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      Sodium and Fluid Restriction for Children

      Sodium restriction for children with renal failure

      A low-sodium diet or salt restriction may be used to help prevent or reduce fluid retention in your child's body. The amount of sodium or salt allowed in your child's diet depends on your child's medical condition. Your child's doctor or dietitian will determine the amount of sodium allowed in your child's diet. This is usually expressed in milligrams (mg) per day. Some common sodium restrictions include 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 mg per day. With most sodium-restricted diets, high-sodium foods are limited and salt is not allowed in food preparation or at the table.

      Foods high in sodium

      • Canned foods (vegetables, meats, pasta meals)

      • Processed foods (meats such as bologna, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs, sausage)

      • Cheese

      • Dried pasta and rice mixes

      • Soups (canned and dried)

      • Snack foods (chips, popcorn, pretzels, cheese puffs, salted nuts)

      • Dips, sauces, and salad dressings

      Foods low in sodium

      • Plain breads, cereals, rice and pasta

      • Vegetables and fruits (fresh or frozen)

      • Meats (fresh cuts; not processed meats)

      • Milk and yogurt (these tend to be moderate in sodium)

      • Beverages such as juices, tea, fruit drink/punch, and soda, sports drinks have sodium so these may need to be limited

      Low-sodium seasonings

      The following low-sodium seasonings may be used more freely than those that are high in sodium:

      Allspice
      Bay leaf
      Basil
      Chili powder
      Chives
      Cinnamon
      Cloves
      Curry powder
      Dill
      Extracts (vanilla)
      Vinegar

      Garlic (fresh)
      Garlic powder
      Ginger
      Horseradish sauce
      Lemon juice
      Lime juice
      Mace
      Marjoram
      Dry mustard
      Nutmeg
      Mrs. Dash

      Onion (fresh)
      Onion powder
      Oregano
      Paprika
      Pepper
      Rosemary
      Sage
      Tarragon
      Thyme
      Tabasco

      The following seasonings are high in sodium, but can be used in limited amounts.

      Limit to 1 tablespoon per meal:

      • Barbecue sauce

      • Cocktail sauce

      • Ketchup

      • Mustard

      • Hot sauce

      • Low-calorie salad dressing

      • Steak sauce

      How to reduce your child's salt intake

      The following recommendations may help to reduce the amount of salt in your child's diet:

      • Don't use salt in cooking or at the table.

      • Cook with herbs and spices or, if permitted by your child's doctor, use salt substitutes like Mrs. Dash, Nu-Salt, NoSalt, or Morton's Lite Salt.

      • Seasonings with the word "salt" in the name, like garlic salt, are high in sodium. When seasoning foods use fresh garlic or garlic powder, use onion powder instead of onion salt, and try celery seed rather than celery salt.

      • Eat home-prepared meals, using fresh ingredients, instead of canned, frozen, or packaged meals. When dining out, request dressings and sauces on the side. Ask the chef to hold the salt in food preparation.

      Type of food

      Allowed

      Foods to avoid

      Milk, yogurt, cheese

      • Whole, 2 percent, or skim milk

      • Cottage cheese, regular hard cheeses, tofu

      • Puddings, custards, ice cream

      • Processed cheese, cheese spreads

      Meat, fish, poultry

      • Fresh or frozen meats, poultry, fish

      • Low sodium canned tuna or salmon

      • Dried beans and peas

      • Soybean or vegetable protein

      • Peanut butter

      • Salted or canned meats, fish (sardines, herring, anchovies), or poultry

      • Lunch meats (bologna, ham, corned beef)

      • Cured meats (ham, bacon, sausage)

      • Hot dogs, dried beef, jerky

      • Commercially frozen entrees

      • Kosher-prepared meats

      Fruits

      • Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits, fruit juices

      • None

      Vegetables

      • Fresh, frozen, or low-sodium canned vegetables

      • Sauerkraut, salted or pickled vegetables

      • Vegetables cooked with salted meats

      • Regular vegetable juices

      Starches, breads, cereals

      • Potatoes, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, rice

      • Unsalted potato chips, low sodium pretzels, unsalted crackers, unsalted popcorn, and nuts

      • Whole-grain and enriched breads

      • Pancakes, muffins, French toast, waffles, biscuits, cookies, cakes

      • Whole-grain and enriched cooked or commercially prepared dry cereals

      • Potato chips, slated snack foods or pretzels

      • Commercially prepared rice and noodle mixes

      • Salted breads, rolls and crackers

      • Salted popcorn and nuts

      Miscellaneous

      • Chocolate, cocoa, horseradish, herbs and spices, such as onion powder, fresh garlic, garlic powder, celery seed

      • Flavorings such as vinegar, lemon juice, Tabasco

      • Low-sodium condiments and seasonings, such as Mrs. Dash, Nu-Salt, Morton's Lite Salt, NoSalt

      • Ketchup, chili sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, gravy (limit to 1 Tbsp per day)

      • Low-sodium canned soups, homemade soups

      • Commercially prepared meat sauces

      • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

      • Onion salt, garlic slat, celery salt, seasoned salt

      • Olives, pickles

      • Relish, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce

      • Dehydrated soup or bouillon, canned soups

      Fats

      • Butter, margarine, lard, shortening, vegetable oil, mayonnaise

      • Salad dressing (limit 1 Tbsp per day)

      • Salt pork, bacon fat, fat back

      • More than 1 Tbsp. salad dressing per day

      Sample plan for 3,000 mg sodium restriction

      Breakfast

      Lunch

      Dinner

      Orange juice (1/2 cup)
      Dry cereal (1/2 cup)
      Toast (1 slice)
      Margarine (1 tsp)
      Jelly (1 Tbsp)
      Low-fat milk (1 cup)

      Beef patty (3 oz)
      Hamburger bun (1)
      Mustard (1 Tbsp)
      Ketchup (1 Tbsp)
      Sliced tomato and lettuce
      Low-fat milk (1 cup)

      Baked, breaded chicken strips, homemade (3 oz)
      Oven-baked french fries, homemade (1/2 cup)
      Green beans (1/2 cup)
      Dinner roll (1)
      Margarine (1 tsp)
      Apple juice (1 cup)
      Frozen yogurt (1/2 cup)

      Morning snack

      Afternoon snack

       

      Banana
      Cereal fruit bar

      Oatmeal cookies (2)
      Lemonade

       

      Definitions for sodium claims on food labels

      The food label reads

      What this means

      Sodium-free

      Less than 5 mg sodium per serving

      Salt-free

      Meets requirements for sodium-free

      Low sodium

      140 mg sodium or less per serving

      Very low sodium

      35 mg sodium or less per serving

      Reduced sodium

      At least 25 percent less sodium when compared to the same product without reduced sodium

      Light in sodium

      50 percent less sodium per serving when compared to foods with more than 40 calories per serving or more than 3 gm of fat per serving

      Unsalted; no added salt; without added salt

      • No salt is added during processing

      • The product it resembles and substitutes for is normally processed with salt

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