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Find the sodium
When you have heart failure, it’s easy
to have a love-hate relationship with
sodium. You may love the taste. But
you hate what sodium can do to you—
namely, make you retain water, which
forces your heart to work harder.
Eating a low-sodium diet is a
must, however, if you want to help
keep your heart failure under control.
Removing the salt shaker from your
table can help you cut back on how
much sodium you eat. But that’s just a
starting place.
Most of the sodium in our diets
comes from processed foods. Some,
like luncheon meats and potato chips,
you might suspect. But others could
surprise you: Bread, frozen pizza,
salsa, salad dressing, cheese, ketchup,
mayonnaise—to name a few—can be
very salty.
To help protect yourself:
»
»
Read all labels when choosing
packaged foods. Select unsalted
varieties or those with the lowest
sodium content.
»
»
Eat fresh foods when possible.
Rinse foods like canned vegetables
and beans to reduce sodium.
»
»
When eating out, ask that your food
be prepared without added salt.
Sources: American Heart Association; U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services
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5
THE BATHROOM
SCALE WILL BECOME A
VALUABLE HEALTHTOOL.
It’s important for people with heart
failure to weigh themselves daily.
Weight gain can be a sign that your
body is retaining fluid. Your doctor
will explain when weight changes need
attention and how to handle them.
IFYOU HAVE TROUBLE
STICKING WITHYOUR
TREATMENT PLAN,THERE
ARE SOLUTIONS.
Managing heart failure can be
challenging. For example, you may
need to take several medicines,
which can be expensive—and
confusing to remember.
You may discover that a lot of the
foods you normally eat are loaded
with salt, and you may not know how
to cook more healthful meals.
If you have challenges, let your
doctor know. He or she can help
you with them. There may be less
expensive medicines you can take,
for instance. Or tools—such as
medicine charts or pillboxes—might
make it easier to keep track of which
medicines to take and when.
If cooking or eating well is a
problem, your doctor can refer you
to a registered dietitian who can help
you plan tasty and healthy meals.
The important thing to know is
that you don’t have to figure things
out on your own.
HEART FAILURE ISN’T JUST
A PHYSICAL CONDITION.
Fear, anxiety, depression, stress. It’s
perfectly normal to have feelings
like these when diagnosed with a
serious illness. If you have any of
them, it’s essential to tell your doctor
because they can affect the quality
of your life. And they can keep you
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from taking good care of yourself.
Often, it’s helpful to talk about
these feelings—perhaps with a
counselor. Joining a support group
for people with heart failure may be
useful as well.
YOU CAN DOTHIS!
Remember, for most people, heart
failure is highly manageable. Taking
charge of the disease begins with
educating yourself and staying
active in your care.
Sources: American Heart Association; Heart Failure
Society of America; National Institutes of Health
HEART HEALTH