What about Sodium?

MariadfdCruz

My level for sodium are very high and I am always a lot below the goals. Is this good or bad? I see sodium is related to salt and snacks.

My Carbs and Sugar are always very near the goal or a little above, even when my calories are below the goal calories.

earthboundmisfit

There's a lot of sodium in processed foods, cured meats, and chips and other junk foods. You need to check the labels. Personally I try to avoid lots of sodium because it makes me retain water.

laurenawolf

Unless you have any medical problems that deals with sodium, it's really not a big deal.

My sodium is around 4,000mg everyday, but I live in Texas so I sweat most of it out.

ETA: High sodium foods include processed and packaged foods. Bacon and carton egg whites are a killer for me, but I am still losing weight.

joshbond85

Going over your sodium won't have serious effects. You could consume double the daily value and be fine. It will just cause you to retain more water through the day and see that phantom weight gain (see the 50 posts a day about people who put on 2 lbs since yesterday).

Yes, it's coming from your snacks. And preprocessed foods. If you really want to get it down, you need to start cooking on your own and controlling how much salt goes in.

_Zardoz_

Sodium is salt. Looking at your diary your levels are below the recommended so not sure what your concerns are. We need a certain level of salt a day though too much can make you retain some water but it's not really an issue unless you have medical issues such as blood pressure. I would say you could probably eat a lot more food and still lose weight. 1200 calories really isnt much and as you don't have huge amounts of weight to lose it's better to lose slower. It may be worth having a look at your goals this thread is useful and will help you set them up

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

skruttan44

My level for sodium are very high and I am always a lot below the goals. Is this good or bad? I see sodium is related to salt and snacks.

My Carbs and Sugar are always very near the goal or a little above, even when my calories are below the goal calories.

I like to keep my sodium low. A lower sodium diet allows about 1500 a day,and I try to keep that as a goal even if we are allowed more. Eating out is horrible...I have started looking at nutrition at restaurants before we go, they are often 1000-3000 per meal!

A subway sandwich has 750!

skruttan44

Sodium is salt. Looking at your diary your levels are below the recommended so not sure what your concerns are. We need a certain level of salt a day though too much can make you retain some water but it's not really an issue unless you have medical issues such as blood pressure. I would say you could probably eat a lot more food and still lose weight. 1200 calories really isnt much and as you don't have huge amounts of weight to lose it's better to lose slower. It may be worth having a look at your goals this thread is useful and will help you set them up

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

Think the OP means the level sodium allowed is high, and she knows she is well below, and wondering if that is bad.

BigTireFlipper

Unless you have any medical problems that deals with sodium, it's really not a big deal.

I live in Texas and my sodium is around 4,000mg everyday, so I sweat most of it out.

Uh no. Chronic salt over-consumption can lead to heart disease. No doctor will ever say consuming over 2500 mg per day is ok. I live in texas too and get along fine working out outside on around 1200mg per day. The only people that need to increase their sodium intake are those that participate in extreme sports like marathons, iron man competitions, and similar. Once you hit about 40 the max recommended per day gets cut in half.

So yes, be mindful of it. Going over a couple of times a week won't lead to "chronic overuse" that panics the docs. Here's a wiki that does a good job of breaking down how salt can impact your health. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_cardiovascular_disease

laurenawolf

Unless you have any medical problems that deals with sodium, it's really not a big deal.

I live in Texas and my sodium is around 4,000mg everyday, so I sweat most of it out.

Uh no. Chronic salt over-consumption can lead to heart disease. No doctor will ever say consuming over 2500 mg per day is ok. I live in texas too and get along fine working out outside on around 1200mg per day. The only people that need to increase their sodium intake are those that participate in extreme sports like marathons, iron man competitions, and similar. Once you hit about 40 the max recommended per day gets cut in half.

So yes, be mindful of it. Going over a couple of times a week won't lead to "chronic overuse" that panics the docs. Here's a wiki that does a good job of breaking down how salt can impact your health. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_cardiovascular_disease

I'm not telling the OP to consume as much sodium as I do. That works for me because I am very active. I am saying that if she doesn't have any medical issues, and she goes over, it won't kill her.

Also if you're going to try to provide evidence of your claim, don't use a wiki source. Here is a better link.
http://www.cdc.gov/salt/

ruthejp13

Unless you have any medical problems that deals with sodium, it's really not a big deal.

I live in Texas and my sodium is around 4,000mg everyday, so I sweat most of it out.

Uh no. Chronic salt over-consumption can lead to heart disease. No doctor will ever say consuming over 2500 mg per day is ok. I live in texas too and get along fine working out outside on around 1200mg per day. The only people that need to increase their sodium intake are those that participate in extreme sports like marathons, iron man competitions, and similar. Once you hit about 40 the max recommended per day gets cut in half.

So yes, be mindful of it. Going over a couple of times a week won't lead to "chronic overuse" that panics the docs. Here's a wiki that does a good job of breaking down how salt can impact your health. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_cardiovascular_disease

Too little sodium is bad for you. I looked at OP diary. She MAY not be getting ENOUGH sodium. The best indicator is your blood pressure. I'm almost 50 years old and sometimes have to add 1 teaspoon of salt to my eggs in the morning to make sure I get enough sodium. I have VERY LOW BLOOD PRESSURE. If you have HIGH blood pressure, cut down on the salt. There are also different intake requirements based on your race. African-American's should have about half the RDA.

Originally the RDA for sodium was a MINIMUM. Then everyone started eating processed foods and they started exceeding the amount of sodium by 5 to 10-fold. The important aspect with sodium is that you need MORE POTASSIUM than sodium. The public does not consume enough potassium so the body is out of equalibrium an heart disease ensues.

When someone cuts out processed foods and starts drinking tons of water, you might have to start salting your foods. Check your blood pressure and check with your doctor. I am not giving medical advice. I'm merely telling you of my experience and what I have learned from nutrition classes.

sympha01

Looking over your diary, yes your levels look a bit lower than recommended BUT I also see several items in your diary that I KNOW naturally have sodium in them (e.g. yogurt, bread -- "brood" is bread in Dutch or something, right?) but indicated 0 mg of sodium in them -- you are using some database entries that do not have sodium included in the entry. This is not uncommon.

My guess is your sodium levels are just fine. Unless your doctor has given you specific recommendations based on a medical condition you have, you don't have to worry about it. Tracking sodium is really for people who 1) have medical conditions, especially high blood pressure and 2) people who eat A LOT of canned food, salty snacks, and frozen pre-prepared meals or restaurant meals. For the rest of us, it's probably not worth worrying about.

Chelsarrr

I love it. Tasty! The average population shouldn't have to worry about it, but ask your doctor to make sure.

itsbasschick

your sodium looks good - about what doctors often recommend, actually.

lemurcat12

The sodium is really a maximum, not a minimum, so don't worry about being low. (There's also obviously a debate about how much being high matters.) Personally, I don't track my sodium since I don't eat that much canned, boxed, etc. foods (although I do buy lunch too often). But if I did it would be misleadingly low since I never add the salt I use in cooking. My guess is lots of people similarly don't add that, so if you do use salt your sodium levels are higher than you have in your diary anyway.

As for sugar, my quick glance at your diary suggests it's mostly from milk and fruit, so I wouldn't worry about it.

aedreana

Sodium is like oxygen to me. I have to have it because I get severely dehydrated without salt to retain water. I cannot endure dehydration because it ages my face and body by 50 years in one day!-- Eyelids bug out, nose sharpens, lips narrow, whole face gets hollow, breasts shrivel and tissues all over my face and body shrink. I make a point of getting enough salt so I retain water to plump out the tissues in my body and face! It is very difficult as a vegan to get enough salt. Even when I was young, in my teens and 20s, if I didn't get enough salt each day I looked hideously old due to dehydration. Salt: my miracle drug!

ruthejp13

Unless you have any medical problems that deals with sodium, it's really not a big deal.

I live in Texas and my sodium is around 4,000mg everyday, so I sweat most of it out.

Uh no. Chronic salt over-consumption can lead to heart disease. No doctor will ever say consuming over 2500 mg per day is ok. I live in texas too and get along fine working out outside on around 1200mg per day. The only people that need to increase their sodium intake are those that participate in extreme sports like marathons, iron man competitions, and similar. Once you hit about 40 the max recommended per day gets cut in half.

So yes, be mindful of it. Going over a couple of times a week won't lead to "chronic overuse" that panics the docs. Here's a wiki that does a good job of breaking down how salt can impact your health. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_cardiovascular_disease

Too little sodium is bad for you. I looked at OP diary. She MAY not be getting ENOUGH sodium. The best indicator is your blood pressure. I'm almost 50 years old and sometimes have to add 1 teaspoon of salt to my eggs in the morning to make sure I get enough sodium. I have VERY LOW BLOOD PRESSURE. If you have HIGH blood pressure, cut down on the salt. There are also different intake requirements based on your race. African-American's should have about half the RDA.

Originally the RDA for sodium was a MINIMUM. Then everyone started eating processed foods and they started exceeding the amount of sodium by 5 to 10-fold. The important aspect with sodium is that you need MORE POTASSIUM than sodium. The public does not consume enough potassium so the body is out of equalibrium an heart disease ensues.

When someone cuts out processed foods and starts drinking tons of water, you might have to start salting your foods. Check your blood pressure and check with your doctor. I am not giving medical advice. I'm merely telling you of my experience and what I have learned from nutrition classes.

It is NOW considered a maximum. Sorry I left that out.

MariadfdCruz

Yes, I was wondering if my low levels of Sodium were good or bad. I have been feeling extremely tired and I am trying to understand why. So, Sodium low level is good. Got it! Thanks!

BansheeCat

OP, sodium levels should be watched but it's also relative. If you have high sodium intake but are doing high impact exercise or drinking a lot of water than higher than recommended in your food journal is fine.

BTW... The food journal on this site doesn't account sodium loss as it should when you've exercised. For instance I burned over 4000 calories on Friday but the food journal doesn't increase the sodium intake despite rising everything else considered. Sodium is a needed electrolyte. Having too low can cause fatigue and water retention just as if you're taking in too much. For some reason the journal doesn't take that into account. Also, If you're drinking plenty of fluids then you flush a lot of the sodium, and other electrolytes away. Like I explained---it's all relative.

Now---if you're not drinking plenty of non-sodium fluids and not exercising then it's very important to keep it in check. I'm a living testament of someone who didn't in the past---which is why I know to darn much about it. Last year-I learned have 50% blockage and hardened arteries around my heart and brain very likely due to a unsubstantiated high sodium diet. My brothers too. Our mother, who didn't know better, raised us on canned, processed food for most of child hood, then we carried the same dietary tradition through adulthood.

Since the discovery--My family realized that most restaurants have very high sodium meals too. It's what makes their food taste so good. I had serious Taco Bell withdrawals.