Did you know that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we consume less than 2300 mg of sodium per day? For most people, it is extremely easy to over exceed this amount of salt in a day. This is because highly processed food like hamburgers, frozen dinners, and canned foods have become a regular staple of our American diet. There are many health risks of consuming too much sodium that a low sodium diet for seniors can help to reduce (and maybe even counter). Read on to find out more!
What Is a Low Sodium Diet?
Whilst there are no set guidelines for the maximum amount of sodium in a low sodium diet, a low sodium diet typically refers to a diet where foods high in sodium are avoided, and foods low in sodium are preferred. This means eating fresh foods more often than processed foods (e.g. fresh poultry rather than cured hams) and consuming more low-sodium foods like fruits and vegetables. It may sound challenging to reduce the amount of sodium in your meals, but consider the many benefits:
Healthier Kidneys
The kidneys in your body play a vital role in controlling the amount of sodium in your body. Consuming too much sodium may overwork your kidneys and possibly damage them. This may result in your kidneys failing to do their job as efficiently as they used to, leading to an increased likelihood of high blood pressure.
Stabilize Blood Pressure
When you consume sodium, it eventually enters your bloodstream. Sodium draws in water which in low amounts isn’t too much of an issue. But if you’re consuming high levels of sodium, in turn, you will have higher-than-normal levels of sodium in your blood. This draws in even more water and increases the total volume of blood coursing through your body. This condition is known as hypertension (or high blood pressure). High blood pressure can cause several detrimental effects on your health, from feelings of dizziness or light-headedness to heart diseases.
Reduce Likelihood of Liver Disease
High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in your liver, which may lead to a condition known as “fatty liver”. This may force the liver to work harder, so to reduce the impact on the liver new blood levels may start to develop between the intestines and main blood vessels. This may cause the flow of harmful chemicals throughout the body, that otherwise would have been processed by the liver.
Healthy Senior Lifestyle at Discovery Village At Southlake
At Discovery Village At Southlake, we are highly aware that many of our residents have pre-existing medical conditions that may lead to an increased likelihood of medical conditions such as hypertension. Whilst we also want our residents to eat more healthily, we also don’t want them to be forced to eat bland food. So instead, as part of our exclusive senior living programs, our Sensations dining rooms serve healthy and delicious gourmet meals for all our residents from cuisines all over the world. In this way our residents still get to enjoy fine dining whilst also knowing that they are making the healthier choice.
