Bruce Paris, who organized a seminar on low-sodium diets at Fairview Southdale Hospital, shows low-sodium products Jan. 12 at his Bloomington home. (CRAIG LASSIG SUN NEWSPAPERS) Browse through more photos taken for this article as well as photos of many other local events and feature articles, in our SUN NEWSPAPERS PHOTO GALLERY , where Sun photographers post many photos every week.

Bruce Paris was diagnosed with heart failure 10 years ago and he was listed for a transplant in 2000.

But thanks to diet, exercise and medical care, he no longer needs a heart transplant.

Recently the Bloomington resident started a heart-failure patient support group that meets quarterly at Fairview Southdale Hospital, where he is a volunteer.

He hopes to help fellow heart-failure patients improve their quality of life by having them share their experiences.

"This complements the care the doctors and nurses give here," Paris said.

For the first Alliance for Heart Failure Patients support group meeting, Paris invited nurses and a dietitian from Fairview Southdale to talk about low-sodium diets. A diet low in sodium is crucial to the health of heart-failure patients.

"Self-care is a big part of it," Paris said.

Jill Fjestad, a registered dietitian with Fairview Southdale Hospital, said people need sodium to aid digestion, but Americans take in significantly more than they need.

The average American eats 4,000 to 5,000 milligrams of sodium a day; heart failure patients should only take in 2,000 milligrams a day. One teaspoon of salt contains 2,300 milligrams of sodium.

Fjestad said anything processed has high sodium, so people with heart failure should eat fresh food whenever possible.

Instead of using salt to season food, Fjestad suggested people use various seasonings instead of salt, such as oregano, lemon juice, chives and paprika.

"When you follow a low-sodium diet it's more about making healthy food choices," Fjestad said. "Anything fresh is better than canned."

While soups and vegetables have many nutrients, when they are canned a lot of sodium is added, she said. Fjestad recommended heart-failure patients make soups from scratch and buy fresh or frozen vegetables.

Picking foods labeled "low sodium" is a good bet, Fjestad said, because federal law requires an item to have less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving in order to carry that label.

John Mares has been on a low-sodium diet since he had a cardiac arrest three years ago. He came to the support group to talk to people who have been through similar situations.

"I wanted to talk to people and find out what worked and what didn't," Mares said.

With diet, exercise and medical care Mares has gotten his heart functions to return to near-normal levels.

Symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, chest congestion, shortness of breath and ankle swelling.

Kris Mannchen, a nurse with Minnesota Heart Clinic, said heart failure is when the heart is not pumping blood like it should.

Sodium makes the condition worse because it causes the body to retain more fluid, making it harder for the heart to pump blood.

Two-thirds of heart failures are caused by coronary disease. Other causes include high blood pressure, alcohol or drug abuse and heart valve disease.

Fjestad said dining out is a challenge for heart-failure patients, not only because of the high amount of sodium in many dishes, but also because of the size of the meals.

"Being aware of portion sizes is the number one thing you can do," Fjestad said.

She suggested people cut their portions in half when dining out and save the rest of the food for another meal.

Paris added that heart-failure patients should not hesitate to ask the chef to prepare food without salt or ask a grocery store manager for more low-sodium items.

- Do not add salt to foods.

- Pick seasonings carefully.

- Avoid processed foods (deli meats, canned soup, frozen entrees).

- Choose foods labeled low sodium.

- Use fresh ingredients.

Where:Fairview Southdale Hospital, 6401 France Ave S., Edina

When: May 8 (Time TBD) - Exercise-Heart and Healthy; Sept. 18 (Time TBD) - Lifestyle Changes/Stress Management/Coping Strategies

Information: 952-915-2418

Comment on this story at our website, www.mnsun.com.

While soups and vegetables have many nutrients, when they are canned a lot of sodium is added, she said. Fjestad recommended heart-failure patients make soups from scratch and buy fresh or frozen vegetables.

Picking foods labeled "low sodium" is a good bet, Fjestad said, because federal law requires an item to have less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving in order to carry that label.

John Mares has been on a low-sodium diet since he had a cardiac arrest three years ago. He came to the support group to talk to people who have been through similar situations.

"I wanted to talk to people and find out what worked and what didn't," Mares said.

With diet, exercise and medical care Mares has gotten his heart functions to return to near-normal levels.

Symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, chest congestion, shortness of breath and ankle swelling.

Kris Mannchen, a nurse with Minnesota Heart Clinic, said heart failure is when the heart is not pumping blood like it should.

Sodium makes the condition worse because it causes the body to retain more fluid, making it harder for the heart to pump blood.

Two-thirds of heart failures are caused by coronary disease. Other causes include high blood pressure, alcohol or drug abuse and heart valve disease.

Fjestad said dining out is a challenge for heart-failure patients, not only because of the high amount of sodium in many dishes, but also because of the size of the meals.

"Being aware of portion sizes is the number one thing you can do," Fjestad said.

She suggested people cut their portions in half when dining out and save the rest of the food for another meal.

Paris added that heart-failure patients should not hesitate to ask the chef to prepare food without salt or ask a grocery store manager for more low-sodium items.

- Do not add salt to foods.

- Pick seasonings carefully.

- Avoid processed foods (deli meats, canned soup, frozen entrees).

- Choose foods labeled low sodium.

- Use fresh ingredients.

Where:Fairview Southdale Hospital, 6401 France Ave S., Edina

When: May 8 (Time TBD) - Exercise-Heart and Healthy; Sept. 18 (Time TBD) - Lifestyle Changes/Stress Management/Coping Strategies

Information: 952-915-2418

Comment on this story at our website, www.mnsun.com.