DIET: LOW SODIUM
Question: How many milligrams of sodium should a person on a low-sodium diet consume in a day?
Answer: Doctors recommend low-sodium diets to patients with a variety of medical conditions--particularly hypertension (high blood pressure) and diseases that involve edema (swelling) or fluid retention, like chronic kidney failure, heart failure, and liver failure.
A typical diet in the United States contains 4,000-6,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day. A "no-added-salt diet" contains 3,000 mg of sodium daily. A "low-sodium diet" contains 2,000 mg of sodium daily, and a "very-low-sodium diet" contains 1,000 mg of sodium daily. To consume less sodium, you can stop adding salt to your food, eat less processed foods that contain a lot of sodium, or even buy special low-sodium foods. The easiest way to find out the amount of sodium in your food is to read the nutrition labels. Nutrition labels on food packaging tell you how much sodium is in each serving of an item. Some patients find that talking to a nutritionist helps them determine which foods have the highest and lowest sodium content.
Doctors tell most patients to try a no-added-salt or low-sodium diet first. The kind of diet a doctor recommends depends on a patient's condition. If you want to start a low-sodium diet, talk to your doctor to find out what is right for you.See Also:
Diet Types
Diet: Atkins
Diet: High Fiber
Diet: Meat Consumption
Diet: Mediterranean
Diet: TABB (Trim & Beautiful Bodies)
Diet: Vegetarian
Diet: Low Fat
Diet: Stomach Shrinkage
Diet: Zone Diet
Diet: Zone Diet & Athletes
Diet: Chonic Fatigue
