Keeping sugar and sodium low

mariaoutlook

I'm on a 1200 calorie diet. I don't add sugar or salt to my meals but I'm constantly going over my intake limit. My sugar limit is set at 45 grams and my sodium limit is set at 2300 mg. but I take 90 - 120 grams and 2500 - 2700 mg. I eat too many fruit as well as a daily instant soup or home made soups with stock cubes. I just started learning about nutrition and need help... Am I being unhealthy? Should I be concerned? Thanks!

_benjammin

The only thing that may be unhealthy is eating too little and trying to lose too fast.
You do not need to be concerned with sugar or sodium unless directed by a doctor. There's no such thing as eating too much fruit if you are meeting you macro and micro nutrient goals.

mariaoutlook

Benjamin, thanks for your message. I'm not obsessed with numbers. If fact, I weigh myself every 2 weeks. I read that salt makes people retain water and I wasn't sure if I was being unhealthy.

GaleHawkins

benjammin makes a good point. I know at first with all of the info overload that can come from others it is natural to 'over think' our eating lifestyles. Computer generated numbers are starting points not necessarily END points.

When you are in Memphis and want to get to Chicago Go North is good advice at the time but if you Go North until you get to WI and keep going north you will be in Canada.

Google and read then do more of the same. Your BS detector will improve as you keep researching. If you can not find articles and research that backs up personal opinion like I am typing at this moment do not listen to forum info like am typing now.

It was just over in a mind over matter thread last night that several dieting questions came together for me after about 400 hours of reading and research. That is just the way things evolve for many of us. You are on the right track so keep up asking your questions and questioning your resources.

mariaoutlook

That is exactly right.

GaleHawkins wrote: »

benjammin makes a good point. I know at first with all of the info overload that can come from others it is natural to 'over think' our eating lifestyles. Computer generated numbers are starting points not necessarily END points.

That is exactly right. Too much information in too little time.

RodaRose

Extra salt and extra sugar from fruit is o.k. In the future you can decide to modify them. For now pay attention to getting enough protein and watching the calories.

Kalikel

Whether or not this is healthy for you is something you need to ask your doctor. Only he can answer that.

Most people will be fine eating all the fruits and veggies they want to eat and do not need to worry about sugar. When experts talk about limiting sugar, they mean processed sugars, not sugar from fruit.

If you're eating over 2300 (which is like The Maximum, called the "upper limit"), most of North America is right there with you. Our whole continent takes in too much salt. For me, salt has been the hardest thing to get under control, so I would advise you start keeping an eye on it now. Try to at stay under the "upper limit." Most doctors will tell you to stay around 1500, but you'd have to ask yours.

If you are just beginning, watch your calories. Get those in control while keeping an eye on sodium. Then get sodium to 1500 or whatever your doctor recommends, while keeping an eye on proteins, fats and carbs. Then, if you need to, worry about the protein, fat and carb totals. That's my advice.

Sodium is a beeyatch.

psuLemon

Kalikel wrote: »

Whether or not this is healthy for you is something you need to ask your doctor. Only he can answer that.

Most people will be fine eating all the fruits and veggies they want to eat and do not need to worry about sugar. When experts talk about limiting sugar, they mean processed sugars, not sugar from fruit.

If you're eating over 2300 (which is like The Maximum, called the "upper limit"), most of North America is right there with you. Our whole continent takes in too much salt. For me, salt has been the hardest thing to get under control, so I would advise you start keeping an eye on it now. Try to at stay under the "upper limit." Most doctors will tell you to stay around 1500, but you'd have to ask yours.

If you are just beginning, watch your calories. Get those in control while keeping an eye on sodium. Then get sodium to 1500 or whatever your doctor recommends, while keeping an eye on proteins, fats and carbs. Then, if you need to, worry about the protein, fat and carb totals. That's my advice.

Sodium is a beeyatch.

You have to be careful with very low sodium if you are active or exercise frequently. People tend to forget that sodium is an electrolyte which is critical to a body.

Personally, weight loss will produce more results then just watching sugars and sodium. And if you are getting a large portion of your diet from whole foods, then i would stress the other stuff.

Kalikel

psulemon wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

Whether or not this is healthy for you is something you need to ask your doctor. Only he can answer that.

Most people will be fine eating all the fruits and veggies they want to eat and do not need to worry about sugar. When experts talk about limiting sugar, they mean processed sugars, not sugar from fruit.

If you're eating over 2300 (which is like The Maximum, called the "upper limit"), most of North America is right there with you. Our whole continent takes in too much salt. For me, salt has been the hardest thing to get under control, so I would advise you start keeping an eye on it now. Try to at stay under the "upper limit." Most doctors will tell you to stay around 1500, but you'd have to ask yours.

If you are just beginning, watch your calories. Get those in control while keeping an eye on sodium. Then get sodium to 1500 or whatever your doctor recommends, while keeping an eye on proteins, fats and carbs. Then, if you need to, worry about the protein, fat and carb totals. That's my advice.

Sodium is a beeyatch.

You have to be careful with very low sodium if you are active or exercise frequently. People tend to forget that sodium is an electrolyte which is critical to a body.

Personally, weight loss will produce more results then just watching sugars and sodium. And if you are getting a large portion of your diet from whole foods, then i would stress the other stuff.

I don't forget it. Most of us require about 200-500/day.

The 1500 accounts for normal exercising. It accounts for going into very hot temps you aren't accustomed to and sweating all day. It accounts for all the activities we all do on a normal basis. The people who set the number didn't forget about heat and exercise.

Distance runners might have issues. They might not, too.

Very few people have to take in extra sodium because they exercised, regardless of what Gatorade tells us.

Of course, people should ask their doctors and not listen to me.

GaleHawkins

psulemon wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

Whether or not this is healthy for you is something you need to ask your doctor. Only he can answer that.

Most people will be fine eating all the fruits and veggies they want to eat and do not need to worry about sugar. When experts talk about limiting sugar, they mean processed sugars, not sugar from fruit.

If you're eating over 2300 (which is like The Maximum, called the "upper limit"), most of North America is right there with you. Our whole continent takes in too much salt. For me, salt has been the hardest thing to get under control, so I would advise you start keeping an eye on it now. Try to at stay under the "upper limit." Most doctors will tell you to stay around 1500, but you'd have to ask yours.

If you are just beginning, watch your calories. Get those in control while keeping an eye on sodium. Then get sodium to 1500 or whatever your doctor recommends, while keeping an eye on proteins, fats and carbs. Then, if you need to, worry about the protein, fat and carb totals. That's my advice.

Sodium is a beeyatch.

You have to be careful with very low sodium if you are active or exercise frequently. People tend to forget that sodium is an electrolyte which is critical to a body.

Personally, weight loss will produce more results then just watching sugars and sodium. And if you are getting a large portion of your diet from whole foods, then i would stress the other stuff.

I know in the Navy boot camp in Orlando (Oct-Dec 1973) they had salt table dispensers everywhere and told us to take them and drink a lot of water. If it was a really hot day we did not work out. Not sure if that would be the case 40 years later.

In my case when I went to more whole foods and cut out the processed foods I had to up by salt intake because the junk food was where I was getting a lot of my salt I realized.

I shoot for around the 2300 recommended level because going low can be harmful per the below even increasing risk of death in Type 2 diabetes.

" Multiple studies show that salt restriction causes adverse effects on health:

Increased LDL and Triglycerides: In a massive review, low sodium diets were found to cause an increase in LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) by 4.6% and an increase in triglycerides by 5.9% (11).

Insulin resistance: In one study, just 7 days on a low sodium diet increased insulin resistance, a leading cause of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (12).

Type II Diabetes: A study found that in patients with type II diabetes, less sodium was associated with an increased risk of death (13).

Hyponatremia: In athletes, a low sodium intake can cause hyponatremia, a sodium deficiency which can be very dangerous (14)."

Source - authoritynutrition.com/how-much-sodium-per-day/

cheekymoi83

Thanks for this. I was just looking at the stats for this week. I thought I'd eaten well as I met my calorie intake limits, but then saw that I hadn't reached the intake of vitamin A Tec but went over in sodium. Think I'll just try to keep to the calories with fruit, veg, protein Tec, cutting out fast food & cakes & leave it there for the time being.

mariaoutlook

Thanks for your comments. Fortunately all my test results (cholesterol, high pressure, etc.) always have come back normal and I don't want that to change. When I said "keeping low levels" I meant lower levels and I understand that sodium is important to our bodies, but I was eating more salt than my dietitian recommended. I went to my local H&B and they recommended me to buy a soup stock low in sodium and have home made soups instead of instant soups as they are full of salt. I didn't know they even existed. Regarding the sugar, I noticed that the low fat yoghurt I bought they were full of sugar. I'll go to the supermarket and look for an alternative. Sorry if I sound like a control freak or something like that. I just want to follow my diet and do things right. Thanks again for all your help.

optimaltouch

I hear you. Canned soups usually have a ridiculous amount of sodium, that's for sure. I usually make my own or buy Amy's organics creamy tomato light sodium in a pinch. As for sugar...it is in most prepared foods, but there are more alternatives than there used to be. A nice yogurt is Fage total 0, less sugar than most yogurts. I add a bit of pure maple syrup, because for me, I don't get the mood swings from it that I get from many other sugars. Read labels and familiarize yourself with the different names for "chemical sugars" to avoid if you buy prepared foods. It's quite an education.

mrsKOrtiz

I love sugar and salt. They're my frenemies!

lemurcat12

I don't eat much packaged food, so I don't see any reason to fret about sodium (I use salt in cooking but don't count it, and also try to eat plenty of potassium rich foods). Obviously if someone had a health issue, that would be different. Indeed, unless one had a real health issue related to sodium, I think a concern about high levels would be better met by reducing packaged foods that contain it than trying to count it and worrying about a specific level, but that's perhaps just a personal preference.

Similar comments for sugar. In particular, I see no reason to worry about the sugar from fruit or dairy.

I don't track either sugar or sodium, but do fiber and some revolving other thing (right now, iron).