Is sodium -that- important?
go52182
Posts: 133 Member
I've not really paid attention to that column but am wondering if anything would change with me, physically, if I make sure to get 2,300mg each day? I don't do a lot of cardio, mostly weights. Leg day is the only day I sweat a lot. I think if I don't add extra salt to my diet I'm usually between 1,000-1,500mg each day.
How many of you strive to reach your sodium goal each day?
How many of you strive to reach your sodium goal each day?
0
Replies
-
If your sodium is low, it can cause cramps. However, people with high blood pressure are often told 1500mg is the max. I think if you don't have a medical condition and are not experiencing cramps or other symptoms, just ignore the sodium.2
-
Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. No cramps so I think I'm fine. Just wasn't sure if I could potentially be causing myself harm.0
-
Too low sodium can also cause all sorts of other things, like confusion, thirst, etc. But it would need to get quite low. If you're sweating a lot and don't feel too well then eating enough sodium is important.0
-
Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. No cramps so I think I'm fine. Just wasn't sure if I could potentially be causing myself harm.
Look into what nutrients are upper and lower limits. 2300 Mg of sodium is an upper limit recommendation, not necessarily a target to hit.
It's an important electrolyte though...you can have too much but you can also have too little...and ideally you would take into account your ratio of potassium to sodium because they kinda work together. Your activity also plays a roll in how much you require...I'm hypertensive but I'm also very active and sweat a lot cycling in the heat...if I eat the recommended amount for someone with hypertension, I get all kinds of cramps and other issues. I usually shoot pickle juice after a sweaty ride.1 -
HECK YES!!!!!!! Sodium is extremely important for the blood. "Hyponatremia is a condition characterized by low levels of sodium in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration, and in severe cases the brain may swell and lead to headaches, seizures, coma and even death" www.healthline.com2
-
TheMrWobbly wrote: »HECK YES!!!!!!! Sodium is extremely important for the blood. "Hyponatremia is a condition characterized by low levels of sodium in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration, and in severe cases the brain may swell and lead to headaches, seizures, coma and even death" www.healthline.com
Is 1,000-1,500mg/day considered low?0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. No cramps so I think I'm fine. Just wasn't sure if I could potentially be causing myself harm.
Look into what nutrients are upper and lower limits. 2300 Mg of sodium is an upper limit recommendation, not necessarily a target to hit.
It's an important electrolyte though...you can have too much but you can also have too little...and ideally you would take into account your ratio of potassium to sodium because they kinda work together.
I don't think I get much potassium
I should add that column too! 0 -
I don't even look at sodium any longer. It is absolutely necessary for life. I eat about half a gram of pink salt each evening at bedtime. This seems to keep leg crams away.1
-
cwolfman13 wrote: »Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. No cramps so I think I'm fine. Just wasn't sure if I could potentially be causing myself harm.
Look into what nutrients are upper and lower limits. 2300 Mg of sodium is an upper limit recommendation, not necessarily a target to hit.
It's an important electrolyte though...you can have too much but you can also have too little...and ideally you would take into account your ratio of potassium to sodium because they kinda work together.
I don't think I get much potassium I should add that column too!
Oh! I forgot the salt I use has added potassium! I guess I've been doing ok.
Morton - Lite Salt Mixture, 1 tsp (1.4 g) Sodium 1,160mg Potassium 1,400mg1 -
TheMrWobbly wrote: »HECK YES!!!!!!! Sodium is extremely important for the blood. "Hyponatremia is a condition characterized by low levels of sodium in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration, and in severe cases the brain may swell and lead to headaches, seizures, coma and even death" www.healthline.com
Is 1,000-1,500mg/day considered low?
Over a period of months, a consistent sodium intake of about 1,000-1,500 mg/day will lead to hyponatremia. It happened to me after about 6 months of deliberately trying to keep my sodium intake low.3 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »TheMrWobbly wrote: »HECK YES!!!!!!! Sodium is extremely important for the blood. "Hyponatremia is a condition characterized by low levels of sodium in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration, and in severe cases the brain may swell and lead to headaches, seizures, coma and even death" www.healthline.com
Is 1,000-1,500mg/day considered low?
Over a period of months, a consistent sodium intake of about 1,000-1,500 mg/day will lead to hyponatremia. It happened to me after about 6 months of deliberately trying to keep my sodium intake low.
To add, if you up your water intake, you would have been even more danger.1 -
I've been dehydrated after a race and have gotten paralyzing leg cramps, nausea, dizziness...but that was after running a half marathon in 80 degree weather. Still, it sure taught me the importance of hydration and salt! Not an everyday occurence for me. :-)0
-
Running_and_Coffee wrote: »I've been dehydrated after a race and have gotten paralyzing leg cramps, nausea, dizziness...but that was after running a half marathon in 80 degree weather. Still, it sure taught me the importance of hydration and salt! Not an everyday occurence for me. :-)
Hehe wow that sounds intense!!1 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »TheMrWobbly wrote: »HECK YES!!!!!!! Sodium is extremely important for the blood. "Hyponatremia is a condition characterized by low levels of sodium in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration, and in severe cases the brain may swell and lead to headaches, seizures, coma and even death" www.healthline.com
Is 1,000-1,500mg/day considered low?
Over a period of months, a consistent sodium intake of about 1,000-1,500 mg/day will lead to hyponatremia. It happened to me after about 6 months of deliberately trying to keep my sodium intake low.
To add, if you up your water intake, you would have been even more danger.
I drink a heck of a lot of water. I guess it is important for me to hit close to that 2,300mg goal each day.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. No cramps so I think I'm fine. Just wasn't sure if I could potentially be causing myself harm.
Look into what nutrients are upper and lower limits. 2300 Mg of sodium is an upper limit recommendation, not necessarily a target to hit.
It's an important electrolyte though...you can have too much but you can also have too little...and ideally you would take into account your ratio of potassium to sodium because they kinda work together.
I don't think I get much potassium I should add that column too!
Potassium is difficult to track since it is not required to be included in nutritional labels in the U.S. (it is considered a "voluntary nutrient"). Among the things I buy it is seldom included.3 -
TheMrWobbly wrote: »HECK YES!!!!!!! Sodium is extremely important for the blood. "Hyponatremia is a condition characterized by low levels of sodium in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration, and in severe cases the brain may swell and lead to headaches, seizures, coma and even death" www.healthline.com
Is 1,000-1,500mg/day considered low?
This depends on a wide variety of factors. I don't do an excessive amount of cardio, but I do cycle about 50 miles per week...1,000-1,500 mg would be very bad for me. It also depends on how many fluids you're taking in...if you drink a lot of water and other fluids, you flush sodium out so you need more to keep a proper balance of electrolytes. If you have a low or lower carbohydrate diet, you'll also need more.
Really, in an otherwise healthy person, it's not really necessary nor optimal to strive for a low sodium diet...even for people with hypertension like myself, it often makes little to no difference. I kind of think the low sodium diet will ultimately go the way of the low fat diet...no real benefit and can do more harm than good.3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »This depends on a wide variety of factors. I don't do an excessive amount of cardio, but I do cycle about 50 miles per week...1,000-1,500 mg would be very bad for me. It also depends on how many fluids you're taking in...if you drink a lot of water and other fluids, you flush sodium out so you need more to keep a proper balance of electrolytes. If you have a low or lower carbohydrate diet, you'll also need more.
Really, in an otherwise healthy person, it's not really necessary nor optimal to strive for a low sodium diet...even for people with hypertension like myself, it often makes little to no difference. I kind of think the low sodium diet will ultimately go the way of the low fat diet...no real benefit and can do more harm than good.
With everything I've read here I think for me it may be best to make sure I add salt to my day. I don't have a problem adding some to a little bit of water and downing that. But I do think I should make it a priority.
0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »This depends on a wide variety of factors. I don't do an excessive amount of cardio, but I do cycle about 50 miles per week...1,000-1,500 mg would be very bad for me. It also depends on how many fluids you're taking in...if you drink a lot of water and other fluids, you flush sodium out so you need more to keep a proper balance of electrolytes. If you have a low or lower carbohydrate diet, you'll also need more.
Really, in an otherwise healthy person, it's not really necessary nor optimal to strive for a low sodium diet...even for people with hypertension like myself, it often makes little to no difference. I kind of think the low sodium diet will ultimately go the way of the low fat diet...no real benefit and can do more harm than good.
With everything I've read here I think for me it may be best to make sure I add salt to my day. I don't have a problem adding some to a little bit of water and downing that. But I do think I should make it a priority.
How long have you been at your current levels? Do you eat any processed food or go out to eat? I don't eat a ton of processed food, but most of the stuff I do eat like canned beans, canned tomatoes and tomato sauces, etc have sodium in them...eating out is a sodium bomb. Do you salt your homemade food?
It's quite possible that you don't need to do anything particular at all...I personally always found it a hard thing to track accurately.4 -
Most people get more than the recommended amount of salt in their diet, but it's not a big deal because the kidneys are extremely efficient at getting rid of extra sodium. Unless you have hypertension or another medical condition I wouldn't worry about limiting your sodium intake.
0 -
6-8 grams of sodium a day crew right here!!1
-
Depending on conditions and activity, I sometimes supplement a whole lot and not so much other times. There have been days in very hot weather (100+ heat index) where I've been outside hiking or running and was cramping due to low sodium even when getting 10g-12g those days.
I plan to run trails tomorrow - 14 miles with heat indices mid-90's and dew point mid-70's. You can bet I'm going to take electrolyte tablets. Those of us who eat very low carb need to supplement even more than most also.0 -
Sodium is definitely an important mineral, but it is one that if you aren't getting enough, you would know it.
As for Potassium, it is hard to track if you are eating a lot of packaged foods because it is typically not a listed nutrient. But if you have a diet rich in whole foods like avocado, salmon, potatoes, beans, and dairy, you are probably fine.
I always recommend that people get a blood test to determine their vitamin and mineral levels to determine if they are deficient in anything prior to starting any type of supplement regimen.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »How long have you been at your current levels? Do you eat any processed food or go out to eat? I don't eat a ton of processed food, but most of the stuff I do eat like canned beans, canned tomatoes and tomato sauces, etc have sodium in them...eating out is a sodium bomb. Do you salt your homemade food?
It's quite possible that you don't need to do anything particular at all...I personally always found it a hard thing to track accurately.
I try to eat out only once a week, sometimes twice on the weekend.
I do mostly eat "clean" so there's not a lot of sodium in my diet. It's mostly in my post-workout protein, casein protein and my salad dressing. I salt my food at home but not a lot. That's why I was thinking of drinking some salt water to top off my day.0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »Depending on conditions and activity, I sometimes supplement a whole lot and not so much other times. There have been days in very hot weather (100+ heat index) where I've been outside hiking or running and was cramping due to low sodium even when getting 10g-12g those days.
I plan to run trails tomorrow - 14 miles with heat indices mid-90's and dew point mid-70's. You can bet I'm going to take electrolyte tablets. Those of us who eat very low carb need to supplement even more than most also.
Oh yeah I remember that from when I used to eat a LCHF diet. I had to drink salt water during those days to make sure I had enough sodium. And I remember all of the extra supplements too! That way of eating was way too hard for me. I have a big sweet tooth that always derailed me. 0 -
WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »I always recommend that people get a blood test to determine their vitamin and mineral levels to determine if they are deficient in anything prior to starting any type of supplement regimen.
I give blood a few times a year. I like to go onto Carter's website after a few days to look at my numbers. I don't remember if it shows vitamin and mineral levels. Probably not, huh?0 -
I need to eat 8 grams of salt per day for low blood pressure.
0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »How long have you been at your current levels? Do you eat any processed food or go out to eat? I don't eat a ton of processed food, but most of the stuff I do eat like canned beans, canned tomatoes and tomato sauces, etc have sodium in them...eating out is a sodium bomb. Do you salt your homemade food?
It's quite possible that you don't need to do anything particular at all...I personally always found it a hard thing to track accurately.
I try to eat out only once a week, sometimes twice on the weekend.
I do mostly eat "clean" so there's not a lot of sodium in my diet. It's mostly in my post-workout protein, casein protein and my salad dressing. I salt my food at home but not a lot. That's why I was thinking of drinking some salt water to top off my day.
If you're going out to eat 1 to 3 times a week, it's difficult to believe you need to supplement sodium, unless you're sweating a ton, because most restaurants use a lot of salt.
Have you discussed this habit of drinking salt water with your doctor? My understanding is that it's not generally recommended for a variety of reasons, including dehydration. If you were adrift at sea and all you had to drink was seawater, you would die from dehydration (unless you figured out how to rig up a desalination system).1 -
Yes, sodium is important. I remember when my husband and I went to Washington, DC, and it was 100 degrees in the shade. We finally found a vendor cart who had water - we promptly bought 4 bottles, and each downed a bottle. I still felt nauseous. Got a lemonade with salt and sugar in it and instantly felt better.
I try not to overdo it though. If my salt intake for a day is high, I try to drink more water to compensate.
0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »How long have you been at your current levels? Do you eat any processed food or go out to eat? I don't eat a ton of processed food, but most of the stuff I do eat like canned beans, canned tomatoes and tomato sauces, etc have sodium in them...eating out is a sodium bomb. Do you salt your homemade food?
It's quite possible that you don't need to do anything particular at all...I personally always found it a hard thing to track accurately.
I try to eat out only once a week, sometimes twice on the weekend.
I do mostly eat "clean" so there's not a lot of sodium in my diet. It's mostly in my post-workout protein, casein protein and my salad dressing. I salt my food at home but not a lot. That's why I was thinking of drinking some salt water to top off my day.
If you're going out to eat 1 to 3 times a week, it's difficult to believe you need to supplement sodium, unless you're sweating a ton, because most restaurants use a lot of salt.
Have you discussed this habit of drinking salt water with your doctor? My understanding is that it's not generally recommended for a variety of reasons, including dehydration. If you were adrift at sea and all you had to drink was seawater, you would die from dehydration (unless you figured out how to rig up a desalination system).
Depends on where TO lives. The UK is really scared of salt, and while it's not difficult to get nice, properly cooked food, it's difficult to get food that actually contains salt. Imagine fries without salt! I use salt as a taste enhancer. Leaving out salt makes food so bland!0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »
Have you discussed this habit of drinking salt water with your doctor? My understanding is that it's not generally recommended for a variety of reasons, including dehydration. If you were adrift at sea and all you had to drink was seawater, you would die from dehydration (unless you figured out how to rig up a desalination system).
I’ve not discussed this with my doctor. If I’m consistently only getting 1,000-1,500mg a day I don’t see what’s wrong with drinking salt water, the same salt I’d use to over-salt my food, to get closer to my 2,300mg/day goal. I don’t believe that would cause dehydration especially since all I drink is water and usually a ton a day. Where’s the harm in drinking salt water?...that’s measured of course.
2
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions