Low-Sodium Diet

It was a dark and gloomy day in my life, yes January 22, 2020, was indeed a dark day in my life. Where I found out about my heart, and that means that I have to change the way I eat. Oh, Great.

Found out

I found out about my heart and then I have to change the way I eat. That means that I will have to go on a low sodium diet. (Hang my head in shame or denial).  This isn’t the right time to find out about this and to change the way I eat. WHY?

Vacation

On Feb. 15, 2020, I was headed out to the Caribbean. I was going on a 7-day cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale.  So I had to make some changes and that means I can’t eat the food I want on this cruise. I mean, I could but I was trying to be good.

Low Sodium

According to the Cleveland Clinic (website), a Sodium-Controlled Diet is something that you need to do to reduce your salt intake.

So basically NO MORE salt.

Did you know that one teaspoon of salt is equal to 2,300 mg of sodium? That is a lot. That is the amount of sodium you should be having per day.

Some guidelines

• Avoid using
  • Garlic salt
    • Like this
  • Onion salt
    • Like this
  • MSG
  • Meat tenderizers
  • Broth mixes
  • Soy sauce
  • Teriyaki sauce
    • Like this
  • Barbeque sauce
    • Like this
  • Sauerkraut
    • Like this
  • Olives
    • Like this
  • Pickles
    • Like this
  • Pickle relish
    • Like this
  • Bacon bits
  • Croutons
  • Most fast foods
    • Like this
  • Processed foods
    • Like this

That is a long list and it could be longer.

What am I to do

I will admit it, I like salt on certain things. Like the following:

• Apples
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon

Since I was a kid, I loved putting on the salt, that came to an end.

I have watched my salt intake better than I have before I found out. The swelling in my legs has gone down a lot. Yes, swelling is a common thing with a high sodium intake.

Cruise

I ordered off the menu for the low sodium meal, I just had to do it the night before. I found out that the salad dressing I was consuming all week was high in sodium. I thought a vinaigrette would be good. But, No, it wasn’t. I didn’t eat like I normally do, or like I wanted to do. Plus, I didn’t feel good the whole trip. Found out that it was one of the new pills I was taking that was causing me to have stomach pains and I wasn’t that hungry.

Overall

I have cut way down on the sodium I was consuming, so that is a good thing. My swelling has gone down and that is a good thing. But, I could be doing better at it. I guess it is all a work in process.

I have been reading the Nutrition labels on food and I find myself putting back items that I normally eat and find something different.