Sodium is the mineral found naturally in the foods. The level of sodium in our body is directly linked to the blood pressure and our heart's health. It plays an important role in maintaining the fluid level in our body, in and around our lungs, legs, and heart.
A low sodium diet has control over aspects such as kidney function and blood pressure. The low sodium diet can have another approach to the high potassium diet. The sodium intake with low potassium to counter the side-effects allows the cells to absorb more sodium in them which leads to several complications. Make sure you fight the salt shaker with an avocado, spinach and sweet potato-foods and fruits with high potassium content.
The crucial low sodium diet comes into picture when you have a medical history of blood pressure and heart complications. Just control the sodium i.e. salt consumption of the body. Pre-packaged foods with salt as the key preservative are the major sources of sodium intake and hence should be avoided at all costs.
Replace salt with olive oil, and herbs to make up for the low salt.
This diet chart will help you monitor your sodium intake and limit it to 2300 mg per day.
Weekly Diet Chart For Low Sodium Diet:
Sunday
Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM): 1 cup Milk + Veg Omlet (2 egg whites) + 4-5 almonds
Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM): 1 Apple
Lunch (2:00-2:30PM): 1 cup Parboiled Rice + Daal (1/2 cup) + Fish
Curry (1/2 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4 Fresh Lime
Evening (4:00-4:30PM): 1 cup vegetable soup
Dinner (8:00-8:30PM): 2 Chapati + Dum Aloo (1 cup) + Salad (1 serve) with 1/4th Fresh Lime
Monday
Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM): 1/2 cup Vegetable Poha + 3-4 walnuts
Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM): 1 cup Watermelon
Lunch (2:00-2:30PM): 1 cup Rajma + 1/2 cup Cabbage n Potato + 1/2 cup cucumber raita + 1 cup rice + onion salad + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Evening (4:00-4:30PM): 1 cup sprouts salad
Dinner (8:00-8:30PM): 2 Chapati + Drumstick n Potato
Curry (1 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Tuesday
Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM): 2 Moong Dal Cheela + Chacch (1 glass) + 4-5 almonds
Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM): 1 cup Pomegranate
Lunch (2:00-2:30PM): 2-3 Chapati + Chana Dal (1/2 cup) + Fish
Curry (1/2 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Evening (4:00-4:30PM): 1 cup Aloo chat
Dinner (8:00-8:30PM): 2 Chapati + Baked Pumpkin (1/2 cup) + Fried Lady's Finger (1/2 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Wednesday
Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM): 1 cup Vegetable Suji + 3-4 walnuts
Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM): 1 cup Orange
Lunch (2:00-2:30PM): 2-3 Chapati + 1 cup Palak Paneer + Salad (1 serve) + 1 Roasted Papad + 1/4th Fresh Lime + Raita (1/2 cup) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Evening (4:00-4:30PM): 1/2 cup Sauteed Soy chinks with Tomato n Onion
Dinner (8:00-8:30PM): 2 Chapati + Snake Gourd
Curry (1 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Thursday
Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM): 1 cup Vegetable Upma + 4-5 almonds
Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM): 1 cup Papaya
Lunch (2:00-2:30PM): Parboiled Rice (1 cup) + Masoor Dal (1/2 cup) + Cauliflower n Potato
Curry (1/2 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Evening (4:00-4:30PM): 1 cup vegetable soup
Dinner (8:00-8:30PM): 2 Chapati + Pointed Gourd
Curry (1 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Friday
Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM): 1 cup Milk n cornflakes + 3-4 walnuts
Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM): 1 cup Cantaloupe
Lunch (2:00-2:30PM): 2-3 Chapati + Moong Dal (1/2 cup) + 1 Roasted Papad + Fish
Curry (1/2 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Evening (4:00-4:30PM): 1 omlette
Dinner (8:00-8:30PM): 2 Chapati + Mix Veg
Curry (1 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Saturday
Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM): 3 Vegetable Idli + 1 cup sambhar + 4-5 almonds
Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM): 1 Banana
Lunch (2:00-2:30PM): Parboiled Rice (1 cup) + Chicken curry (1 cup) + Potato n Drumstick curry (1/2 cup) + 1/4th Fresh Lime + Carrot n Cucumber Salad (1 serve)
Evening (4:00-4:30PM): 1 cup sprouts salad
Dinner (8:00-8:30PM): 2 Chapati + Methi Aloo
Curry (1 cup) + Salad (1 serve) + 1/4th Fresh Lime
Food Stuff To Limit:
Limit high-carbohydrate foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread; Fried or oily foods- samosas, kachori, puri etc., refined foods like- pancakes, table sugar, muffins, cakes, pastries etc., as these foods are high in processed carbs that results in too much sugar in the blood which is dangerous and how the body converts and stores sugar as fat as a defense mechanism so it is necessary to avoid the above mentioned foods.spicy foods, alcohol and alcoholic beverages.
Diet Do's And Dont's For Low Sodium Diet
Dieting Do's:
To help prevent blood pressure from dropping sharply after meals, eat a moderate size healthy meal.
Caffeine-containing drinks such as coffee or tea with meals may help temporarily raise your blood pressure.
Add nutrient-rich complex carbohydrate foods in your diet such as Brown rice, grains (quinoa, buckwheat, and whole-wheat), fruits (apples, berries, and bananas, but avoid canned fruits), vegetables (broccoli, leafy greens, and carrots), nuts, and beans.
Increased intake of sodium salt (Himalayan rock or sea salt, not table salt) can help people with low BP.
Increased fluid intake increases the volume of the blood in the body, additionally help prevent dehydration.
Wearing stockings that cover the calves and thighs help to keep the blood in the upper body for too long without making a dip in the blood pressure.
Dieting Don'ts':
Limit high-carbohydrate foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread. Because eating high carb diet may cause a sharp drop in blood pressure.
Excess consumption of caffeinated beverages (like tea & coffee) should be kept in moderation, because it is also diuretic thus might lower blood pressure afterwards.
Excess sodium salt intake is not advisable, be in moderation.
Limit alcohol intake.
Since dizziness and light-headedness are symptoms of low blood pressure be very cautious while changing your body positions, especially, when suddenly getting up from a sitting position or bed.
Food Items Safe To Have:
Foods one can easily have in low BP are listed below
- cereals- brown rice, parboiled rice, quinoa, whole grains etc.
- Pulses such as bengal gram, red gram, green gram, black gram; fruits and vegetables
- green leafy vegetables like spinach, fenugreek, etc, carrots, kiwis, peaches, holy basil leaves (tulsi), garlic, pomegranate, sweet potatoes, raisins, avocado, bananas, kale, spinach, red bell peppers, fruit juices, licorice (mulethi) etc.,
- milk and milk products: milk, yoghurt and/or curd, coffee
- nuts and seeds: seasame and/or pumpkin seeds, raisins, almonds, extra table salt