Too much sodium.

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ladyj22
ladyj22 Posts: 146 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I eat way too much sodium. What are some low sodium foods that are good and low in calories?

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  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
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    Sodium is so annoying! It's in processed foods and restaurants especially. Filling up fresh fruit and vegetables are going to be your best bet for reducing you sodium intake. Limit processed foods like frozen meals, deli meats, cheeses. All that said, it's not good for you, but unless you have a medical condition, it's probably worth paying attention to, but not stressing over. Personally, I had high blood pressure while I was at my highest weight and needed medication, so I'm used to looking at sodium labels. I no longer required meds, so I just watch my sodium. If I know I'm going to be eating out or some other high sodium food (Indian food, I'm looking at you), I will drink lots of water.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    Sodium is also essential to life. If you don't have high blood pressure, it's not something you should overly be concerned with. But, if you want to reduce sodium, eat more natural foods. If you are afraid of water retention caused by sodium, balance out your electrolytes by eating more potassium and magnesium. But it should also be noted that if you are active, your body requires more sodium than a sedentary person.
  • ladyj22
    ladyj22 Posts: 146 Member
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    I'm pretty active. I work out 5 to 6 days a week. I don't have high blood pressure but I retain water like crazy.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    ladyj22 wrote: »
    I'm pretty active. I work out 5 to 6 days a week. I don't have high blood pressure but I retain water like crazy.

    If you are pretty active, then it's a good chance that several lbs of fluid is being stored to support the rebuilding of muscle. I typically store 2-3 lbs based on my lifting schedule and I am a male. As a woman, you have that plus the additional water weight fluctuations cause by month cycle activities.

    Out of curiosity, how much sodium are you consuming?
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    What are the foods that are pushing you over in sodium? Are you eating out? Lunch/deli meat? Soup? Lean Cuisine/prepared lunches?

    I try to avoid those things when I can - I do more grilled chicken and vegetables that I prepare on Sunday for the week.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    I do my best to keep my sodium under 6000mg a day. Usually I average 4000mg to 5000mg. The daily suggested amount is 2300mg a day. I eat many whole foods, try to stay away from processed foods if possible, but for lunches I don't have a lot of choices. God forbid if I have a nice Mexican or Italian meal at home (homemade even) the sodium will exceed 6k easily. Having said that, I try to get an adequate amount of potassium as well, and I drink as much water as I can stomach during the day, and I work out and sweat a lot 5 days a week for up to 90 minutes in the mornings. So I figure going over the 2300 is ok on those days, but I certainly understand where the OP is coming from.

    I've tried things like making my own pork/turkey sausage patties without adding salt, they taste like crap no matter how many other spices I put in them. I've tried making spaghetti sauce, bbq sauce, etc. without adding salt and they also taste like crap. I am a big meat eater as well, and unless you season at least lightly with salt and pepper most of it tastes like crap. So yea, it's a conundrum for sure. Only thing I can say is make yourself drink plenty of water daily to help your body get rid of the excess through your urine. I no longer have high blood pressure after losing all my added weight, but don't want to end up with it later in life because I could not cut down on sodium. /sigh

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