Should I worry about the sodium found in food?

shartran

I have to watch my sodium.

While I no longer use the 'salt shaker', I am wondering if the sodium found naturally in foods affect the body the same way salt (ie salt shaker) would?

Chief_Rocka

It's the same thing, but keep in mind that sodium nowhere near the boogeyman that folks around here make it out to be .

Kalikel

Weight-wise, it will only add a couple pounds while your body does it's best to deal with the excess. Once things are back to normal, the water weight will disappear.

But if you want a healthy cardiovascular system, you might want to keep an eye on sodium.

RodaRose

Are you talking about the 2 mgs in a raw apple and the 22 mgs in a banana?

noexcusesjustresults2014

My running coach says too much sodium is only a concern for people who have high blood pressure and/or are sedentary. A Google search will reveal many studies showing the need for endurance athletes to get sufficient sodium. Unless you have high blood pressure, why not focus more on getting active instead of on your sodium intake?

BlackTimber

Reducing sodium will only lower blood pressure a very small amount. Doctors like to reduce sodium to get people under the line they have drawn in the sand.

snowflake930

I don't think that you have to worry too much about sodium that occurs naturally in foods. You said you are not using the salt shaker, so you should be ok as long as you do not eat a lot of processed foods which are very high in added sodium and/or sugar. One thing that I was surprised at was the sodium that is in frozen, boneless chicken breasts, so now I just buy fresh, no frozen ones.

noexcusesjustresults2014 wrote: »

My running coach says too much sodium is only a concern for people who have high blood pressure and/or are sedentary. A Google search will reveal many studies showing the need for endurance athletes to get sufficient sodium. Unless you have high blood pressure, why not focus more on getting active instead of on your sodium intake?

^^My daughter runs marathons. The first one she ran, I remember cheering her on at mile 22. Her face had patches of white on it. I asked her what it was from, she said the salt she was losing from sweat. She eats a bag of chips after her races to get her sodium level back up.

shartran

Thanks all - Here's an interesting article regarding replenishing electro lights in the body (sodium levels) ie. sports drinks
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/sports-drinks-unnecessary-counterproductive-for-most-people-1.2517424