Bone to pick with food industry

DavidFromBakersfield

Ok so now that I am commited to a healthy lifestyle I assumed I could go to El Pollo Loco or Panera Bread and able to order salads and be one of those yuppies sitting there eating a healthy salad NOT! now that I am reading labels and ingredients I have discovered that stuff is not good for a guy trying to stay away from Sodium.
Trying to eat food with little sodium has become my ''white whale'' Unless your a rabbit you'll enjoy eating plain lettuce with no dressing, no meat, just veggies I would bet the air I breath has sodium in it lol. I know people gonna give me a list of ways to eat salads or food in general healthy but come on, you would think if your too busy to PREPARE a meal there would be places you can go and grab a healthy meal because if you see their ad's and commercials one would think '' that looks healthy AND delicious.......until you read that label then your like, ''where's the rice cakes''.

cwolfman13

You don't have to just sit their and eat salad...whole foods in general (including meat) aren't sodium laden. Processed foods tend to be sodium laden for preservation and shelf life purposes...restaurant food tends to be sodium laden. If you're worried about sodium, eat more whole foods (which are more than just salad)

KatieJane83

Is there a medical condition you have that is causing you to avoid sodium? Because if there isn't I don't think you need to go too nuts over it. I'm ALWAYS over my MFP sodium goal (I love salty things, lol), and it hasn't hindered my weight loss at all.

kimny72

I think controlling sodium can be one of the more difficult things to moderate if you eat out a lot. Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit sodium? If not, a high sodium meal every once and awhile is not a big deal. If you are medically required to limit sodium, then yes, it requires vigilance if you are not preparing whole foods at home.

I don't have any medical conditions, so I just make sure if I have a high sodium meal I balance it with mostly home-prepped whole food the rest of the day so I don't overdo it. I'm not sure even that is necessary, but I try!

Remember - Perfection is the enemy of progress. Every meal doesn't have to be the most virtuous and perfect meal. Your weight and your health are about what you do most of the time over a long period of time. So hang in there and good luck

ritzvin

Ate at a restaurant yesterday - the steak (which would be frowned upon by many of those not-so-knowledgeable salad yuppies) was by F~A~R the lowest calorie, and probably healthiest, item on the menu (not counting a side of green beans or mushrooms). A restaurant is generally always going to make whatever they are serving as tasty as possible - in the case of steak they don't have to do much...everything else, like salad greens, is gonna get a whole bunch of sugar-fat-salt dumped on it in some form.

CafeRacer808

kimny72 wrote: »

I think controlling sodium can be one of the more difficult things to moderate if you eat out a lot. Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit sodium? If not, a high sodium meal every once and awhile is not a big deal. If you are medically required to limit sodium, then yes, it requires vigilance if you are not preparing whole foods at home.

I don't have any medical conditions, so I just make sure if I have a high sodium meal I balance it with mostly home-prepped whole food the rest of the day so I don't overdo it. I'm not sure even that is necessary, but I try!

Remember - Perfection is the enemy of progress. Every meal doesn't have to be the most virtuous and perfect meal. Your weight and your health are about what you do most of the time over a long period of time. So hang in there and good luck

Good post. Just wanted to add (regarding the bold) that while perfection may be the enemy of progress, striving for perfection is the engine of progress. In my humble opinion.

OP: As the others have stated, unless there's something in your medical history that would call for a low sodium diet, going over on sodium from time to time isn't a big deal. If you're really concerned about limiting your sodium intake, many restaurants (at least in my area) offer lower sodium options. And depending on the restaurant or the specific dish you're looking at, requesting less sodium when you place your order might also be an option.

Chef_Barbell

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

I think controlling sodium can be one of the more difficult things to moderate if you eat out a lot. Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit sodium? If not, a high sodium meal every once and awhile is not a big deal. If you are medically required to limit sodium, then yes, it requires vigilance if you are not preparing whole foods at home.

I don't have any medical conditions, so I just make sure if I have a high sodium meal I balance it with mostly home-prepped whole food the rest of the day so I don't overdo it. I'm not sure even that is necessary, but I try!

Remember - Perfection is the enemy of progress. Every meal doesn't have to be the most virtuous and perfect meal. Your weight and your health are about what you do most of the time over a long period of time. So hang in there and good luck

Good post. Just wanted to add (regarding the bold) that while perfection may be the enemy of progress, striving for perfection is the engine of progress. In my humble opinion.

OP: As the others have stated, unless there's something in your medical history that would call for a low sodium diet, going over on sodium from time to time isn't a big deal. If you're really concerned about limiting your sodium intake, many restaurants (at least in my area) offer lower sodium options. And depending on the restaurant or the specific dish you're looking at, requesting less sodium when you place your order might also be an option.

Nerd. :glasses:

CafeRacer808

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

I think controlling sodium can be one of the more difficult things to moderate if you eat out a lot. Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit sodium? If not, a high sodium meal every once and awhile is not a big deal. If you are medically required to limit sodium, then yes, it requires vigilance if you are not preparing whole foods at home.

I don't have any medical conditions, so I just make sure if I have a high sodium meal I balance it with mostly home-prepped whole food the rest of the day so I don't overdo it. I'm not sure even that is necessary, but I try!

Remember - Perfection is the enemy of progress. Every meal doesn't have to be the most virtuous and perfect meal. Your weight and your health are about what you do most of the time over a long period of time. So hang in there and good luck

Good post. Just wanted to add (regarding the bold) that while perfection may be the enemy of progress, striving for perfection is the engine of progress. In my humble opinion.

OP: As the others have stated, unless there's something in your medical history that would call for a low sodium diet, going over on sodium from time to time isn't a big deal. If you're really concerned about limiting your sodium intake, many restaurants (at least in my area) offer lower sodium options. And depending on the restaurant or the specific dish you're looking at, requesting less sodium when you place your order might also be an option.

Nerd. :glasses:

I'll wear that as a badge of honor.

kimny72

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

I think controlling sodium can be one of the more difficult things to moderate if you eat out a lot. Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit sodium? If not, a high sodium meal every once and awhile is not a big deal. If you are medically required to limit sodium, then yes, it requires vigilance if you are not preparing whole foods at home.

I don't have any medical conditions, so I just make sure if I have a high sodium meal I balance it with mostly home-prepped whole food the rest of the day so I don't overdo it. I'm not sure even that is necessary, but I try!

Remember - Perfection is the enemy of progress. Every meal doesn't have to be the most virtuous and perfect meal. Your weight and your health are about what you do most of the time over a long period of time. So hang in there and good luck

Good post. Just wanted to add (regarding the bold) that while perfection may be the enemy of progress, striving for perfection is the engine of progress. In my humble opinion.

Fair point, that's true as long as you don't let yourself get disappointed and give up when you don't achieve perfection. Personally, I find I have a better chance of actually trying when I aim low LOL. I think I misquoted the cliche anyway, I'll fall back on poetic license though

DavidFromBakersfield

Thanks y'all I just started reading labels, so which is more important Calories or Sodium numbers? I don't have any medical condition I just assumed salt is worse than sugar....

VioletRojo

DavidFromBakersfield wrote: »

Thanks y'all I just started reading labels, so which is more important Calories or Sodium numbers? I don't have any medical condition I just assumed salt is worse than sugar....

Salt can make you retain water, which might slow weight loss, but it's only water weight, not fat. Calories are far more important. And if you're like me, I need much more than the recommended amount of salt in my diet, so tracking sodium never enters my mind.

ndj1979

DavidFromBakersfield wrote: »

Thanks y'all I just started reading labels, so which is more important Calories or Sodium numbers? I don't have any medical condition I just assumed salt is worse than sugar....

calories for weight loss ...

CafeRacer808

DavidFromBakersfield wrote: »

Thanks y'all I just started reading labels, so which is more important Calories or Sodium numbers? I don't have any medical condition I just assumed salt is worse than sugar....

Neither is worse than the other, provided you don't have a medical condition, which you don't. Weight loss is all about maintaining a caloric deficit. How you create and maintain that deficit is entirely up to you.

kimny72 wrote: »

Fair point, that's true as long as you don't let yourself get disappointed and give up when you don't achieve perfection. Personally, I find I have a better chance of actually trying when I aim low LOL. I think I misquoted the cliche anyway, I'll fall back on poetic license though

Which is why your version and mine work so well together. Accepting the fact that true perfection is not attainable while still striving for it is a great way to go about life, IMO. And it's that acceptance that wards off the disappointment. Sorry for the brief tangent, OP. Sometimes it's fun to get philosophical on a Friday. #PhilosophicalFriday

usmcmp

DavidFromBakersfield wrote: »

Thanks y'all I just started reading labels, so which is more important Calories or Sodium numbers? I don't have any medical condition I just assumed salt is worse than sugar....

Calories are what matter for weight loss. Even macros come before worrying about sugar or sodium. Unless you have a medical condition. Most people don't have a need to track them. When I'm working out hard I find that I need to add more sodium or I start to feel a bit sick.

CSARdiver

I have a bigger problem with pathogenic bacteria.

Until we come up with a better solution - salt away!