Heart Failure

Summary

Part of the Living With Heart Failure Series.

This program explains that the foods patients eat affect how they feel. After pointing out that limiting sodium is one of the best things people can do to control symptoms, this video shows patients how to select food, prepare food and eat to maintain health. The video covers sodium and fluid restriction as well as eliminating alcohol and tobacco. Patients, featured in the video, are shown working with a dietitian. This video covers tips for grocery shopping as well as dining out.

Details

1. Introduction: Food can have a big impact on your heart failure symptoms. All it takes is one poor choice to cause problems. But there are also many choices you can make that can help you reduce your heart failure symptoms, and feel a lot better.
2. Limiting Sodium: Your #1 Priority.
   1. Limiting sodium, which is salt, is the single most important part of every heart failure patient's diet.
      1. Sodium causes the body to holds onto fluid, which builds up in your body.
      2. Fluid buildup causes shortness of breath and other heart failure symptoms, like swelling.
      3. The more sodium you eat, the more fluids build up, and the worse these symptoms become.
   2. In general, you should have no more than 2,000 mg of sodium each day.
   3. Do not add salt to your food.
      1. Remove the salt shaker from the table.
      2. Make sure that your meals are prepared without salt, whether you or someone else cooks.
      3. Low salt cookbooks can show you how to prepare a lot of tasty low sodium meals.
      4. Herbs and spices are also a great way to add flavor to your foods.
   4. You have to know which foods are high in sodium and avoid them.
      1. Cheeses
         1. Processed cheeses such as cottage cheese, American cheese, or anything labeled processed cheese food.
         2. Try natural cheeses like Swiss, mozzarella, or cheddar.
      2. Meats
         1. Processed meats like: bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, luncheon meats and salami are also high in sodium.
         2. Fresh meats like chicken, turkey, beef or pork, and fish have less sodium.
      3. Other foods
         1. Most dips, sauces, dressings and soups are also extremely high in sodium.
         2. Try plain yogurt or sour cream as a dip, and just oil and vinegar or lemon juice for your salad.
      4. Try products that are labeled no salt, such as no salt pretzels, potato chips, peanuts, tomato sauces or popcorn. There are also low-sodium soups available.
3. Other Heart Healthy Guidelines
   1. Avoid alcohol. It can damage your heart, and make your symptoms worse.
   2. Choose foods low in fat and cholesterol.
      1. They can help you lower your blood cholesterol, and lose extra weight, which may help protect your heart from more damage.
      2. Some good choices include: Lean cuts of meat, fresh fish, fresh vegetables and low, and non-fat dairy products.
   3. Your healthcare team may recommend eating more or less foods high in potassium because some heart failure medications can affect your potassium level. Foods high in potassium include: bananas, oranges, tomatoes, spinach, milk, and potatoes.
4. Making Healthy Food Choices
   1. When deciding what to eat, the first thing you should think about is how it will affect your sodium goal.
      1. It may help to think about your sodium goal of 2,000 mg a day as a beginning balance in a checkbook.
         1. After each meal, subtract the amount of sodium you eat.
         2. No matter how much you have left over at the end of the day, you will start the next day with a new balance of 2,000 mg.
         3. If your balance reaches zero mg, no more sodium that day. To help you stay under 2,000 mg for the entire day.
      2. Try not to eat any one thing that has more than 300 mg, or an entire meal that has more then 600 mg.
   2. Use the Food Label.
      1. The food label is found on every canned, processed or packaged food and lists the item's ingredients.
      2. The two most important parts of the food label are serving size and sodium content. The serving size helps you decide how much you can have based on how much sodium it has.
      3. Food labels also list the fat and cholesterol content. That may be important for some patients.
   3. Other helpful shopping tips.
      1. Fresh foods are always best because they tend to be naturally lower in salt.
      2. Choose carefully at a salad bar because it is full of high sodium traps.
      3. Pay attention to packages that are marked as low or reduced sodium foods. Their sodium content is lower, but you still need to read their label to fit them properly within your 2,000 mg limit.
      4. Your support system of family and friends can make shopping and cooking easier.
5. Dining Out
   1. Do not let heart failure stop you from eating out. Even in restaurants you have choices.
   2. Limiting sodium
      1. When choosing off of a menu, you can request that salt not be added during preparation.
      2. Some restaurants are now beginning to list a meal’s sodium content on the menu. If they do not, make sure you ask.
      3. Most restaurants also now serve “heart healthy” meals. However, while these meals are normally lower in fat and calories, they are not always lower in sodium.
      4. You can also control sodium by controlling portion size.
   3. Ethnic Dishes
      1. These dishes contain large amounts of cheeses; tomato, soy, teriyaki, or broth sauces; and beans that are soaked in salted water.
      2. The best ethnic dishes are those you prepare at home with low sodium ingredients.
6. Limiting Your Fluids
   1. Cutting back on sodium may not be enough to prevent the fluid buildup that can cause heart failure symptoms.
   2. Keeping track of everything you drink all day, every day.
      1. That includes your morning coffee, milk, and orange juice, as well as sodas, soups, and even popsicles.
      2. You can count your fluids by using a fluid intake jar.
         1. A fluid intake jar is a container marked at the level of fluid your doctor feels is right for you.
         2. Every time you drink fluid during the day, empty the same amount of water into your jar.
         3. When the jar hits its mark, you have reached your fluid limit for the day.
   3. Other options
      1. Try hard candy or chewing gum to help keep your mouth moist.
      2. You may also want to try ice chips or taking small sips of water.
7. Conclusion: What you choose to eat and drink has an affect on how you feel. Make choices that will help you feel better, starting with limiting the sodium in your diet. Get involved in your food selection and preparation. You can still enjoy eating — and feel better doing it.