cut down on sodium! !!
89GermanG
Posts: 73 Member
Hi people, how can I cut down on sodium? Can to much affect my diet?
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Replies
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more whole foods; less processed foods. eat out less...restaurants are sodium bombs.
just remember that sodium is an essential mineral...not getting enough can be as bad as too much.0 -
What's wrong with your current sodium levels? You need sodium to live.0
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Hi people, how can I cut down on sodium? Can to much affect my diet?
If your physician has instructed you to cut back on sodium for health reasons, he/she should have provided you some literature on ways to do that and a target number you should be trying to stay within.
For people who are not sensitive to sodium, there's no hard number you must keep to, but there are some ways to reduce sodium.- Eating out can be high sodium, so cooking at home helps you control the sodium you use
- The sodium on prepared foods (microwave meals, box mixes, etc) can be high, look for low sodium options
- Make your own spice blends so you can control how much salt is in the mix, or use salt-free blends and season your food with salt separately.
- Replace your table salt with 'lite' salt, which is a 50-50 blend with potassium chloride. It tastes just as salty, but half the sodium is replaced with potassium.
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Look through your food diary and see if you have recurring items that are exceptionally high in sodium, and find ways to reduce them.
That said, unless you have hypertension or another medical condition, going over on sodium probably isn't a huge deal (other than it may cause you to hold on to a little extra water weight until you flush it through your system).0 -
Unless you have a medical condition the only way sodium is going to affect you is make you retain water. If that bugs you then trim it down a little bit. Eating out is the kiss of death when it comes to sodium. If you're trying to limit sodium eating out is almost impossible.
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Please click this link to get reliable info on sodium:
http://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium-411/
I struggled with salt until I realized that I just had to start making my own stuff. So, I learned how to make cottage cheese, etc. I just couldn't eat all the processed stuff and still keep my salt I take down.0 -
Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) is a thing and it isn't something you want. We need sodium to live. Unless your Dr has told you that you need to watch sodium for health reasons don't get too caught up in trying to reduce it.0
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I've literally never seen or heard of a person who was hyponatremic due to a dietary deficiency of sodium. It's almost always illness and, in rare cases, too much water or too much sweating and too much water (like ultra-endurance athletes.)shadowfax_c11 wrote: »Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) is a thing and it isn't something you want. We need sodium to live. Unless your Dr has told you that you need to watch sodium for health reasons don't get too caught up in trying to reduce it.
People going under the amount we actually need...never heard of a single case.0 -
All four of my nieces have been diagnosed with hyponatremia and have to add sodium to their diet. It's a genetic condition on my MIL's side. If they don't add sodium to their food, their sodium levels get way too low and they will pass out. It's an authentic medical condition.... diagnosed by their pediatricians.0
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Hyponatremia... I have it. Mild, of course. It's about a balance of sodium and water. You can't look at one without looking at the other.
I'm on a medication that, in the dosage I'm on, makes me ridiculously thirsty with a constant dry mouth and throat. Since I need this medication and need to drink the water, my doctor said that I wasn't eating enough salt to balance my fluid intake.
I eat very little in the way of packaged food so have to rely on adding my own salt to keep the sodium balance my body needs.0 -
All I know is that to much salt is not good. I'm not sure if I eat to much sodium, I'm just trying to eat healthier. I have thyroid problems and I shouldn't eat to much processed food which contains a lot of sodium.0
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All I know is that to much salt is not good. I'm not sure if I eat to much sodium, I'm just trying to eat healthier. I have thyroid problems and I shouldn't eat to much processed food which contains a lot of sodium.
If you have thyroid problems and are on the proper medication, you really don't need to avoid anything, except perhaps excess carbohydrates. "Processed" food is a word you have to be careful with - both milk and anything frozen are processed foods. So is any bread, including any bread you make at home. High amounts of sodium are really only associated with high blood pressure, and only in people who already have to worry about it. As long as you eat in moderation, you should be fine. Sodium's not something you really need to worry about, except for the fact that a lot of it will make you retain water for a couple of days.0 -
All I know is that to much salt is not good. I'm not sure if I eat to much sodium, I'm just trying to eat healthier. I have thyroid problems and I shouldn't eat to much processed food which contains a lot of sodium.
Here on the MFP forums, if I take a strawberry from my garden and throw it in the freezer, I have technically processed it, so I use the term "convenience foods" instead, although everyone does know what you mean by "processed foods."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convenience_food
Convenience food, or tertiary processed food, is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) to optimize ease of consumption. Such food is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily portable, have a long shelf life, or offer a combination of such convenient traits. Although restaurant meals meet this definition, the term is seldom applied to them. Convenience foods include ready-to-eat dry goods, frozen foods such as TV dinners, shelf-stable foods, prepared mixes such as cake mix, and snack foods.
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Don't reduce sodium unless your doc advised that. Too little has its own hazards. E.g. after a vasovagal syncope episode in my 20's, my GP sent me to a cardiologist. Net: everything was fine but he advised increasing dietary salt. (I have low blood pressure.)0
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Check your micronutrients level in your food log. The official recommended amount of sodium for the average person is 2300mg per day or about 1 teaspoon. That's a lot of shaking of the salt shaker, but if you're eating convenience food, it can add up fast. Use this recommendation as a guide regarding whether you need/want to change your sodium intake.0
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Unless you have a medical condition, there really is no need to reduce sodium, I very much doubt you are getting too much! Plus sodium does lots of good things and makes food taste nice!
Just eat it in moderation! Like everything else!0 -
I've literally never seen or heard of a person who was hyponatremic due to a dietary deficiency of sodium. It's almost always illness and, in rare cases, too much water or too much sweating and too much water (like ultra-endurance athletes.)shadowfax_c11 wrote: »Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) is a thing and it isn't something you want. We need sodium to live. Unless your Dr has told you that you need to watch sodium for health reasons don't get too caught up in trying to reduce it.
People going under the amount we actually need...never heard of a single case.
So you know everyone's medical diagnosis everywhere? Yeah... Didn't think so.
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I've literally never seen or heard of a person who was hyponatremic due to a dietary deficiency of sodium. It's almost always illness and, in rare cases, too much water or too much sweating and too much water (like ultra-endurance athletes.)
People going under the amount we actually need...never heard of a single case.
Sure there is. Vasovagal syncope and postural othostatic hypotension. Meds were quite expensive when I was diagnosed years ago by a Johns Hopkins cardiologist, but eventually an increase in dietary sodium, salt tablets and increase in water intake helped regulate my blood volume & low blood pressure enough to ditch the meds. He said it's actually a radically underdiagnosed condition in its milder stages, and the anti-sodium health kick is not helping.
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I specifically excluded people with medical issues and said I've never heard of anyone with a dietary deficiency. The required amount for people without some medical issue is very small, like 1/3 or less of the 1500 advised for many people.
I've literally never seen or heard of a person who was hyponatremic due to a dietary deficiency of sodium. It's almost always illness and, in rare cases, too much water or too much sweating and too much water (like ultra-endurance athletes.)shadowfax_c11 wrote: »Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) is a thing and it isn't something you want. We need sodium to live. Unless your Dr has told you that you need to watch sodium for health reasons don't get too caught up in trying to reduce it.
People going under the amount we actually need...never heard of a single case.
So you know everyone's medical diagnosis everywhere? Yeah... Didn't think so.
It's common on MFP to read people saying that nobody has to worry about their salt intake until it causes cardiovascular issues, but that's an MFP thing, not what experts advise.
This 2300 number is a maximum and isn't even advised by many. It excludes people who have a history of various cardiovascular issues, people over 40 and black people. That's a lot of people. Even backing out medical issues, that is still only white people under 40 years of age.
Is it possible that someone became hyponatremic because they didn't take in enough salt? Sure. But it's a freaking rare occurrence and one I've never seen or heard anyone mention.
I don't care if someone wants to eat 50,000g of sodium a day. Chow down. I'm not trying to make anyone lower their salt intake. I'm just saying that this idea of needing to make sure you get enough...it's not a problem for anyone I've ever heard of. Ever.
I'm sure that MFPers will now be coming out of the cracks to say, "I was hospitalized because I only ate 100mg a day for months!" but if it's happened, it's an exceedingly rare thing.
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I specifically excluded people with medical issues and said I've never heard of anyone with a dietary deficiency. The required amount for people without some medical issue is very small, like 1/3 or less of the 1500 advised for many people.
I've literally never seen or heard of a person who was hyponatremic due to a dietary deficiency of sodium. It's almost always illness and, in rare cases, too much water or too much sweating and too much water (like ultra-endurance athletes.)shadowfax_c11 wrote: »Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) is a thing and it isn't something you want. We need sodium to live. Unless your Dr has told you that you need to watch sodium for health reasons don't get too caught up in trying to reduce it.
People going under the amount we actually need...never heard of a single case.
So you know everyone's medical diagnosis everywhere? Yeah... Didn't think so.
It's common on MFP to read people saying that nobody has to worry about their salt intake until it causes cardiovascular issues, but that's an MFP thing, not what experts advise.
This 2300 number is a maximum and isn't even advised by many. It excludes people who have a history of various cardiovascular issues, people over 40 and black people. That's a lot of people. Even backing out medical issues, that is still only white people under 40 years of age.
Is it possible that someone became hyponatremic because they didn't take in enough salt? Sure. But it's a freaking rare occurrence and one I've never seen or heard anyone mention.
I don't care if someone wants to eat 50,000g of sodium a day. Chow down. I'm not trying to make anyone lower their salt intake. I'm just saying that this idea of needing to make sure you get enough...it's not a problem for anyone I've ever heard of. Ever.
I'm sure that MFPers will now be coming out of the cracks to say, "I was hospitalized because I only ate 100mg a day for months!" but if it's happened, it's an exceedingly rare thing.
Hyponatremia is a medical issue by itself. Saying that you don't believe it can happen due to low sodium intake can lead people to believe that it never can, which is false. I have seen many people with this issue, usually right after starting a new "diet" plan.
Do you work in medicine? It is actually somewhat common, especially in those who drastically lower their sodium intake while increasing water intake at the same time. It can actually be fatal, and does not require "months of eating 100mg". It can actually happen within several hours.
Please stop giving misinformation because you "have never seen it".0 -
Yeah...working as a nurse I've seen several patients with hyponatremia to the point where they are prescribed sodium pills to help increase there intake. Its a condition that can have some serious side effects.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/basics/definition/con-20031445•Nausea and vomiting
•Headache
•Confusion
•Loss of energy and fatigue
•Restlessness and irritability
•Muscle weakness, spasms or cramps
•Seizures
•Coma
OP: To cut back on sodium, look for more whole foods and make your meals yourself. Prepackaged and frozen foods tend to be sodium bombs as well as canned soups. Restaurants tend to also be much higher in sodium.0 -
As I said earlier, all four of my nieces have to add dietary sodium as prescribed by their pediatricians. They don't get what their bodies require from their regular diets. Even if it's a condition in their bodies, it's still a dietary deficiency for them. They have to eat more sodium or they have serious detrimental health effects.0
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are you consistently going over on sodium in your diary?....
and IF you do want to cut back on it, make your own food/cut back on processed foods...simple
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »are you consistently going over on sodium in your diary?....
and IF you do want to cut back on it, make your own food/cut back on processed foods...simple
This. I make my own taco seasoning because it tastes better and doesn't have all the sodium of the store packaged varieties. I do the same with fajita seasoning and sausage gravy mix, spaghetti sauce, beef and turkey gravies, etc. having your own spice pantry is a good idea as is making your own seasoning mixes. My husband makes a great meat seasoning mix for the grill with no salt in it as well.0 -
ceoverturf wrote: »Look through your food diary and see if you have recurring items that are exceptionally high in sodium, and find ways to reduce them.
This. In fact, this is great advice whenever people wonder how to cut down on anything. In theory, logging should make it easy.
I don't bother logging the salt I use in cooking, however, so it would be silly for me to try to monitor sodium. For various reasons I'm not concerned about it.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »All I know is that to much salt is not good. I'm not sure if I eat to much sodium, I'm just trying to eat healthier. I have thyroid problems and I shouldn't eat to much processed food which contains a lot of sodium.
Here on the MFP forums, if I take a strawberry from my garden and throw it in the freezer, I have technically processed it, so I use the term "convenience foods" instead, although everyone does know what you mean by "processed foods."
The MFP definition is correct. It's foolish to claim that all processed foods are the same (or have large amounts of sodium) given the wide variety. Most of the time it seems like "processed foods" are being used to refer only to a small subset of such foods (that I personally never really ate). Thus, your use of convenience foods or, perhaps, highly processed foods tends to be a lot more accurate and clear, and I approve, even if you are simply wrong to claim that everyone knows what is meant when just "processed" is used.
That said, while I generally don't eat convenience foods, I understand why some find them helpful, and not all have high sodium. For example, even Dr. Ornish has mentioned the Amy's Light & Lean meals (obviously processed AND convenience foods) as good in a pinch or for someone for whom cooking everything is new and burdensome (I don't know if any of these are low sodium, but I believe you CAN find low sodium prepared meals).0 -
Much of the noise about sodium consumption is targeted to specific demographics - particularly those over 50yrs. If you're physician has not indicated an issue, or if you have no family history of a problem, then you need not be overly concerned.
As everyone stated if this is a concern, then your best option is to prepare food yourself. Sodium is a cheap and easy preservative, so most companies are going to use this rather than risk the potential of bacterial contamination.
If you are a heavy exerciser or live in a hot climate then you need sodium to help retain water rather than risk hyponatremia.0 -
I specifically excluded people with medical issues and said I've never heard of anyone with a dietary deficiency. The required amount for people without some medical issue is very small, like 1/3 or less of the 1500 advised for many people.
I've literally never seen or heard of a person who was hyponatremic due to a dietary deficiency of sodium. It's almost always illness and, in rare cases, too much water or too much sweating and too much water (like ultra-endurance athletes.)shadowfax_c11 wrote: »Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) is a thing and it isn't something you want. We need sodium to live. Unless your Dr has told you that you need to watch sodium for health reasons don't get too caught up in trying to reduce it.
People going under the amount we actually need...never heard of a single case.
So you know everyone's medical diagnosis everywhere? Yeah... Didn't think so.
It's common on MFP to read people saying that nobody has to worry about their salt intake until it causes cardiovascular issues, but that's an MFP thing, not what experts advise.
This 2300 number is a maximum and isn't even advised by many. It excludes people who have a history of various cardiovascular issues, people over 40 and black people. That's a lot of people. Even backing out medical issues, that is still only white people under 40 years of age.
Is it possible that someone became hyponatremic because they didn't take in enough salt? Sure. But it's a freaking rare occurrence and one I've never seen or heard anyone mention.
I don't care if someone wants to eat 50,000g of sodium a day. Chow down. I'm not trying to make anyone lower their salt intake. I'm just saying that this idea of needing to make sure you get enough...it's not a problem for anyone I've ever heard of. Ever.
I'm sure that MFPers will now be coming out of the cracks to say, "I was hospitalized because I only ate 100mg a day for months!" but if it's happened, it's an exceedingly rare thing.
Hyponatremia is a medical issue by itself. Saying that you don't believe it can happen due to low sodium intake can lead people to believe that it never can, which is false. I have seen many people with this issue, usually right after starting a new "diet" plan.
Do you work in medicine? It is actually somewhat common, especially in those who drastically lower their sodium intake while increasing water intake at the same time. It can actually be fatal, and does not require "months of eating 100mg". It can actually happen within several hours.
Please stop giving misinformation because you "have never seen it".
You mean like people who have just started on a certain fitness website, are new to dietary restrictions, and who keep reading about how important it is to drink enough water? It's a good thing those people don't go onto forums and ask how to reduce sodium! They might get into trouble getting bad advice.0 -
tincanonastring wrote: »
I specifically excluded people with medical issues and said I've never heard of anyone with a dietary deficiency. The required amount for people without some medical issue is very small, like 1/3 or less of the 1500 advised for many people.
I've literally never seen or heard of a person who was hyponatremic due to a dietary deficiency of sodium. It's almost always illness and, in rare cases, too much water or too much sweating and too much water (like ultra-endurance athletes.)shadowfax_c11 wrote: »Sodium deficiency (hyponatremia) is a thing and it isn't something you want. We need sodium to live. Unless your Dr has told you that you need to watch sodium for health reasons don't get too caught up in trying to reduce it.
People going under the amount we actually need...never heard of a single case.
So you know everyone's medical diagnosis everywhere? Yeah... Didn't think so.
It's common on MFP to read people saying that nobody has to worry about their salt intake until it causes cardiovascular issues, but that's an MFP thing, not what experts advise.
This 2300 number is a maximum and isn't even advised by many. It excludes people who have a history of various cardiovascular issues, people over 40 and black people. That's a lot of people. Even backing out medical issues, that is still only white people under 40 years of age.
Is it possible that someone became hyponatremic because they didn't take in enough salt? Sure. But it's a freaking rare occurrence and one I've never seen or heard anyone mention.
I don't care if someone wants to eat 50,000g of sodium a day. Chow down. I'm not trying to make anyone lower their salt intake. I'm just saying that this idea of needing to make sure you get enough...it's not a problem for anyone I've ever heard of. Ever.
I'm sure that MFPers will now be coming out of the cracks to say, "I was hospitalized because I only ate 100mg a day for months!" but if it's happened, it's an exceedingly rare thing.
Hyponatremia is a medical issue by itself. Saying that you don't believe it can happen due to low sodium intake can lead people to believe that it never can, which is false. I have seen many people with this issue, usually right after starting a new "diet" plan.
Do you work in medicine? It is actually somewhat common, especially in those who drastically lower their sodium intake while increasing water intake at the same time. It can actually be fatal, and does not require "months of eating 100mg". It can actually happen within several hours.
Please stop giving misinformation because you "have never seen it".
You mean like people who have just started on a certain fitness website, are new to dietary restrictions, and who keep reading about how important it is to drink enough water? It's a good thing those people don't go onto forums and ask how to reduce sodium! They might get into trouble getting bad advice.
Not to mention water toxicity, which comes from drinking very high volumes of water very rapidly. It's entirely possible to hurt or kill your self by doing this. People coming in and being told to drink high volumes of water, without being told to spread that over the course of the day, could do serious harm in more than one way.0
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