Are you looking for recipes, explanations, and helpful tips? Keep scrolling to find all of those and much more. Sodium is a natural mineral that is found in foods. Unlike salt, sodium does not have to be manufactured as it occurs naturally. The human body actually needs a bit of sodium to maintain healthy function.

It is the excess buildup of sodium in the body that causes health issues. The kidneys process sodium and, when there is too much of it, they are not able to properly process the compound, leading to sodium buildups in the bloodstream.

This can lead to high blood pressure which puts seniors at risk of heart disease and stroke. A low sodium diet — or no salt added diet, as some call it — refers to a diet that contains minimal sodium. It is virtually impossible to eat a sodium-free diet but, by eliminating added sodium such as table salt, at-risk seniors can often lower their risk of sodium-related health issues.

The CDC recommends that people seek to consume under 2,mg of sodium per day. You should always consult your physician to find out what daily intake is best for you as it can vary from person to person. Always talk to your doctor before making any drastic dietary changes.

As we age, the way our bodies process food changes. Some seniors find that they need softer meals due to swallowing issues. Some might need to lower their carb intake. Some need to monitor their sodium consumption. Not all seniors need to focus on low sodium meals but many do.

Some health conditions can be drastically improved by reducing sodium intake. For instance, a doctor may suggest a low sodium diet with the following diagnoses:. Having to switch to a low sodium diet because of health complications can be scary and confusing but walking through the process with someone who understands it can alleviate some anxiety.

Here at Senior Services of America , we focus on caring holistically for our residents and that includes providing low sodium meals for those who need them. Our facilities are equipped to make delicious meals that fit the dietary needs of our residents — without sacrificing flavor or health.

Here are five easy tips to help you incorporate low sodium meals naturally. Once you know how much sodium you or your loved one should be consuming considering their health needs, you should start tracking your daily sodium intake.

First, if you prefer the more time-honored methods, you can keep a journal. Simply have a page for each day and log the amount of sodium consumed at each meal or snack. Make sure to keep the log updated and accurate — no sneaking random bites of food without tracking them, that sodium will add up quickly.

The other — and likely easier — method is to use a meal tracking app. There are a variety of apps on the market, but most allow you to track each meal and its sodium content.

You can also track other things such as calories or sugars. It might seem daunting at first but, the more you do it, the easier it will get. After a while, tracking sodium intake will simply be second nature.

The best way to prepare for something is to make a plan. If you need to begin reducing your sodium intake, create a meal plan based on low sodium recipes for seniors.

Meal planning looks different for everyone. Some people prefer to just create a menu for each day of the week while others like to spend an afternoon prepping meals and making sure they have everything they need. Think of it as helping your body feel its best and allowing it to be as healthy as possible.

You have to make wise choices on behalf of the rest of your body. Media Requests. News Network. Price Transparency. Medical Professionals.

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High blood pressure may lead to further health risks, including heart attacks, strokes, or kidney failure. Sodium is a regulator of fluid control for body cells, which means the right amount of sodium will prevent body swelling and keep cells functioning properly.

What makes up a sodium-controlled diet? Monitoring sodium in the diet may be difficult since salt is seen abundantly in many foods, especially processed or packaged foods. With no conscience effort, it is easy to go far above the suggested dietary allowance for sodium. The U. Currently, the average sodium intake in the U.

If your sodium levels are too high, first and foremost, cut out those unhealthy processed foods — and if you want to get your sodium levels back on track, a low-sodium diet may be your best bet. Are you interested in following a low-sodium diet? low-sodium foods. A low-sodium diet restricts the intake of sodium that can be found in salt and other sodium-rich foods.

A low-carb diet restricts the intake of carbohydrates, especially high-carb foods like bread and pasta. A low-sugar diet typically limits the intake of added sugars while a sugar-free diet is one that typically stays away from all sources of added sugar as well as hidden sugar foods.

A sugar-free diet plan sometimes even encourages a reduction in high-carb foods like fruits and grains that can still be healthy but do contain natural sugars. People with high blood pressure or heart failure are some of the people who are most commonly asked by their doctors to limit their daily salt intake.

The best and healthiest way to do this is to eat a well-balanced diet that is focused on fresh, whole foods. You can also try a three-day cardiac diet. Fresh fruit and vegetables are naturally low in salts while processed foods, canned foods and fast food are some of the worst offenders that should be avoided.

How many grams of sodium per day is typically OK? According to the CDC :. Is salt bad for you? Heavily processed table salt, processed foods and fast foods are the top things to avoid as much as possible.

Put simply, sodium is an element that the body needs to work properly. Research has demonstrated that when it comes to high blood pressure, increasing potassium intake and weight loss for people who are overweight are both key. This nutrient-dense foods list has a lot of great low-sodium foods to choose from each day.

Here are some more ideas for foods naturally low in sodium:. Many people wonder about the sodium in eggs. One egg contains around 70 milligrams of sodium. True, high-quality pink Himalayan salt is one of the purest salts you can purchase and is very different from table salt, which is very heavily processed, eliminating its other minerals.

There are also many foods that taste extremely salty because they are overloaded with added sodium. A report by the CDC in called out five foods that give Americans most of their sodium: yeast breads, chicken and mixed chicken dinners, pizza, pasta dishes, and cold cuts.

The most common form of sodium is sodium chloride, or table salt. Sodium is also naturally found in many healthy foods. For example, milk, celery and beets all naturally contain sodium. Drinking water also typically contains sodium, but the amount depends upon the water source.

Softened water has sodium added to it. Related: Nanotechnology in Food Science: What You Need to Know. Even though you should be thoughtful about the sodium in food and your intake of sodium per day, you should also be aware of the dangers of a low-sodium diet, no-salt diet or salt-free diet.