Mr. Mahesh is on a low sodium (3g) diet. Choose the most appropriate food item from the undermentioned list?

SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-B)

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Medium

Appeared in: SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-B)

Explanation

Bananas are fresh fruits, which are naturally very low in sodium.
They are also a good source of potassium, which is beneficial for patients with hypertension, a common reason for a low-sodium diet.
Dietary guidelines for mild sodium restriction (2-3g) explicitly permit the use of naturally occurring fresh foods without restriction.
The chosen food aligns perfectly with the principles of a therapeutic low-sodium diet, which emphasizes unprocessed items.

Option A: Bread is a processed food and a common source of 'hidden' sodium. Even a single slice can contain a significant amount of a patient's daily sodium allowance.
Option B: Cheese, especially processed cheese, is very high in sodium, which is added during manufacturing for flavor and as a preservative. It is explicitly listed as a food to avoid on a sodium-restricted diet.
Option D: Tomato ketchup is a condiment known for its high sodium and sugar content. It is listed as a food to avoid on a sodium-restricted diet because salt is a primary ingredient.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Dietary management and food choices for a patient on a low-sodium diet as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
A low-sodium diet is a cornerstone of therapy for managing hypertension, heart failure, and kidney disease. Excess sodium causes fluid retention, increasing blood volume and blood pressure.
Nurses play a crucial role in educating patients about their dietary restrictions. This includes teaching them how to read food labels to identify sodium content and recognize hidden sources of salt.
What if the patient was also on a potassium-restricted diet (e.g., due to advanced kidney disease)? In that case, a banana, being high in potassium, would become an inappropriate choice, and a low-potassium fruit like an apple would be better.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key instruction in the question stem: the patient is on a 'low sodium (3g) diet'.
Next, analyze the options by categorizing them. You have one fresh, unprocessed food (Banana) and three processed foods (Bread, Cheese, Ketchup).
Recall the basic principle of therapeutic diets: fresh, unprocessed foods are generally preferred over processed foods, which often contain high levels of additives like salt and sugar.
Based on this principle, deduce that the fresh fruit (Banana) is the most likely correct answer as it is naturally low in sodium.
Confirm this by recalling that cheese and condiments like ketchup are notoriously high in salt, and bread is a common source of hidden sodium.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Dietary management and food choices for a patient on a low-sodium diet.
Stem keywords: low sodium, 3g diet, food item
Lead-in keywords: most appropriate
Clinical cues: The specific dietary restriction 'low sodium (3g)' is the key to solving the question.