Should I really care about sodium?

sfcrocker

I seem to always go at least double the RDA, but my blood pressure is low-normal usually from 100-120 over 50-60. What are some other reasons to eat less sodium?

ninerbuff

If you don't have hypertension or high blood pressure, the only other reason to reduce sodium is if you have a water retention issue.
For me I EASILY go up to 4,000mg a day in sodium. Asian foods usually have fish sauce or soy sauce as part of their recipe.

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zyxst

ninerbuff wrote: »

If you don't have hypertension or high blood pressure, the only other reason to reduce sodium is if you have a water retention issue.
For me I EASILY go up to 4,000mg a day in sodium. Asian foods usually have fish sauce or soy sauce as part of their recipe.

+1

I have HBP, so keeping sodium moderate-low is something I *have* to do. If I didn't have HBP, I'd be clocking in 5,000-6,000 mg sodium every day.

thereshegoesagain

I don't have a blood pressure issue, but a high sodium meal will always make me gain a couple of pounds of water.

Christine_72

I struggle to keep my sodium under mfp's number. The only side effect i get is water retention, my blood pressure is perfect.

psuLemon

thereshegoesagain wrote: »

I don't have a blood pressure issue, but a high sodium meal will always make me gain a couple of pounds of water.

A lot of this can be balanced with a diet also high in magnesium and potassium (all support electrolytes).


OP, if you are active, I wouldn't stress it. Sodium is very important to a diet, just like magnesium, potassium, calcium and chloride. They are all electrolytes and vital.

StealthHealth

Sodium is not something that I worry about.

cee134

One thought is foods high in sodium usually mean you are eating alot of highly processed foods and refined carbs, which isn't good nor healthy.

sfcrocker

One thought is foods high in sodium usually mean you are eating alot of highly processed foods and refined carbs, which isn't good nor healthy.

Yeah, I thought about this part. Mostly, though, I like to snack on pickles and pretzels (though not lately). I do like to cook with a lot of spices and that includes salt and/or salty spice mixes.

peleroja

My blood pressure is on the low side and my doctors have actually always suggested that I consume more sodium than the official recommendation, because I do experience mild symptoms from it (dizziness when standing up and that kind of thing.) I've never been told there are any concerns with relatively high sodium consumption as long I hydrate adequately.

Trish1c

Once I reduced the amount of processed foods I was eating my sodium numbers went down. I was shocked at how much salt was in the simplest things.

You don't have to be a fanatic about it, but do think about what you are eating.

Spliner1969

Double the RDA isn't necessarily bad if you exercise and sweat a lot or drink lots of water. All of those things flush sodium and other electrolytes out of your body. I can easily sustain the RDA + 1000mg without gaining much (if any) water weight because I exercise 6 days a week and drink about a gallon or more water per day. However, when the BBQ grill comes out I tend to go way over that and it can cause weight gain. For instance, this last weekend I BBQ'd for the family 2x both Saturday and Sunday and ate at Subway for lunch 2x so my sodium levels were easily in the 5000-7000mg range. When I weighed in Monday morning on my rest day I was at 189.6. So all day Monday I flushed with lots of water, reduced my sodium intake to RDA level, and after my workout this morning and drinking even more water I was down to 184.6. THAT is why I track sodium, just to pinpoint the reason for a sudden gain. It no longer causes me blood pressure issues since I'm at a normal BMI. Otherwise you don't have to track it if it isn't causing you issues.

CoachDavidJ

Spliner1969 wrote: »

Double the RDA isn't necessarily bad if you exercise and sweat a lot or drink lots of water. All of those things flush sodium and other electrolytes out of your body.

Dead on! Work out hard and you will use those electrolytes

VioletRojo

I have low blood pressure and I struggle to keep it high enough to not pass out when I stand up. I consume a LOT of sodium and won't be without my daily kosher pickle.

Spliner1969

VioletRojo wrote: »

I have low blood pressure and I struggle to keep it high enough to not pass out when I stand up. I consume a LOT of sodium and won't be without my daily kosher pickle.

Do you do a lot of cardio? I know my resting HR is probably high 40's or very low 50's most of the time. If I stand up too fast after sitting for a long time at rest I can get light headed as well. It's a side effect of doing tons of cardio. I simply try not to jump straight up when sitting for a long time lol. Sodium doesn't seem to affect it much though. Doc says I have a very strong heart and good blood pressure so I don't worry about it.

ninerbuff

thereshegoesagain wrote: »

I don't have a blood pressure issue, but a high sodium meal will always make me gain a couple of pounds of water.

Which isn't "real" weight since it can easily be lost.

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ninerbuff

cee134 wrote: »

One thought is foods high in sodium usually mean you are eating alot of highly processed foods and refined carbs, which isn't good nor healthy.

It's thought, but it doesn't seem that way with countries that have high life spans and low obesity populations.

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VioletRojo

Spliner1969 wrote: »

VioletRojo wrote: »

I have low blood pressure and I struggle to keep it high enough to not pass out when I stand up. I consume a LOT of sodium and won't be without my daily kosher pickle.

Do you do a lot of cardio? I know my resting HR is probably high 40's or very low 50's most of the time. If I stand up too fast after sitting for a long time at rest I can get light headed as well. It's a side effect of doing tons of cardio. I simply try not to jump straight up when sitting for a long time lol. Sodium doesn't seem to affect it much though. Doc says I have a very strong heart and good blood pressure so I don't worry about it.

I do, I'm a runner. My blood pressure tends to drop like a stone if I'm not careful to get enough sodium. It's my excuse to eat BBQ potato chips.

Christine_72

cee134 wrote: »

One thought is foods high in sodium usually mean you are eating alot of highly processed foods and refined carbs, which isn't good nor healthy.

The things that get me most are bacon, the spice mix i use in my goulash (1500ish sodium per serve), even the gnocchi i have with it adds another 600mg, and believe it or not, my optimum nutrition protein powder which has 280mg of sodium per serve.
But you're right, all are highly processed foods, if i stuck with fresh whole foods i wouldn't have this problem. I'm trying to find that happy medium where i have more days per week that are under than over.

ETA: And lets not talk about one of my favourites.. Cottage cheese oi!!

Spliner1969

VioletRojo wrote: »

I do, I'm a runner. My blood pressure tends to drop like a stone if I'm not careful to get enough sodium. It's my excuse to eat BBQ potato chips.

Mmmm chips. It's my excuse to eat lots of straight up BBQ.

hgycta

My blood pressure is normal but I'm salt sensitive so I try to avoid it. If I go over my sodium I can easily gain 3 lbs of water weight in one day, plus I'll feel nauseous and my stomach will protrude slightly more and I'll feel like I have a pound of salt inside me. Very strange and uncomfortable experience, but if you frequently go over and feel fine I wouldn't worry about it as long as your blood pressure remains normal!

magicpickles

Do you still lose weight if you eat a lot of sodium? or does it just take longer to show up?

Christine_72

magicpickles wrote: »

Do you still lose weight if you eat a lot of sodium? or does it just take longer to show up?

Yes you still lose weight eating lots of sodium, however that loss can be masked due to water retention. So you may have lost 1lb of fat, but you are holding onto 1lb of extra water, so it looks like you haven't lost any weight at all.

cdncarrie13

I retain water SOOOOO EASILY its crazy!!! I set my sodium at 1500mg a day. Sometimes I go over that but try never to go over the RDA!!! If I have too much sodium (and yes it sometimes does happen) I will retain or gain so easily. Just my opinion but salt is not good for you should always be concerned about it. I never use table salt anymore (rare occasion when I have french fries, have to salt them, haha) and when a recipe calls for x amount of salt I leave it out. Only time I use salt is when baking. Salt is the devil in my world But some have no problem with it and more power to them

JeromeBarry1

Since February I've been trying to keep my sodium low. I got good at keeping my daily sodium intake below 1500mg. I also developed painful nighttime muscle cramps in my feet. One day a few weeks ago I binged on salty snacks. I logged it accurately, and my sodium that day was over 5000 mg. I had no more muscle cramps for a week. My binge was a one-day event and I returned to my low sodium ways. After my body excreted enough sodium to reduce my electrolytes below a needed level, the cramps returned. Discussing this with my Dr last week, she agreed that my low sodium could be the cause of my muscle cramps and recommended that I get my sodium up to 2g per day. That's what sodium is good for.

ThatsJustEric

Good question and read

dragon_girl26

I try to, since my BP runs borderline high. Also, I tend to retain water if I eat foods that are especially salty, so I like to limit my intake when possible.

Spliner1969

cdncarrie13 wrote: »

I retain water SOOOOO EASILY its crazy!!! I set my sodium at 1500mg a day. Sometimes I go over that but try never to go over the RDA!!! If I have too much sodium (and yes it sometimes does happen) I will retain or gain so easily. Just my opinion but salt is not good for you should always be concerned about it. I never use table salt anymore (rare occasion when I have french fries, have to salt them, haha) and when a recipe calls for x amount of salt I leave it out. Only time I use salt is when baking. Salt is the devil in my world But some have no problem with it and more power to them

Salt (Sodium) also has that effect on me, but it's a necessary evil. Without it we would likely die. It's an essential electrolyte. If you exercise heavily and sweat a lot, you'll likely find you need more than the daily RDA. Just depends on the person. Neat thing about it though is you can easily fix the water weight gain in a day or so by drinking lots of water (seems silly but it works). I generally weigh in on Thursdays on a regular basis so on Tuesday-Wednesday I make sure I get a very adequate amount of water and watch that my sodium doesn't go over about 3-4000mg a day. That way my weight is more accurate on Thursday mornings.