Why is sodium bad for me?
Jocampgrl
Posts: 59 Member
I have never tracked sodium before mfp. I've seen a general assumption that it's bad for me but why? Does anyone know the science behind it? How my body reacts?
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Replies
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It is an essential mineral...however, too much sodium (often accompanied by too little potassium) throws off your electrolyte balance and can lead to bloating, etc. Excessive sodium does bad things if you are hypertensive...if I have too much sodium and in particular, if I'm not balancing that out with about 1.5 times more potassium, my heart feels like it's going to fly out of my chest.0
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From what I've read, only about 1 in 7 of us has hypertension and should worry about our sodium intake. Is your blood pressure ok? If so, I wouldn't worry about it.0
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High dietary sodium may promote vasoconstriction in some people. This article has some interesting reasons why http://www.healthknot.com/salt_health.html0
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From what I've read, only about 1 in 7 of us has hypertension and should worry about our sodium intake. Is your blood pressure ok? If so, I wouldn't worry about it.
this.
if you dont have problems with blood pressure or your kidneys then you're fine.0 -
Too much sodium causes dehydration and can make your heart work harder because it can constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure. Don't worry too much about it, but do be conscious of how much salt you are taking in. That "flushed" feeling after eating way too much sodium is very uncomfortable.0
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Thank you all. This is helpful info0
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I have never tracked sodium before mfp. I've seen a general assumption that it's bad for me but why? Does anyone know the science behind it? How my body reacts?
Sodium isn't bad for you. It's a necessary mineral. Eating too much salt, which contains sodium, can cause you to retain fluid. A small number of people are salt-sensitive; if you are, excess sodium can raise your blood pressure.
If you mostly stay away from processed and fast foods, which may have a lot of salt or monosodium glutamate (MSG) added to make them taste better, you shouldn't have to worry about taking in too much sodium.0
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