Low/No Sodium diet

Bondo_Snow

I'm thinking about going with either a no sodium or at least a very low sodium diet for a week or two to see how my body changes/reacts. Has anyone had success with going with a low sodium diet or cutting it out completely and any food ideas, tips, meals they can share? Did you do it for a short period or long?

mandyneedtolose

I am not sure that eating no sodium is actually possible. Almost everything has some amount of sodium in it. I may be wrong, but if you were to try no sodium I think you would be stuck drinking water for a week lol. I try to keep my sodium lower, so that I don't retain water, but I need some salt to keep things in balance, low sodium effects blood pressure, and can make you feel a bit woozy ( at least it does me) .. if you do figure out how to do no sodium keep us updated

cmtigger

abingdb wrote: »

I'm thinking about going with either a no sodium or at least a very low sodium diet for a week or two to see how my body changes/reacts. Has anyone had success with going with a low sodium diet or cutting it out completely and any food ideas, tips, meals they can share? Did you do it for a short period or long?

Why? And there is no way to go no sodium. Your body needs some. Low sodium is usually prescribed for medical issues- I need to eat this way, it's helped my blood pressure, but I don't see any reason to eat low sodium unless it's medical.

L1zardQueen

Why?

janjunie

Your body actually needs sodium. There is the DASH diet for people with hypertension. Unless you have health issues there is no reason to go low sodium and having a diet that is too low in sodium can cause problems with your heart. That's not something you want to mess with.

rileysowner

abingdb wrote: »

I'm thinking about going with either a no sodium or at least a very low sodium diet for a week or two to see how my body changes/reacts. Has anyone had success with going with a low sodium diet or cutting it out completely and any food ideas, tips, meals they can share? Did you do it for a short period or long?

Your body requires sodium to function properly. If you have high blood pressure low sodium diets may help, but they may not. No sodium, assuming it is even possible, would not be good.

GottaluvFood

We need salt to live, ya know. "It's needed to transmit nerve impulses, contract and relax muscle fibers (including those in the heart and blood vessels), and maintain a proper fluid balance."

Curious what your motivation is. My mom had to reduce sodium due to high blood pressure when she was in her '60s. She mainly removed canned foods from her diet.

a) She lowered her blood pressure without medications for a year or two. b) You will always loose weight whenever you remove something from your diet. Personally, I can always figure out how to overeat regardless of my boundaries. So the weight loss is temporary.

A friend removed canned food from her diet due to lack of energy. It was serious enough she put herself under the care of a nutritionist. So the changes in her diet was much, much grander than no canned foods. So, it seems untruthful to boast of her results, which were grand also.

LonniJay

Sounds like a recipe for death considering our bodies need sodium, but good luck I guess. Let us know how that works out for you.

Bondo_Snow

Primary reason I ask is to lower blood pressure.

JeromeBarry1

If you do it long enough, you will regret it, if you survive. Playing at low sodium for only one week is an achievable and likely harmless thing.

Lounmoun

I lowered my sodium intake to around 1500 mg when a relative medically requiring a lower sodium diet stayed with us a few weeks. It was difficult to change suddenly. I didn't get super fit or deliriously happy just by reducing my sodium a few weeks.
I learned a lot about the amount of sodium in all kinds of foods and drinks.
I did not return to the exact same level of sodium intake as I had before that experience but am more conscious of my intake.

No sodium would probably be very difficult and not really beneficial.
Do some research and planning. Don't be so extreme.

rileysowner

abingdb wrote: »

Primary reason I ask is to lower blood pressure.

Not all blood pressure is sodium sensitive. If it is high, the person you should be talking to about managing it is your doctor, not people on the internet.

allyphoe

My doctor recommended cutting back on sodium at the same time I started medication for blood pressure. When I went back for my follow-up 2 weeks later, I asked how much I should be cutting back by, because I could get down to an average of 1200mg a day, but it took effort and I felt crappy all the time and I'd lost 5 pounds of water weight. "Don't cut back by that much," she said.

My Grandmother stopped recognizing anyone after having accidentally been put on a low-sodium diet for a few weeks, and never recovered. Sodium is good for you, unless you have a specific reason why it's not good for you in particular.

ETA: the water weight came back over the span of several more weeks, as my body adjusted. Bodies like water, too.

sophie7591

allyphoe wrote: »

My doctor recommended cutting back on sodium at the same time I started medication for blood pressure. When I went back for my follow-up 2 weeks later, I asked how much I should be cutting back by, because I could get down to an average of 1200mg a day, but it took effort and I felt crappy all the time and I'd lost 5 pounds of water weight. "Don't cut back by that much," she said.

My Grandmother stopped recognizing anyone after having accidentally been put on a low-sodium diet for a few weeks, and never recovered. Sodium is good for you, unless you have a specific reason why it's not good for you in particular.

ETA: the water weight came back over the span of several more weeks, as my body adjusted. Bodies like water, too.

So how much lower if not 1200 ?

kshama2001

sophie7591 wrote: »

allyphoe wrote: »

My doctor recommended cutting back on sodium at the same time I started medication for blood pressure. When I went back for my follow-up 2 weeks later, I asked how much I should be cutting back by, because I could get down to an average of 1200mg a day, but it took effort and I felt crappy all the time and I'd lost 5 pounds of water weight. "Don't cut back by that much," she said.

My Grandmother stopped recognizing anyone after having accidentally been put on a low-sodium diet for a few weeks, and never recovered. Sodium is good for you, unless you have a specific reason why it's not good for you in particular.

ETA: the water weight came back over the span of several more weeks, as my body adjusted. Bodies like water, too.

So how much lower if not 1200 ?

People should get this number from their doctor.

rileysowner

kshama2001 wrote: »

sophie7591 wrote: »

allyphoe wrote: »

My doctor recommended cutting back on sodium at the same time I started medication for blood pressure. When I went back for my follow-up 2 weeks later, I asked how much I should be cutting back by, because I could get down to an average of 1200mg a day, but it took effort and I felt crappy all the time and I'd lost 5 pounds of water weight. "Don't cut back by that much," she said.

My Grandmother stopped recognizing anyone after having accidentally been put on a low-sodium diet for a few weeks, and never recovered. Sodium is good for you, unless you have a specific reason why it's not good for you in particular.

ETA: the water weight came back over the span of several more weeks, as my body adjusted. Bodies like water, too.

So how much lower if not 1200 ?

People should get this number from their doctor.

I have never seen a doctor call for less that 1500mg a day because we need sodium to live. That 1500 is only for those with hypertension or certain other risks. Even then, the numbers are being called into question as a blanket recommendation for people.

Alatariel75

You can die from a lack of sodium. A no sodium diet is a very bad idea. If you don't have a medical reason to go low/no sodium, I'd recommend not doing it just to mess around with your body.

nutmegoreo

Speak with your physician regarding an appropriate level of sodium intake for high blood pressure. Start there for setting your goals. As for reaching them, review your logs here and see where you are getting the most sodium and reduce or substitute those items to begin with. It's an ongoing process of evaluation and changes.

sophie7591

Thanks . Cardiologist advised to go low sodium but didn't mention a number..

jgnatca

We cut back on sodium for a month, and went lower sodium....until now.

All foods must be fresh; there is no salt to mask an "off" taste. All that low sodium month I fought the bland. I used pepper, onion, and garlic. My tastes switched from bland vegetables to strong flavoured ones.

Be prepared to make your own sauces, soups and stews because commercial brands are loaded with salt.

Low sodium V8 is vile. It tastes like tin can.

RedheadedPrincess14

Yes, I eat a salt free diet with some seaweed for iodine. There's also a lot of sodium in dark green vegetables and celery. I've had my sodium levels tested and they're totally normal. I believe it's helped me lose over 25 pounds since January. I'm now 135 at 5"8". So yeah, I think it has helped a lot. It made me crave food a lot less and not binge

cmtigger

rileysowner wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

sophie7591 wrote: »

allyphoe wrote: »

My doctor recommended cutting back on sodium at the same time I started medication for blood pressure. When I went back for my follow-up 2 weeks later, I asked how much I should be cutting back by, because I could get down to an average of 1200mg a day, but it took effort and I felt crappy all the time and I'd lost 5 pounds of water weight. "Don't cut back by that much," she said.

My Grandmother stopped recognizing anyone after having accidentally been put on a low-sodium diet for a few weeks, and never recovered. Sodium is good for you, unless you have a specific reason why it's not good for you in particular.

ETA: the water weight came back over the span of several more weeks, as my body adjusted. Bodies like water, too.

So how much lower if not 1200 ?

People should get this number from their doctor.

I have never seen a doctor call for less that 1500mg a day because we need sodium to live. That 1500 is only for those with hypertension or certain other risks. Even then, the numbers are being called into question as a blanket recommendation for people.

I've only heard of extremely low in cases of severe kidney disease.

But ask your doctor for a number.

cmtigger

RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »

Yes, I eat a salt free diet with some seaweed for iodine. There's also a lot of sodium in dark green vegetables and celery. I've had my sodium levels tested and they're totally normal. I believe it's helped me lose over 25 pounds since January. I'm now 135 at 5"8". So yeah, I think it has helped a lot. It made me crave food a lot less and not binge

You are eating sodium that occurs naturally in food.