Reducing Sodium in Elderly Your Loved One’s Diet

By Jamie Shapiro | February 14, 2023 | Comments Off on Reducing Sodium in Elderly Your Loved One’s Diet

Less Sodium: Senior Care Deerfield IL

February is American Heart Month and it’s time to seriously consider your elderly loved one’s heart health!

Heart disease is a big threat to many Americans and is the number one cause of death worldwide. In order to have a healthy heart, your loved one should review several of her lifestyle choices such as physical activity, her diet, and along with her diet, her sodium intake.

Affects of Too Much Sodium

Having too much sodium in your diet can be a big problem for many seniors. Sodium doesn’t just hang out in the saltshaker on the stove. It’s also highly prevalent in the convenience foods that many Americans have grown accustomed to – frozen meals and takeout. While both are fine to consume occasionally, if your loved one’s diet consists of mostly these two products, you might want to enlist the help of her senior home care provider. They can assist in reducing the number of high sodium level convenience foods your loved one is consuming.

 

Reducing Sodium Intake

Here are some easy tips to reduce the amount of sodium in the foods your loved one purchases:

Eat at Home

Eat at home as often as possible and preparing her own meals. Or, having someone like her senior home care provider prepare her meals for her. This will ensure that she can control the amount of sodium that is added to each meal. Eating out at a restaurant or having takeout should be reserved for special occasions only. Many resources suggest once a week should be about the maximum number of times you should enjoy fast food or takeout.

Prepare Meals with Fresh Ingredients

Prepare meals with fresh, frozen, or no-salt-added foods. It doesn’t help to eat at home if the meals are made with heavily preserved meats and sides. Using fresh meat and vegetables lets your loved one be in control of the sodium she uses.

Read Labels

When purchasing items from the grocery store to make at home, help your loved one know how to read the label to make sure it doesn’t contain a lot of sodium. Sodium can sneak into products you wouldn’t think of like sauces and dressings. If a product (like marinara sauce) has a low-sodium offering, choose the low-sodium offering over a more heavily salted jar of sauce.

Stock Up the Spice Rack

Adding other spices to foods can help your loved one not miss the salt she’s become accustomed to in her foods. Some great herbs and spices to have on hand are cumin, cayenne, paprika, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, lemon peel, garlic and onion powder, and sage. She can also look for no-salt or low-salt alternatives that are available in most spice aisles.

Start Small

It may take a bit of adjusting but small changes can make a big difference in heart health. Try working on one area first, like limiting how much take-out your loved one enjoys.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in Deerfield, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.

 

Source: https://www.heart.org/en/around-the-aha/february-is-american-heart-month

Jamie Shapiro
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