Heart Failure: A Case Study

“Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way it should. It can affect one or both sides of the heart” (Chung 2013). Mrs. Organa because your heart pumps is weak, the blood flow moves at a slower pace inhibiting sufficient nutrients and oxygen needed to meet the body requirements. It is important to make some adjustment to your diet and positive lifestyle changes to promote good health and prevent heart complications. It has been proven that changing to heart healthy diet especially low sodium and carbohydrates intake can improve your life expectancy

However, refrain from adding additional ingredients like spices, added condiments, and fast food that are high in sodium and salt. “The vast majority of sodium consumed in the diet is in restaurant and processed/prepackaged foods.” (Chung 2013) An increase in sodium causes the body to retain extra fluid that may cause edema in the legs and feet, and increase in your blood pressure. The reduction of blood supply from the heart can also affect the organs such as the kidney and liver, which hinders the function secretion of excess water and toxin. Oral diuretics can also be used to help

When your diet does include carbohydrates, you want to make sure that they are eaten in moderation and that they are “good” carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are important in your diet because they turn into glucose, which gives your energy. Some examples of good carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, oatmeal and brown rice. However, you want to make sure that you avoid “bad” carbohydrates. It is a benefit to avoid these carbohydrates because they increase the amount of fat inside your blood causing inflammation in your arterioles and a decrease in your energy level over a period of time. “Bad” carbohydrates include foods that contain table sugar, candy, fruit flavored drinks, pre packaged products, and yeast breads.

Too much saturated and Trans fat inside of your diet increase your “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and can cause a blockage inside of the arteries which can stop oxygen blood from getting to the heart, increasing the chances of a stroke. “The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats – which are found in butter, cheese, red meats, and other animal based foods”(American Heart Association 2015). Some good replacements for these saturated fats and protein are fruits and veggies, low fat dairy products, fish, and whole