Diet for Heart Failure

A Healthy Heart

Topic Includes:

Sodium Content of Common Foods

Food Dos and Don’ts

Reading Food Labels

Fluids Intake

Other tips for Heart Failure diet

Sodium Content of Common Food

Common Foods Amount Sodium content (mg)
Egg 1 65
Roasted chicken (unsalted) 4 ounces 50-70
Milk 1 cup 125
Swiss cheese 1 ounce 80-130
Bread 1 slice 150-225
Cheddar cheese 1 ounce 180-300
Cereal 1 serving 0-400+
Salad dressing 2 tablespoons 200-400
Cottage cheese ½ cup 250-400
Canned vegetables ½ cup 300-400
American cheese 1 slice 300-400
Frozen waffle 1 250-400
Bacon 2 slices 250-450
Spaghetti sauce ½ cup 550
Hot dogs 1 400-600
Barbecued chicken 4 ounces 600
Pizza 1 slice 350-900
Ham 3 ounces 1300-1500
Subs 6” 800-1900
Canned soup 1 can 2000
Country ham 3 ounces 2500

Food Dos and Don’ts

Food Category Do’s Don’ts
Dairy Milk (1%, skim, or powdered), low fat Ricotta, Mozzarella, or Swiss cheese Buttermilk, malted milk, Canned milk, egg substitute, regular hard & processed cheese, cheese spreads and sauces, snakck dips made from instant soup mix
Meat, Poultry, Fish chicken or turkey lean cuts of beef, veal or lamb, canned tuna and salmone (unsalted or rinsed), fresh or frozen (unbreaded) fish canned meats, canned fish (sardines, unrinsed tuna, and salmon), cured meats (dried beef, bacon, or corned beef), all types of sausages (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, Polish, hot dogs, knockwurst, bratwurst, etc), sandwich meats, any cured, koshered or canned meat, fish, poultry
Breads, Cereals, Grains potatoes, rice or pasta cooked without salt, enriched breads and rolls, unsalted cooked cereal, most dry cereals, unsalted crackers and breadsticks commercially prepared potato, rice, pasta, or stuffing mix, commercially prepared mixes (pancake, waffle, muffin, cornbread), salted nuts
Vegetables fresh, frozen or low-sodium canned regular canned or pickled vegetables, Sauerkraut
Fruit fresh or frozen (no sauce or plastic pouches), canned (unsalted/low-sodium)  
Drinks fruit juices, fresh and frozen canned (low-sodium), instant breakfast drink, lemonade, tea, coffee tomato and vegetable juice, sports/athletic drinks
Fats, Oils 1 serving 0-400+
Snacks, Sweets NA chips, instant pudding and cake mixes, store-bought pies, cakes, muffins
Seasoning pepper, herbs, spices, vinegar, lemon juice, hot pepper and mustard are allowed any seasoning made with salt such as garlic salt or onion salt, meat tenderizers, MSG, regular barbecue or soy sauce, canned gravy and mixes, regular condiments, and olives

Reading Food Labels

  • The first place to start when looking at the Nutrition Facts label is the serving size and the number of servings in the package.
  • Then check how many servings is the patient consuming?
  • Avoid foods that are high in sodium. Look for foods with 140mg or less per serving.

 

Fluids Intake

  • Drink no more than 8 cups per day (64 ounces). Depending on the patient’s condition, the doctor may have him/her drink less.
  • Limit alcohol to 1-2 servings, three times per week. A serving consists of 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1 ounce of liquor.
  • Limit caffeine to one beverage per day.
  • If the patient has a dry mouth, you can help him/her snack on ice cold fruit and vegetables, suck on a frozen lemon or lime, suck on hard candy or chew gum, rinse mouth or use mouth wash.
  • The patient should avoid salty, very spicy or very sweet foods to avoid excess fluid intake.

Other Tips for Heart Failure Diet

“Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Cholesterol”
– Try to keep daily consumption of saturated fats less than 20-25 grams/day and cholesterol 300 mg/day
– Keep trans-fatty acid consumption as low as possible
– Make sure that most fat coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils”

 

 
“Tips for Shopping and Eating Out”
– Fast food is usually salty
– Old fashioned way of cooking without salt is the best way to control your salt intake
– Always check serving sizes on a label when reading nutritional labels
– Most buffets contain many high sodium items
– Think about whether the food you are ordering is made in bulk.
– Fruits have little to no sodium”