss with you the right amount and kinds of fluids you should be drinking. Most people with heart failure should drink no more than 6 to 8 cups of fluid per day. Remember, even the water you drink to swallow your medication should be counted. If your mouth is dry from drinking less fluid, try chewing gum. You can also take sips of water or suck on hard candies to moisten your mouth.

The following items should be considered liquids when you are calculating your daily fluid intake:

• Water
• Ice cubes
• Milk
• Coffee
• Tea
• Juice
• Soft drinks
• Bouillon
• Soup
• Wine
• Beer
• Jell-O
• Popsicles
• Ice cream
• Sherbet
• Frozen yogurt

Amount of fluid permitted daily: ____________ounces/____________mLs.

Food intake

Now that you must start paying attention to what you eat, follow Canada’s Guidelines for Healthy Eating to ensure you get the right amount of vitamins and nutrients to maintain your health.