Low Sodium Diet

The following tips will help to lower your lipid levels in your blood. Your lipids are:

Cholesterol - an animal fat that is also present naturally in your body. It can be built up as plague in your arteries. A normal level is under 200 mg.

Triglycerides - another fat that is often formed from drinking alcohol, eating sweets and if a person is an uncontrolled diabetic. High blood sugar levels can produce more triglycerides. A normal level is under 150 mg.

HDL - this is the good form which helps to keep your arteries smoother and more elastic. Eating mono-unsaturated fats and exercising help to increase this level. A normal level is 40-60.

LDL - this makes your arteries stickier and easier for the plague to stick to the sides.  Normal levels are 0-99.  Eating lower fat foods, exercising and watching portion sizes to maintain weight are important steps to a healthier heart. 

Guidelines for a healthy heart:

• Choose foods high in fiber

• Eat fewer high fat foods

• Replace some saturated fats with unsaturated fats (poly- and mono- unsaturated)

• Drink alcohol in moderation

• Keep fat intake to 30% of your total daily calories

• Exercise daily

• Maintain a healthy weight

• Limit high calorie snacks and sweets

• Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables/day

See the following sheets for suggestion on the better choices of animal products to decrease the cholesterol intake.

WEBSITE LINKS:

Mayohealth.org
Eatright.org
Diabetes.org
Healthfinder.gov
Nih.gov/health
My.webmd.com
Heartinfo.org
Americanheart.org
Justmove.org

If you have questions or want further follow up as an outpatient, please call 317-468-4467.