Low sodium diet

Limiting sodium can be an important part of managing some health problems.

The most common source of sodium is salt. People get most of the salt in their diet from canned, prepared, and packaged foods. Fast food and restaurant meals also are very high in sodium. Your doctor will probably limit your sodium to less than 2,000 milligrams (mg) a day. This limit counts all the sodium in prepared and packaged foods and any salt you add to your food.

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.

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.