Which food should the nurse teach a client with heart failure to limit?

Appeared in: NHM MP Staff Nurse-2022

Explanation

Clients with heart failure have a compromised cardiac output, leading to fluid retention (edema).
Sodium intake directly contributes to fluid retention, increasing blood volume and placing additional strain on the already weakened heart.
Canned tomato juice is a processed food that is typically very high in added sodium for preservation and flavor.
Limiting high-sodium foods like canned tomato juice is a critical component of managing heart failure symptoms and preventing exacerbations.

Option A: Apples are fresh fruits, which are naturally low in sodium and high in beneficial nutrients like fiber and potassium. They are a recommended part of a heart-healthy diet.
Option C: While whole wheat bread does contain sodium, it is also a good source of dietary fiber. It is not the food item that needs to be most strictly limited compared to highly processed, high-sodium items.
Option D: Beef tenderloin, as a fresh and unprocessed cut of meat, is naturally low in sodium. It is a source of protein and can be part of a heart-healthy diet when consumed in moderation.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Dietary management and sodium restriction for clients with heart failure to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
A key nursing role is patient education on dietary management to empower self-care and prevent hospital readmissions for heart failure exacerbations.
Nurses must teach patients how to read nutrition labels to identify sodium content, looking for terms like 'soda', 'sodium', and 'Na'.
What if? The patient states they can only afford canned vegetables. The nurse should advise them to choose 'No Salt Added' versions if available, or to rinse the canned vegetables thoroughly under running water to remove a significant portion of the surface sodium.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core clinical condition in the question stem, which is 'heart failure'.
Recall the primary dietary restriction associated with managing heart failure. The key principle is sodium restriction to prevent fluid overload.
Evaluate each food option based on its typical processing and sodium content.
Compare the options: 'canned tomato juice' is a processed item known for high added sodium. 'Apples', 'whole wheat bread', and 'beef tenderloin' are either fresh or less processed.
Conclude that the most important food to limit among the choices is the one with the highest likelihood of excessive sodium content, which is the canned tomato juice.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Dietary management and sodium restriction for clients with heart failure.
Stem keywords: heart failure, food, limit
Lead-in keywords: Which

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

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