Diet for patient with Congestive Heart failure is?

Appeared in: WCL Staff Nurse - 2019

Explanation

The primary dietary intervention for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is strict sodium restriction to prevent fluid retention and reduce cardiac workload.
Ginger and bay leaves are natural herbs used for flavoring that do not contain sodium.
Using herbs and spices is a recommended strategy to make low-sodium food more palatable, which improves dietary adherence.
This option is the only one that is completely free of salt or sodium compounds.

Option A: This option explicitly includes 'salt'. While onion and garlic powder can be sodium-free, 'onion salt' and 'garlic salt' are common and high in sodium. The presence of 'salt' makes this option incorrect.
Option B: This option contains 'sea salt'. Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value and contain comparable amounts of sodium chloride by weight. Both are restricted in a low-sodium diet.
Option C: This option explicitly lists 'sodium', making it incorrect for a sodium-restricted diet.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Dietary management for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Nurses play a crucial role in educating CHF patients about their diet. This includes teaching how to read food labels, identify hidden sources of sodium, and use alternative flavorings.
A key nursing intervention is monitoring for signs of fluid overload, such as daily weight gain, increased edema, and shortness of breath. A weight gain of more than 2-3 lbs (about 1 kg) in a day or 5 lbs (about 2.3 kg) in a week should be reported to the healthcare provider.
Adherence to a low-sodium diet is a major predictor of reduced hospital readmissions for heart failure.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core medical condition in the question: Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).
Recall the primary dietary principle for managing CHF. The key is reducing the heart's workload by preventing fluid retention.
Connect fluid retention to its main dietary cause: sodium intake.
Evaluate each option specifically for the presence of sodium. Look for keywords like 'salt', 'sea salt', or 'sodium'.
Eliminate any option that contains a source of sodium.
Select the option that consists only of sodium-free flavorings, such as herbs and spices.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Nutrition Kumud Khanna 2e pp. 321-323, 320-322, 309-311

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