Even if you never add salt to your food while cooking or eating it, you may still be getting too much sodium. If you have an ailment like heart disease or high blood pressure, following a low-sodium diet is advisable, but may be a challenge to achieve.

If you’ve recently suffered a heart attack or been diagnosed with heart failure, your doctor likely wants you to reduce your sodium intake because heart failure causes the body to retain sodium. Extra sodium can cause fluid to build up in your body, and extra fluid makes your heart work harder — not a good thing for a heart muscle already under strain.

A low-sodium diet means restricting your sodium intake to just 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams (mg) a day  – a little more than one teaspoon. Don’t confuse sodium and salt. Sodium is a component of table salt, making up about 40 percent of salt. While certain kinds of salt, like sea salt, may have a bit less sodium there’s no such thing as a truly low-sodium salt.

While reading product labels can help you be aware of how much sodium is present in the packaged foods you eat — thanks to the FDA’s mandate to disclose such information – it can still be difficult to achieve a low-sodium diet.

So how can you cut back on sodium? The Heart Failure Society of America, an organization aimed at improving the quality of life for people diagnosed with heart failure and helping prevent the condition in those at risk, offers a few helpful tips:

1. Lose the salt shaker.

If you’re still adding salt to your food when you cook or sit down at the table to eat, stop. You’ll cut your sodium intake by as much as 30 percent by parting company with your salt shaker. Replace salt with more healthy seasonings, like black, cayenne or lemon pepper; herbs like garlic, onion powder, dill, parsley and rosemary; lemon juice and flavored extracts like vanilla or almond.

2. Choose low-sodium versions of favorite foods.

You don’t have to abandon all your favorite foods in order to reduce sodium. Replace foods traditionally high in salt with fresh foods naturally lower in sodium. For example, instead of preparing a country ham, cook a fresh, lean pork roast. Substitute freshly cooked and sliced chicken, turkey, roast beef or pork for lunch meats that usually contain a lot of sodium. Instead of buying salty canned soups, chop up fresh veggies and cooked meats, toss them in the slow cooker and season with herbs and spices. If you must buy canned soups or vegetables, look for labels that say “sodium-free,” “no salt,” “low sodium,” “reduced sodium” or “unsalted.”

3. Pick foods naturally low in sodium.

Generally, you can eat as much fresh food as you want without counting the sodium content. Fresh fruits and vegetables, including freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, have very little sodium. (But remember, please don’t add salt to your fruits and vegetables.) The same is true for fresh meat, poultry and fish. If you are not eating fresh foods, choose other low-sodium foods as much as possible, such as canned fruits, plain frozen vegetables and dried beans, peas, rice and lentils.

4. Learn to read food labels.

By reading food labels, you can learn which foods are high and low in sodium. As a rule, most processed foods, whether they are frozen, canned or boxed, are high in sodium, but don’t rule them out entirely. Some packaged foods are available in low- or no-salt versions.

It can be difficult to change your eating habits, but try introducing changes slowly instead of all at once. It may take weeks before you enjoy the taste of low-sodium foods, but your taste buds will adjust. Be patient. Eventually you won’t even miss the salt.

To learn more about heart failure and how to manage your condition, log on to the Heart Failure Society of America’s Web site: www.abouthf.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

“You can easily improve overall heart health with a few, simple lifestyle choices,” says dietician Keri Glassman. “One in four Americans does not get enough exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With obesity on the rise, especially among children, routine daily exercise is a great place to start.  When combined with a healthier diet, particularly one with reduced sodium, you’ll lower the risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension.”

True, there are factors that you don’t have control over when it comes to heart health, including age, race, gender and family history. However, by monitoring controllable risk factors such as weight, diet and exercise, you can proactively take the necessary steps to limit the threats and improve your overall well-being.

Here are five easy tips to get your ticker in tip-top shape:

Heart smart staples
Stock up on whole grains, lean proteins rich in omega-3s, and a colorful array of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies are not only low in fat and calories, they are also a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Also, omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna, walnuts, soybeans, brussel sprouts and flax seeds, can help lower blood fats called triglycerides, which are harmful to your heart. A diet high in soluble fiber and low in saturated fats along with increased fruits and vegetables may help decrease cholesterol and blood pressure.

Shake the salt habit
Sodium is one of the biggest contributors to heart disease and hypertension; and, as a general rule, you should not exceed 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day. Buyer beware: high amounts of sodium lurk in many of the everyday foods you love, including soups, breads and even beverages. Help stay within your daily sodium recommendation and opt for the low salt or reduced sodium options of your favorite foods, when available.

Many choices, such as Del Monte’s 50 percent Less Salt Vegetables, are a convenient way to reduce salt while maintaining delicious flavor. Look for heart smart options in the grocery store.  Products such as Del Monte’s 50 percent Less Salt Whole Kernel Corn and Sweet Peas display the American Heart Association heart-check mark on the label as they meet the Association’s food criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy people older than age 2.

Other low-sodium options readily available at the supermarket include Pepperidge Farms reduced-sodium breads, lower sodium soups from Campbell’s and Progresso, and Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop popcorn. For great ways on switching out those high sodium foods with lower salt versions, visit delmonte.com/solutions/recipeTools.aspx for delicious recipes.

Your heart will gleam with lycopene
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a leading ingredient in reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies indicate that canned tomato products may be even better than their fresh counterparts,  so go ahead and use that can of spaghetti sauce. In fact, research finds that lycopene in tomatoes can be absorbed more efficiently by the body once processed into juice, sauce, paste and ketchup.

Get moving
Statistics show that 1.3 million people will have a new or recurrent heart attack in 2009 according to the American Heart Association, and one major contributor is a lack of daily exercise. Tired of your old routine or going to the gym? Sign up for a fun salsa, ballroom or meringue dance class at a local community center. You’ll get your blood moving, heart pumping and have fun with friends and others while you’re doing it.

Snuff out the smoke
Quitting smoking is an important and necessary life change to dramatically lowering your risk of a heart attack. Smokers have more than twice the risk of suffering a heart attack as non-smokers and are more likely to die from a heart-related illness.

For more heart-healthy tips visit http://delmonte.com/solutions or the American Heart Association at www.heartcheckmark.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Who is at Risk?  Those with diabetes have a significant risk in developing PAD.  So much so, that the American Diabetes Association recommend everyone with diabetes over the age of 50 should be tested.  Other high risk factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history of heart disease, or being overweight.  Smoking will also increase your likelihood of developing PADS by four times.<!–more–>

The first signs and symptoms of PAD are often first seen in the legs and feet.  This is why we highly encourage high risk patients to pay close attention to pain, discomfort or open lesions in the legs and feet.  One will often feel like their legs get tired or painful when walking or climbing exercise.  When experiencing this pain, it will go away with rest.  This is termed intermittent claudicating and is a sign that your muscles are not getting enough oxygen. One may also feel numbness or tingling, coldness, changes in color, hair loss on the legs and feet.  These are all be signs of a serious problem, but some people who have PAD do not appear with any of these symptoms.  Thus it is very important to still get tested if you are at risk.

How to get tested?  If you are experiencing any of symptoms above or are at high risk of getting PAD, you should consult a health care provider.  Testing for PAD is noninvasive, pain free, quick and easy!  The examiner will either use a standardized machine or manually take your blood pressure on your arm, ankle and other areas on your leg.  Significant changes in your blood pressure in your legs and or ankle is diagnostic of PAD.

What to do if you have PAD.  It is important to take the steps to adjust your lifestyle to prevent the progression of the disease.  It is advised that patients stop smoking, lose weight, and exercise to improve blood flow.  All treatment plans should be thoroughly discussed with your doctor to know what options are right for your body.  The doctor may prescribe blood pressure medication, encourage physical therapy, and in critical conditions, surgery may be necessary.

Those suffering from PAD are at an increased risk of having several foot issues including non-healing ulcers.  PAD patients should visit a podiatrist regularly for foot screenings and management of foot and ankle problems.  A growing number of the American population are having foot and leg amputations due to the effects of diabetes and PAD.  Many of these amputations are highly preventable when people take the appropriate steps to care for their

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Dr. Peter Wishnie is a podiatrist who specializes in foot and ankle surgery. His office is in Piscataway/Hillsborough,NJ. His goals are to educate the public on the care of their feet and ankles and to get them functioning as quickly as possible. For more foot health tips on foot pain, get a Free copy of their book, “Got Feet,” by visiting their website: http://www.stopfootpainfast.com

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