Sodium???

spennato

Ok whats the deal with sodium, I am supposed to stay at around 2500mg a day. I always seem over at days end. So I looked at today and I had 3 pickle spears and they were 990 mg of sodium. So is going over by 1,000 really that big of a deal???

FaeFae

eating one large pickle put me over my sodium limit!! ONE thats all it took! I was in shock when I saw how much sodium was in one pickle. I think I am going to try and stay away from pickles. I usually eat pickles in my tuna but I think I may replace them with peppers.

javamom

Excess sodium makes me retain a lot of water. It also increases my blood pressure. Every person is different. When I go over on sodium, I make myself drink A LOT of water.

brownspicegirl

Dr Oz who is my hero says that salt is bad because it thickens the blood making it difficult to pass through the veins. He says it putsa stain on the organs when there is too much salt in our diet. Hope this helps.

aree2525

Gosh! I don't know about sodium. BUT may I say that you are doing a fantastic job at loosing weight!!!! 54lbs in 3 months!!!! GOOD JOB!

fitzie63

First of all, wherever salt goes, water follows = water retention & increased workload on the heart. Anyone taking in an overload (or deficit) of either sodium or potassium is risking problems with heart function. You appear to be quite young so it might not affect you now as much as it might when you're in your 60s and older.

Start: reading the product labels on things you buy. In the United States, the FDA regulations require content to be listed in order of quantity. Your first clue: if any of the first 4 items on the content are salt or sodium, look for other products that are much lower.

Prepared/packaged meals and canned foods are usually always extremely high in sodium content. The idiot food processors think it won't be attractive to the public if they don't load it with salt.

Lunch meats (high fat, high sodium)
cheese (high fat, high sodium)
crackers (high sodium, high fat at times)
shrimp, crab (loaded with sodium)
beer (don't even think about it, lol)
all chips (tortilla, corn, potato)
popcorn (especially the microwave type: loaded with salt+fat)
hot dogs (high fat+high salt)
sausages of any type (high fat+high salt
pizza (loaded with fat & salt)
bacon (high fat+high salt)

This list could go on forever. If I was a betting person, I'd bet anything that most of these foods are what you enjoy, especially during professional sports playoff season. The key: monitor your intake,.control the portions and be very honest with yourself when weighing, measuring and leveling off the excess quantity. Eyeball measuring ADDS excess pounds rather than losing them.

FYI: The fat doesn't just go on your bones. It can cover the entire surface of your heart while also gunking up the arteries inside the heart. That: can KILL you! You've already made the most important step by changing the things in your lifestyle that you can choose to change. Yes, 21 year old individuals have had heart "attacks". Forty somethings have also had them. Many die much too young.

You're doing great! Keep up the good work

Claire