No-Salt Cooking Guru

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Thriving with chronic heart failure

A diagnosis of heart failure is not a death sentence. “Stay active. Don’t give up. Your life isn’t over,” Don Gazzaniga says.

Here is how Gazzaniga lives his life to the fullest:

• Food records: When Gazzaniga started his low-sodium diet, he recorded his sodium intake daily. Today, he can track it in his head and has memorized the sodium content of many foods.
• Mental exercise: Since his diagnosis, Gazzaniga has learned to build Web sites, taught himself to play the saxophone, taken up oil painting, and written several novels.
• Physical exercise: “Just getting up [out of bed] was exercise when I was first diagnosed,” Gazzaniga says. But slowly he began to walk short distances, gradually working up to 2–3 miles a day. He also can play an occasional game of football or basketball with his grandsons. See our favorite heart-healthy workouts.
• Family support: Gazzaniga’s wife and five children have encouraged him since his diagnosis. He believes that had he not followed his treatment program, he might not have lived to meet 11 of his 13 grandchildren.
• Diet: Gazzaniga limits not just sodium but saturated fat and cholesterol. He says the best place to shop for low-sodium, low-fat foods is the produce aisle. See our low-fat and low-cholesterol recipes.
• Medication: Gazzaniga makes sure he takes his heart failure medications by keeping the pills in a daily organizer. He also stores a spare set in the glove compartment of his car. Get tips to remember your medications.