I did not get enough sodium today.

Nevada

I enjoyed spaghetti for dinner tonight, especially happy with the Trader Joe's Organic Marinara Sauce (no salt added, low fat). It is delicious, with only 25mg sodium in 1/2 cup (50 calories).

Feeling so wholesome, I ran some reports, and saw that today I ate 310mg of sodium. My average is about 1,500mg.

I wondered if there is a minimum requirement for sodium. There are no official numbers,
but here
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/sodium.html
it estimates that an adult needs 500mg daily.

I know that one day off the mark is not going to hurt me, but I see where it could be taken too far.
So, you can have too little of a bad thing.

Had some pretzels, so I'm back in balance.

Nevada

I enjoyed spaghetti for dinner tonight, especially happy with the Trader Joe's Organic Marinara Sauce (no salt added, low fat). It is delicious, with only 25mg sodium in 1/2 cup (50 calories).

Feeling so wholesome, I ran some reports, and saw that today I ate 310mg of sodium. My average is about 1,500mg.

I wondered if there is a minimum requirement for sodium. There are no official numbers,
but here
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/sodium.html
it estimates that an adult needs 500mg daily.

I know that one day off the mark is not going to hurt me, but I see where it could be taken too far.
So, you can have too little of a bad thing.

Had some pretzels, so I'm back in balance.

lauralu

Depending on your age and health status, having a low-sodium diet is actually a GOOD thing. Sodium is a major factor in blood pressure regulation. The more salt you have in your body the more water you retain and up goes your blood pressure (it's more complicated than that...but that's the important part lol). So if you have high blood pressure or are at risk of high blood pressure (talk to your doc) it is actually beneficial to have less sodium in your diet.

Unless you are working out extremely hard and losing lots of electrolytes through sweating heavily for around an hour, it is unlikely that you will ever have too little sodium in your diet. If you are losing a lot of sweat during your workouts, I would suggest a sports drink such as gatorade or powerade. I know it contains a lot of sugar, but it's important to replenish your electrolytes in order to maintain proper hydration. If you are really against having all that extra sugar, you can use a product like gastrolyte which is usually used for rehydration therapy in people who have lost a lot of fluid due to diarrhea. It's not very tasty but it has less sugar.

Hope that helps!

Nevada

The point of my post was that there is a minimum requirement. We always hear about getting too much sodium.

From the Feinberg web page:
"Physiological Functions
Sodium is the primary electrolyte that regulates the extracellular fluid levels in the body. Sodium is essential for hydration because this mineral pumps water into the cell. In turn, potassium pumps the by-products of cellular processes out of the cell, eventually eliminating these "wastes" from the body.

In addition to maintaining water balance, sodium is necessary for osmotic equilibrium, acid-base balance and regulation of plasma volume, nerve impulses and muscle contractions. "

I had reduced my MFP sodium "target" (actually a ceiling) from the default 3,000mg to 2,500mg. Feinberg says that 2,400mg is a better maximum. Replacing packaged soups and beans with homemade has gotten my sodium numbers way down.

lauralu

You are absolulely correct about sodium's importance in biological functions. The reason that we hear so little about having a sodium deficiency is because there is sodium in most of the things that we find palatable. There are not many people who are able to get their sodium levels low enough to be deficient unless they are not eating or are dehydrated.

That being said, I looked up the minimum recommended daily intake of sodium in references published by the Canadian Pharmacist's Association. The Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS) clinical section recommends a minimum of 1500mg for normal healthy adults under 65 years of age. Patient Self-Care had the same recommendation and also contained the symptoms of sodium deficiency. It is unlikely that ingesting too little sodium once in awhile will hurt you, but if it's happening on a regular basis, you may be at risk of developing a condition called hyponatremia (sodium deficiency). Just for a little self-check the symptoms include muscle cramps, mental apathy (lack of emotion) and reduced apetite. Hyponatremia is most common in athletes who over-hydrate with only water and/or do not replenish the salts that are lost in sweat during exercise....which is what caused me to include my little spiel in my last post about gatorade Also, if you're concerned that you may be getting too little sodium on a regular basis, you can see your doc to get your blood electrolytes tested to ensure they are within the normal range.

tdroseler

how do you do it...
i try, quite hard to not take in sodium. I don't add any to my foods, and look at the labels. i eat a lot more fresh fruit and veggies, but i can't help but go way over in my sodium...:explode:
i have fluid retention problems, although not as bad as before when i didn't watch my salt intake...but not good enough yet to get off the "pee pills"

very frustrating:grumble:

Nevada

On the Foods tab, Food Settings, you can change, say Protein, to Sodium. Then, you can go back through your days, and see which foods are giving you the sodium. Even some fresh veggies might surprise you.

Please let us know what you find.

charley078

If ur feeling a little bloated from salt intake, drink 100% organic green tea with anti-oxidents, it worksas a natural diueretic.....

Razboo

If you want some extra sodium, try a little smoked or pre-cooked ham. I'd been using that to up my protien, but just realized how much sodium is in it. Sheesh!

icandoit

Talk to your doctor about your sodium intake. My husband has to be careful of sodium intake due to blood pressure and his doctor told him how much he should and should not take in in a day.

icandoit

The benefits of eating less salt. Reducing your salt may have the following benefits:

You will not be as likely to need blood pressure medicine.
If you already take medicine to control your high blood pressure, reducing your salt intake may allow you to take less medicine.
If you are a woman, decreasing your salt intake may also protect you from the bone condition called osteoporosis. How? Because your kidneys will get rid of less calcium. A higher level of calcium in your body means stronger bones.
If your heart has become enlarged due to high blood pressure, consuming less salt may help reverse some of the enlargement.

The first step to cutting back. Sodium may be in the foods you eat or drink, so remember to check food labels. Nutrition experts recommend you eat no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium or 6 grams of salt per day. This is equal to about 1 1/4 teaspoon.

caitbeans

One day isn't going to make or break you- it is more an average over the week (it might actually be two weeks). If your average sodium intake meets your RDA I wouldn't worry too much about it.