Bill is a 45-year-old bachelor who eats a grab-and-go breakfast, all of his lunches out, and has take-out or something easy for dinner. Bill’s doctor is
concerned that his blood pressure is progressively rising with every office visit and has advised him to “cut out the salt” to lower his sodium intake. Bill
rarely uses a saltshaker for salt and is unsure what else he can do to lower his sodium intake. A typical day’s intake is as follows:
Breakfast: Black coffee, 2 jelly doughnuts
Midmorning snack: Black coffee, cookies
Lunch: 2 fast-food tacos with tortilla chips and salsa or a 6-inch cold cut submarine sandwich with potato chips and a cola
Midafternoon snack: candy bar
Dinner: if take-out, then Chinese food or pizza, if “something easy” then boxed macaroni and cheese with a couple of hot dogs, canned soup with a cold cut
sandwich or frozen TV dinner
Dessert: Instant pudding or ice cream or candy bar
Evening snack: Cereal with milk or potato chips and dip
After reviewing Bill’s meals from yesterday answer the following questions:
a. What foods may be contributing to high sodium levels in his diet?
b. What patient-centered suggestions would you make for better food choices for him when eating out or cooking something quick at home?
c. Knowing that potassium may help blunt the effect of high sodium intake on blood pressure, what foods would you recommend he add to his diet that would
increase his potassium intake?0
Sample Solution
