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| The sneaky thing about this label is that the first column is a half-serving. A full serving is 1850 mg of sodium. |
Hello all: Joe writing. Mom seems to be retaining significantly more water. Her lower legs are notably larger than they were a month ago. There is nothing any of us can do to make her heart and kidneys younger. BUT we can get aggressive about ensuring that Mom's food is low-sodium. The American Heart Association states that the "ideal minimum is LESS than 1500 mg a day".
We have to remember that Mom is not active and does not perspire much. She does not need much salt.
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| Listing the serving size as a 1/4 cup makes the serving size seem larger than it measures out. A quarter cup of gravy is a meager dollop. |
From a budgeting standpoint that means we should be shooting for 300mg in our meals because some sneaks into it through the desserts Mom loves and the gravy etc. Please read the labels of the ingredients before you begin food prep. If you are serving Mom the same food you are feeding your family, consider leaving the salt out of marinades and sauces and adding the salt at your dining room table.
I spend most of my work day telling folks to follow 1500mg of sodium a day. It is just absolutely crazy how much sodium is in EVERYTHING!! While we do need some for proper cardiac operation, we as Americans need to eat LOTS less for sure. And, yes, if the ankles are swelling, put the feet UP, cut the sodium DOWN, and weigh yourself DAILY. Write that number down. Look at yesterday's number and last week's number (7days ago)...if up 2 pounds in 24 hours, or 5 pounds in a week's time CALL THE DOCTOR to have your meds adjusted!!! PREVENT going to the hospital. Think about it, when you go to the hospital, what do they do?? They put you in bed with your legs elevated to the level of your heart, they feed you a low sodium diet, they adjust your meds, and the send in therapy to getcha moving. You can do all of the above, at lower expense, and more comfortably at home.
ReplyDeleteClimbing off the rant box now...
Thanks for chiming in!
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