Nutrition and PH

How do sodium and fluid affect pulmonary hypertension?

The body needs a small amount of sodium to balance fluids and for normal muscle and nerve function. Eating too much salt can lead to the body holding on to too much fluid, leading to swelling or high blood pressure. For people with pulmonary hypertension, when water builds up in the blood and tissues, pressure is put on the heart to pump the extra fluid around the body.

Tips for Maintaining a Low-Sodium Diet

Avoid processed foods. Much of our daily salt comes from pre-prepared, processed, and packaged foods. Even foods that don’t taste salty can still be high in sodium. Processed and cured meats, restaurant or fast food, and convenience foods like soups and frozen dinners are usually high in sodium.
 
Eat homemade meals to control the amount of salt in your food. Fresh produce, fresh cuts of meat, and freshwater fish are typically salt-free or extremely low in sodium. But if you don’t have access to fresh vegetables, sodium-free or low-sodium canned or frozen vegetables are good alternatives. When making a recipe, either reduce the amount of salt, use low-to-no-sodium products, or leave out the salt altogether.
 
Preparing food can be tiring, especially for those with chronic conditions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if needed. Take advantage of the days you feel well enough to cook and freeze leftovers that can be heated up for a day when you don’t have as much energy.

Limit the amount of salt added to your foods.  Table salt, kosher salt, sea salt, Himalayan salt, celery salt, garlic salt, and onion salt all contain the same amount of sodium. One teaspoon of salt contains about 2300 mg of sodium. This can add up quickly when adding salt to your foods at the table or in recipes. Using spices and herbs can flavour your foods instead of salt. The salt habit can be hard to break. If you gradually reduce your salt, your taste buds will adjust over time.
 
Use PHA Canada’s Low Sodium Recipe Book to help get you started. This book is filled with a variety of low-sodium, healthy meals for you and your family.

Read labels. It is hard to completely avoid prepared foods. Many foods, such as breads, baked goods, and sweets, may not be expected to be high in sodium, so it is important to check labels.

Nutrition Fact Table:

1. Check the serving size. If you plan on eating an amount different from the serving size, you may have to do some math to calculate the amount of sodium in the portion of food that you will eat.
2. Check %Daily Value (%DV) or milligrams (mg) listed for sodium.
   1. Less than 5% DV or less than 140 mg is considered a little; choose these more often.
   2. More than 15% DV or more than 400 mg is considered a lot; choose these less often.