This is where you will find some tips and tricks that I have found to be very helpful.
- Make or Buy yourself a binder/folder to put all of your heart stuff/low sodium stuff, recipes, ideas, etc in. (I use a plain old 3-ring binder with a clear cover so I can add some whimsy with a fun sheet of paper.)
- My Cardiologist has recommended that I keep track of how much sodium I intake, so having a notebook inside the binder is extremely useful.
- I also need to track my weight each day. If you need to do that as well, you could add that to your daily food intake, or you could put a small calendar in your binder and just write it down each day of the week.
- I have to also be conscious of how much fluid I drink/eat. Only 64 oz per day for me. I add this to my notebook as well.
- Being on a cardiac diet or low-sodium diet doesn't mean you can't eat good food that is full of flavor. You CAN. It just takes some time and a bit of creativity. :)
- YOU CAN GO OUT TO EAT!
- If you have access to the Internet, find your local favorite restaurants and print out their nutritional information.
- Highlight the SODIUM section so you will always be able to locate the "Good" meals whenever you need to. :) (I was always told to keep each meal between 500-700 mg sodium so you have some room to fluctuate for snacking, etc. so keep this in mind when choosing your meals.)It may be more or less for your diet, depending on your overall daily allowance of sodium.
- Keep this in your Binder so you can just grab it and go.
- Invest in a good Low-Sodium Cookbook.
- It's not a bad idea to have one on hand to try out new recipes, or to see what they use for substitutions.
 |
One that has been approved by the American Heart Association is always a bonus too. :) |
- Sea Salt is NOT better than regular table salt! I love sea salt but found out after my diagnosis that it has almost as much sodium as table salt.
- Salt substitutes aren't very good either, but check with your cardiologist, they may recommend it for you, depending on your diagnosis.
