Diet For Hyponatremia

Hyponatremia, or low salt content in the blood, can be a serious medical problem. Salt is an important electrolyte that regulates water balance in the body. A low salt content in the blood typically means that there is too much fluid in the bloodstream, which can be placing stress on the heart and other organs. Therefore, you must adhere to the diet for hyponatremia that your physician recommends to bring your salt levels to the normal range.

Because your blood content of sodium is low, you may add salt to your foods to help bring your salt levels to the normal range. You can add a few shakes of table salt to most of the foods you eat. The food should have a salty flavor to it, but it should not be over salted to the point where you no longer enjoy the food.

Choose salty snacks instead of sugary snacks throughout the day. Snack on salty nuts, salty rice cakes or other low-fat salty snacks to raise your blood sodium levels. Avoid high-fat salty snacks, such as chips, to maintain a healthy overall diet. You may have the urge to drink water when eating salty snacks, but you should reduce your water intake to only a few sips.

Choose to drink a sports beverage that contains salt, particularly if you exercise regularly. When you exercise, your body loses salt in sweat, which may cause you to become more hyponatremic. Therefore, replace your loss fluids with a sports beverage to maintain, or improve the levels of sodium in your bloodstream.

If dietary changes do not appropriately improve your blood sodium levels, your doctor may suggest that you eat a few packs of salt throughout the day to raise your sodium levels. If you cannot tolerate eating salt, you may mix it will a few milliliters of water. Check with your doctor to make sure this method of raising your salt content is appropriate, because raising your salt levels too quickly may be harmful to your health.