How to cut back on sodium?

toddnunez5

Hey everyone. So I'm a 22 year old male who weighs 290 pounds and I'm 6'4". I've currently lost 30 pounds from when I started at the beginning of July. My highest weight was 355

I just found out that I was not eating enough calories. I was only eating 1600 calories a day, but now I'm being told that I need at least 2000 a day. However, even when I do 1600 calories, most of the time I will go over the recommendation of sodium. Some days I will stay under, but sometimes I can eat 2000mg over.

What's everyone's recommendation for staying under 2300mg of sodium a day?

sammyliftsandeats

You only really need to watch sodium if you have a medical problem, such as high blood pressure.

However, if you really do want to stay under 2300mg of sodium, avoid packaged foods, read your labels and use seasonings such as Mrs. Dash to season your food instead of table salt.

SueInAz

Watching sodium is really only necessary if you have a medical reason to do so. That said, the American Heart Association recommends such a low amount because their current stance is that people who consume higher amounts of sodium over a lifetime might end up with high blood pressure as a result. I don't know that there's enough evidence to support that, however.

All of that said, if you really want to watch your sodium look through your diary for the last few weeks. What are the food items that have the most sodium? Usual culprits are things like cottage cheese, salsa, canned soups, deli meats and shelf stable food items. See if you're willing to exchange those high sodium items for something less so.

cdncarrie13

First, congratulations on your weight loss. That is fantastic!!!

I respectfully disagree with the comments saying to only worry about it if you have medical issues. Too much sodium is never healthy. There are soooo many reasons and factors to why. And it is known that over time you can (not will but can) lead into medical problems. There are also health benefits for staying within a healthy sodium range.

I retain so easily so I set my sodium at 1500mg a day. Its a personal decision and if it bothers you to be over and always want to be under I recommend trying to eat as clean as you can. Stay away from processed foods, canned foods, packaged foods etc. Try making things from scratch when you possibly can. There are so many natural low sodium spices and flavoring your food with different fruits and zesting is a good way to add flavor too. I read my labels and ingredients very carefully. It's amazing even when we think we are making good choices when eating out, amazes me how much sodium are in things. Even at subway the 6grams of fat and under subs, loaded with sodium. So crazy.

Keep up the good work! You are doing amazing

pomegranatecloud

It's very easy to control your sodium intake if you cook your own meals.