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Heart Failure: Low-Sodium Eating

One of the most important things a person with heart failure can do to improve their health is to reduce the amount of sodium (salt) in their diet. Sodium is a mineral found in many foods. It helps keep normal fluids balanced in the body. Eating too much salt causes the body to keep or retain too much water, worsening the fluid build-up associated with heart failure.

Following a low-sodium diet helps control high blood pressure (hypertension), swelling and water build-up (edema), and/or decrease breathing difficulties for people who have kidney, heart or liver problems. If you have heart failure, you should consume no more than 2,000 mg (2 grams) of sodium per day.

This guide will help you recognize which foods to stay away from, give you helpful cooking tips, as well as help you make healthful food choices when dining out.

Sodium Content of Food

The following table illustrates how much sodium certain foods contain.

Food	Serving Size	Milligrams sodium
Protein
Bacon	1 medium slice	155
Chicken (dark meat)	3.5 oz roasted	87
Chicken (light meat)	3.5 oz roasted	77
Egg, fried	1 large	162
Egg, scrambled with milk	1 large	171
Dried beans, peas or lentils	1 cup	4
Haddock	3 oz cooked	74
Halibut	3 oz cooked	59
Ham (roasted)	3.5 oz	1300 to 1500
Hamburger (lean)	3.5 oz broiled medium	77
Hot dog, beef	1 medium	585
Peanuts, dry roasted	1 oz	228
Pork loin, roasted	3.5 oz	65
Roast lamb leg	3.5 oz	65
Roast veal leg	3.5 oz	68
Salmon	3 oz	50
Shellfish	3 oz	100 to 325
Shrimp	3 oz	190
Spareribs, braised	3.5 oz	93
Steak, T-bone	3.5 oz	66
Tuna, canned in spring water	3 oz. chunk white	300
Turkey (dark meat)	3.5 oz roasted	76
Turkey (light meat)	3.5 oz roasted	63

Dairy Products
American cheese	1 oz	443
Buttermilk, salt added	1 cup	260
Cheddar cheese	1 oz	175
Cottage cheese, low-fat	1 cup	918
Milk, whole	1 cup	120
Milk, skim or 1%	1 cup	125
Swiss cheese	1 oz	75
Yogurt, plain	1 cup	115

Vegetables and vegetable juices
Asparagus	6 spears	10
Avocado	1/2 medium	10
Beans, white cooked	1 cup	4
Beans, green	1 cup	4
Beets	1 cup	84
Broccoli, raw	1/2 cup	12
Broccoli, cooked	1/2 cup	20
Carrot, raw	1 medium	25
Carrot, cooked	1/2 cup	52
Celery	1 stalk raw	35
Corn (sweet, no butter/salt)	1/2 cup boiled	14
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced	1
Eggplant, raw	1 cup	2
Eggplant, cooked	1 cup	4
Lettuce	1 leaf	2
Lima beans	1 cup	5
Mushrooms	1/2 cup (raw or cooked)	1 to 2
Mustard greens	1/2 cup chopped	12
Onion, chopped	1/2 cup (raw or cooked)	2 to 3
Peas	1 cup	4
Potato	1 baked	7
Radishes	10	11
Spinach, raw	1/2 cup	22
Spinach, cooked	1/2 cup	63
Squash, acorn	1/2 cup	4
Sweet potato	1 small	12
Tomato	1 medium	11
Tomato juice, canned	3/4 cup	660

Fruits and fruit juices
Apple	1 medium	1
Apple juice	1 cup	7
Apricots	3 medium	1
Apricots (dried)	10 halves	3
Banana	1 medium	1
Cantaloupe	1/2 cup chopped	14
Dates	10 medium	2
Grapes	1 cup	2
Grape juice	1 cup	7
Grapefruit	1/2 medium	0
Grapefruit juice	1 cup	3
Orange	1 medium	1
Orange juice	1 cup	2
Peach	1	0
Prunes (dried)	10	3
Raisins	1/3 cup	6
Strawberries	1 cup	2
Watermelon	1 cup	3

Breads and grains
Bran flakes	3/4 cup	220
Bread, whole wheat	1 slice	159
Bread, white	1 slice	123
Bun, hamburger	1	241
Cooked cereal (instant)	1 packet	250
Corn flakes	1 cup	290
English muffin	1/2	182
Pancake	1 (7-inch round)	431
Rice, white long grain	1 cup	4
Shredded wheat	1 biscuit	0
Spaghetti	1 cup	7
Waffle	1 frozen	235

Convenience foods
Canned soups	1 cup	600 to 1,300
Canned and frozen main dishes	8 oz	500 to 2,570

Note: These are sodium content ranges -- the sodium content in certain food items may vary. Please contact your dietitian for specific product information.

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WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic