Should I really care about sodium?

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sfcrocker
sfcrocker Posts: 163 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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?
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,604 Member
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    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
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    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
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
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    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
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    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
    psuLemon Posts: 38,398 MFP Moderator
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    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
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    Sodium is not something that I worry about.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    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
    sfcrocker Posts: 163 Member
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    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
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    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
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
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    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
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    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
    CoachDavidJ Posts: 8 Member
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    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
    VioletRojo Posts: 596 Member
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    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
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    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
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,604 Member
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    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.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,604 Member
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    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.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • VioletRojo
    VioletRojo Posts: 596 Member
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    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
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited August 2016
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    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
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    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
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
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    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!

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