Traveling with heart failure

I love to travel but one thing I have found is that it can really be a challenge when you have heart failure. Not the traveling part.....that is fine and very enjoyable but if you have heart failure, you know what I'm talking about. It's very hard, especially if you have to eat every meal out. So, I thought I'd try and post some tips of things you can do when you are traveling. It's not always possible to get a place that has a kitchen, but if possible, that's what I do. The vacation I'm taking next week will be no problem because I will do all my own cooking since we have rented a cabin. I'm talking all my own food with me so I can make it according to my low sodium diet. This isn't always possible though and deciding what and where to eat can be a challenge. Some of the things I do that you may also find helpful are:

I always take fruit with me and make that my breakfast! Sometimes you can order fruit off the menu at many places also. You can never go wrong with fruit and OJ for breakfast and that's about the lowest sodium meal you will ever have! That way, you've kept it low at breakfast so you have room for more throughout the day because lunch and dinners can be the real challenges.

I always take a loaf of my low sodium bread with me. Whenever I order a sandwich, I swap out the bun or bread for my own low sodium bread. You can lower the sodium in one sandwich by a great deal by doing this. It can be as much as 400 mg that you lower by swapping out the bun or bread.

I always carry my own no salt added ketchup with me too. Ketchup is very high in sodium and you can get more than you realize in just a little cup with an order of fries.

Aks for everything you order to be prepared without the salt! I always tell them to hold the cheese too because cheese is very high in sodium.

Ask for half orders........you get way too much to eat anyway! smaller portions can lower the sodium quite a bit.

Order a baked potato and a salad. For your dressing, use vinegar and oil because most salad dressings are very high in sodium.

If you are flying, most airlines have a toll free number you can call to special order a low-sodium meal on your flight. You'll need to request this in advance though so do a few days before you are scheduled to leave.

Pack a meal in an insulated lunch bag. I do this quite often!

Some hotels offer "heart healthy" room service choices. You'd be surprised. I still ask for everything with no salt, just to be sure.

Be careful with pre-dinner treats. Those little nibbles of finger foods can add up in a hurry.

This vacation, I'll eat out once for lunch, once for dinner and once for breakfast. Try and plan where you will eat a head of time if possible. Make special requests when you can.....don't be afraid to do so! I know the place we will be having dinner at serves meats without the added salt and they have locally grown produce, so I request they add no salt when preparing my food. They are always happy to do this. Don't be afraid to ask if they use free range meats or not. Most of your nicer places do this now and a lot of places get their meats from local farmers so there has been nothing added to it! I try and find those places and go there often. I'll be eating at one next week that I love! There are lots of things you can do to avoid too much salt, but don't be afraid to ask!

Hope that helps........if you have any tips to add, please feel free to leave a comment. I'm always looking for new ways to lower sodium!