• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

A High Sodium Diet May Help Alleviate Symptoms of Dysautonomia

Healthy Living

in dysautonomia, Nutrition
February 4, 2020
0

by Sierra Fawn Guay, MS, RDN, LDN

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to replace personalized medical advice.  A high sodium diet may not be right for you. 

Dysautonomia describes a set of conditions resulting from the malfunction of the autonomic nervous system.  Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a certain type of dysautonmia that is characterized by an exaggerated increase in heart rate that occurs or is exacerbated in the upright or standing positions.  In order to help alleviate the symptoms associated with POTS, doctors often prescribe a high-sodium, high-fluid diet that is intended to help increase blood volume. 

Sodium recommendations for people living with POTS may range from 3,000 to 10,000 mg per day.  Though it is common to consume a high-sodium diet by eating processed foods (foods with a lot of added, unfamiliar ingredients) or fast foods, it is important to increase sodium intake without compromising overall health.  Therefore, sodium should be consumed primarily though the intake of fresh foods in the context of a well-balanced diet. 

The Adequate Intake (AI) of sodium for healthy people (set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or FDA) is 1,500 mg per day.  To put that number into perspective, one teaspoon of table salt contains 2,300 mg of sodium.

Consuming 10,000 mg of sodium per day may seem like a daunting task, especially for people who are not used to a high-sodium diet.  Preference for sodium is acquired, which means that one can increase his or her preference for salty foods by gradually increasing sodium intake. It can be helpful to eat small, frequent meals to better spread sodium intake throughout the day.

Most table salt (which is a combination of sodium and chloride) contains iodine, an essential nutrient. In order to avoid excessive iodine intake in a high-sodium diet, it is advisable to use iodized salt with meals and non-iodized salt with cooking. 

Recommended daily fluid intake for people living with POTS is often about two liters per day.  It is essential to consume adequate fluid when consuming a high-sodium diet in order to maintain good hydration status.  Water is always a good choice.  It may be helpful to consume rehydration fluids or sports drinks that contain sodium, provided that these drinks are not high in added sugars. 

Many foods are naturally high in sodium and are easy to include in a healthy diet.  Some of these foods are: pickles, olives, cheese, soy sauce, salted nuts, and more! 

Potato Pickle Salad

Makes three servings.  Sodium per serving: about 2,250 mg.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. salted butter

1 medium onion, sliced

½ lbs. potatoes, washed and diced

1 cup cottage cheese

3 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. garlic, minced

½ cup dill pickles, diced

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp. caraway seeds (optional)

2 tsp. salt

black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Melt butter in sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add onions to pan.  Cook for three minutes, then reduce heat to medium.  Cook until caramelized, about 25 minutes.

2. Bring water to boil in a medium pot.  Add potatoes.  Cook until fork tender, about ten minutes. 

3. Add cottage cheese, mustard, and garlic to a food processor.  Process until smooth, about one minute.

3. Mix all ingredients together.  Enjoy!

Serving suggestion: Use salad as a filling for sandwiches.  Add a handful of spinach for added flavor and nutrients.

Sierra is a registered dietitian who works with brain injury survivors in Greenville, North Carolina.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post

3 Warrior Powers of Amethyst

SIGN UP

BLOG

Neuroplasticity and Meditation

Neuroplasticity and Meditation

By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS We often think of meditation as a metaphysical or religious practice. Many use activities such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and meditation to calm down the sympathetic system (fight or flight) to help us get through the day. But what if we thought of it from a neurological […]

Read more
How to Use Turquoise for Mindfulness

How to Use Turquoise for Mindfulness

By Kristen Brown Creating a calm and focused mind can be tricky in today’s world, but when you tap into the power of turquoise you can bring back the mindfulness you seek. Whether you use it as a tool during meditation or yoga, wear it as jewelry, or simply keep loose stones around your house […]

Read more
Setbacks After Brain Injury

Setbacks After Brain Injury

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Setbacks. They’re a fact of life, right? After a brain injury, setbacks can be devastating. They can feel like the end of the world, wrapping you in a feeling of isolation and despair. Throughout the course of my recovery, it was only natural that I would encounter setbacks. Most of these […]

Read more
Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 ¼ cup (280g) tuna in olive oil, drained 1 tbsp. tomato puree 1 small red onion, finely chopped ½ Granny Smith apple 8 lettuce leaves Put the tuna and half of the oil from the can in a bowl and mix with the tomato puree. Chop the […]

Read more
Mindfulness Proving Powerful for Injured Brains

Mindfulness Proving Powerful for Injured Brains

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D.  “For many brain injury survivors, mindfulness is an essential practice that helps regulate their mental health, mood changes, and memory.” That comment – from the Headway Company, which works with affordable mental health services – suggests why mindfulness meditation has undergone scientific scrutiny as a technique to bring relief to patients […]

Read more
Why is Mindfulness Important for Your Workout?

Why is Mindfulness Important for Your Workout?

By Amy Zellmer A workout for the sole purpose of physical exercise can only provide limited health benefits. It can help you stay fit to some level and boost your serotonin levels to some points. But, when you add mindfulness into your workout, it becomes the secret ingredient to overall well-being, including physical and mental […]

Read more
Mindfulness and TBI

Mindfulness and TBI

By James A. Heuer, PA In recent studies, mindfulness proved to help improve the cognitive state of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)  patients. It is said that mindfulness assists TBI patients with keeping their focus on the present moment. In short, mindfulness is the state of awareness resulting from consciously paying attention. Since healing from a […]

Read more
Mentally Mindful

Mentally Mindful

By Amy Zellmer “Mindfulness clears the windshield of the mind so that we can see things as they really are.” Travis Eliot What is Mindfulness? A state of nonjudgmental awareness of what’s happening in the present moment, including the awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and senses. You act mindfully when you listen to a […]

Read more
Caregiver Corner: Art as a Means of Mindfulness

Caregiver Corner: Art as a Means of Mindfulness

By Ian Hebeisen Mindfulness comes in many shapes and forms. It doesn’t have to be hardcore meditation for a solid hour once a day – that’s simply not realistic for everybody. For some people it might be a simple prayer and reflection at the end of the day, for others it might be doodling in […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

  • Some of our book award goodies arrived today … the swag looks pretty good with this book 🥇 

#ConcussionDiscussions #author #publisher #writer #blogger #braininjury #tbi #concussion #pcs #anthology #FunctionalNeurology
  • I am thrilled to share that Concussion Discussions has won TWO book awards for excellence in publishing. A huge thanks to all of the contributors who helped make this book award-winning:
@steadmanshane 
@dr.perry.maynard 
@integratedbraincenters 
@dockeiser 
@portlandchiropracticneurology1 
@midcoastbrain 
@drszimmerman 
@neurowellnessdoc 
@learningrx_brain_training 
@healingresponse 
@dr.habanova 
@rezzimaxpaintuner 
@bagnell_brain_center 
@nurenbergparis 
@frameworktms 
@northwestfunctionalneuro 
@drerikreis 
@mindeyeinstitute 
@functionalhealthunlimited 
@michironeuro 
@deltasperformance
  • #kindness
  • Comment below!
  • #kindwords
  • Yoga or Pilates? Comment below!
  • #blazeyourownpath
  • Congrats to Jeffrey M Heller recently named the newest partner of @nurenbergparis
  • It’s officially March … and that means Brain Injury Awareness Month!! Join us on March 16th for a FREE virtual event with over 20 survivors and professionals sharing their experience. Register now for FREE! www.FACESOFTBI.com/event

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.