Importance of salt restriction for renal patients - Cambridge ...

Patient Information
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Importance of salt restriction for
renal patients
What happens if you eat too much salt?
Too much salt (sodium chloride) in your diet can increase your blood pressure,
leading to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. It does this by causing
your body to hold on to extra fluid. It can also make you thirsty, so that you
want to drink even more. This effect is particularly important if you are on a fluid
restriction. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet will make it easier to control
your fluid intake, help to reduce your blood pressure and your risks of heart
disease.
So how much salt should you have in your diet?
You should aim to have less than 6g of salt a day in your diet. That’s about a
level teaspoonful and includes all the salt you eat throughout the day including
salt in the foods you buy, such as cereals and bread.
What is the best way to reduce salt in your diet?
The first step is to stop adding salt to your food at the table and to food you are
cooking.
The next stage is to cut down on foods that have a relatively high salt content,
such as:
• Tinned foods (for example soup and baked beans)
• Dried packet products (for example pasta packs, soup)
• Savoury snacks (for example crisps, salted nuts, pretzels)
• Sauces (for example tomato ketchup, brown sauce, soy sauce and
Worcester sauce)
• Seasonings (for example oxo cubes, yeast extract)
• Smoked meats and fish
A good target would be aim for less than two of any of the above foods per
week.
Label reading
It is also worth reading the labels on foods as the amount of salt that they may
contain can vary considerably depending on the brand.
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Patient Information
The easiest way to do this is to look at the salt content per 100g of product. Salt
can also be written as sodium or Na and often both these terms are used on
packaging.
[Note: To convert Sodium to salt, simply multiply the figure by 2.5]
If a product has more than 1.5g salt (or 0.6g sodium) per 100g product it has a
high salt content.
If a product has less that 0.3g salt (or 0.1g sodium) per 100g product it has a
low salt content.
Anything roughly in the middle between these two levels is considered to have a
medium salt content.
It is also worth looking at how much salt is in each serving as even a ‘low salt’
product can add up to a lot if you eat enough of it!
Initially reading labels can take time as you will be comparing the foods you
currently eat to other brands. However, after a short while you will learn which
ones are most suitable and your shopping time will soon be the same as it
always was. You will only need to check each time you pick a product that is
new, or unknown to you.
Simplifying label reading
If you find this all too confusing, you are in a rush or the print on the label is too
small, looking at the ‘front of package labelling’ can be really useful.
This is often displayed as a wheel or a traffic light and contains information on
fat, sugar and salt. In this instance you need to look at salt only. If it is labelled
red it has a high salt content, if it is amber it has a medium salt content and if
it is green it has a low salt content. You should aim to make most of your diet
up with low to medium salt containing foods.
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Patient Information
Are all salts as bad for you?
There are many different types of salt, including rock salt, table salt and sea
salt. All of these contain the same amount of sodium which is what causes your
blood pressure to rise and they should all be restricted in your diet.
Salt alternatives, such as Lo-Salt or Solo should also be avoided as they contain
potassium which can often be raised in renal patients.
Alternative flavourings
To help flavour foods and to make it easier to cut down on salt, adding herbs
and spices such as pepper, garlic and ginger is an excellent way to add flavour.
A list of ideas is available from your Dietitian.
Other information
If you are struggling to cut down on the salt in your diet your Dietitian will be
able to provide individual advice and support, to help you make these changes
and set realistic targets for you.
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01223 216032 or patient.information@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
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patient.
information@addenbrookes.
nhs.
uk : ﻲﻧوﺮﺘﻜﻟﻹا ﺪﻳﺮﺒﻟا ﺮﺒﻋ وأ 01223216032 : ﻢﻗﺮﻟا ﻰﻠﻋ ﺾﻳﺮﻤﻟا
Cantonese
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01223 216032,電郵地址 patient.information@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
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Eğer bu bilgileri başka bir dilde veya büyük baskılı veya sesli olarak isterseniz, lütfen
bulunduğunuz bölümdeki görevlilere söyleyin Hasta Bilgilendirme servisini arasınlar:
01223 216032 veya patient.information@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
Urdu
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8ú: ارد patient.information@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
01223 216032
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Document history
Authors Nicky Waite
Department Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road,
Cambridge, CB2 0QQ www.cuh.org.uk
Contact number 01223 216655
Publish/Review date April 2010/April 2013
File name Imprtance_of_salt_restriction_for_renal_patients
Version number/Ref 1/PIN2618
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