why tracking sodium is important.. ( slight rant)

keljo05

I know there are people that don't understand why sodium can make such a difference when they track everything else and eat on target for calories for the day.

A few things here... a little there... it's not much right? it won't add up much right?

take this menu for today....

breakfast:
blueberry muffin

Lunch:
ham and cheese sandwich w/ half bag (small bag) of cheddar/horseradish potato chips

approx 3 hours later - pizza burger, french fries, coleslaw ( about 2Tbsp) and a pickle spear.

this has resulted in a sodium intake of somewhere around 3000mg. however in this case thats not the only issue.

this is my husbands intake today. the extra lunch was because his mom wanted to take us out for lunch. By 6pm tonight my husband is on the couch coughing and struggling for breath. He has congestive heart failure along with the damage from the heart attack in november.... and the ditz forgot to take his meds this morning which includes Lasix to reduce fluid build up.

after taking his meds, ...starting to drink more fluids including tea to help flush his system and sitting up instead of lying down .. he's improving and I think we'll avoid the er visit for this week....although he's having a pacemaker put in on tuesday.

he's only 36yrs old and he's still NOT getting it. Its so frustrating because I can;t force him to eat better, he has to choose to make the choices.

now I know most people aren't in his place and have the issues he is dealing with.. BUT this can show why sodium and fluid retention can build up fast.. for him its potentially life threatening.. for most people its why they gain weight suddenly or don;t loose it.... heck i'm dealing with some weight gain from higher sodium levels for the last few days.

so watch your sodium and see what you are taking in daily....it sneaks in more then you think.

Sauchie

WoW.... I know how you feel in one way. your husband reminds me of my father. He will be 59 next week and is in end stage heart failure because much like your husband my father thought he was invincibly and didn't watch what he ate nor did he regulate his meds. My grandfather died when my dad was 11 years old from diabetic complications @ 33 (including heart diseases) My dad now looks back and wishes he did things right but it was a day late and a dollar short. His heart is functioning only by the bypass he had done 12 years ago. We live life day by day now. He retired four years ago. now its all about tweaking his meds. He sleeps in a recliner in my parents living room sometimes he'll sleep in the bedroom off the living room for an hour or 2 but thats about it. My father is now fighting blindness as an added addition to his medical condition.

I can understand your frustration which is why I told you the story of my dad in hopes that it will make your hubby "wise up". I myself joined MFP because I seem to be following in the family footsteps and was diagnosed diabetic 2 years ago and now I want to lose weight. best of Luck. Friend me if you'd like I'm posting & running to get my daughter ready for school tomorrow.

Hearts_2015

Thank you for sharing this! I agree it's very important that people understand this well in advance of ever needing medication or beyond, what we are doing now with our bodies is effecting us inside in ways we don't always know until sometimes we regret choices made and then it's too late.

The new recommended sodium amount for all adults is now 1500mg. MFP suggests 2500 but the changes are newer. I now have mine down to 1500mg (I switched to see if I could do it! ) and have found I have left over mg each day. This does not come without planning though! :noway: I choose to eat cottage cheese one day or Turkey sausage or Turkey bacon another I can't work them all in if I want to include other foods with sodium in my day. Each of those foods above are great protein, but very high in sodium though the meats are processed I do still eat them on occasion.

Laughing Cow Cheese which a number of members are familiar with I've pretty much given up because of such high sodium levels and little food value. I don't mean it's not a fun food item to add to eggs etc. and such but the sodium is crazy high! If I have to make choices it won't be the Laughing Cow! I even noticed baby carrots 65 mg of sodium in them. ??? Really? Because before I lowered my sodium to the new level I never had to notice that, I find it shocking, I do realize it's natural but still am floored that I never noticed it before now.:blushing:

Since changing my mg on Sodium it's made me far more aware of what exactly I'm putting in my body in all the categories now. :drinker: I might have leftover carbs but little sodium left, or fats, so I have to work around that and get creative like we all do.

Here's to us all getting creative and to our well bodies!:drinker:

Again so very glad you posted ketjo05:flowerforyou: and I do hope it hits your husband SOON that he is the only one that can make the changes for himself.

ETA: fixed a few things!:blushing:

WifeMomDVM

I choose to eat cottage cheese one day or Turkey sausage or Turkey bacon another I can't work them all in if I want to include other foods with sodium in my day. Each of those foods above are great protein, but very high in sodium though the meats are processed I do still eat them on occasion.

I also try to keep my sodium under 1500 mg a day. Someone pointed out to me that "Friendship" cottage cheese brand is low sodium - like all other new low sodium things - you do get used to the taste. I use mine in omelettes!

Hearts_2015

I choose to eat cottage cheese one day or Turkey sausage or Turkey bacon another I can't work them all in if I want to include other foods with sodium in my day. Each of those foods above are great protein, but very high in sodium though the meats are processed I do still eat them on occasion.

I also try to keep my sodium under 1500 mg a day. Someone pointed out to me that "Friendship" cottage cheese brand is low sodium - like all other new low sodium things - you do get used to the taste. I use mine in omelettes!

Thanks! Great info, I'll see if they sell it around here. :flowerforyou:

ETA: Sounds good in omelette's, think I'll try that one day!

b00b0084

I am horrible at paying attention to my Sodium intake and I am also a saltaholic. I love salt, I have to put salt on most of my cooked food. It is the main seasoning in everything I cook. Food tastes so bad to be without salt. I need help with it an an intervention.

jbqueen

I choose to eat cottage cheese one day or Turkey sausage or Turkey bacon another I can't work them all in if I want to include other foods with sodium in my day. Each of those foods above are great protein, but very high in sodium though the meats are processed I do still eat them on occasion.

I also try to keep my sodium under 1500 mg a day. Someone pointed out to me that "Friendship" cottage cheese brand is low sodium - like all other new low sodium things - you do get used to the taste. I use mine in omelettes!

Breakstone's also has a 2% milk, low sodium cottage cheese that doesn't taste that much different from "regular" cottage cheese.

amysambora

I am horrible at paying attention to my Sodium intake and I am also a saltaholic. I love salt, I have to put salt on most of my cooked food. It is the main seasoning in everything I cook. Food tastes so bad to be without salt. I need help with it an an intervention.

Well, hopefully reading this thread has had an effect on you.

Another anti-sodium advocate here My stepfather has terrible blood pressure problems and refuses to give up those frozen Lean Cuisine meals and other convenience foods. His job means he's away from my mother 5 nights a week and it's really hard for her, not being there to cook healthy meals for him and knowing he won't do it himself. I get so frustrated with him. Whenever he's home for an extended period, his blood pressure drops down to near-normal levels, depending on other factors like stress etc. Too much sodium is SO BAD!

Even for people without problems, it's nasty. I just don't like the way I feel after I've had a high-sodium meal. I'm drinking water constantly but still feeling thirsty, and my stomach bloats up like I'm 6 months pregnant. Bad, bad, bad!

b00b0084

I am horrible at paying attention to my Sodium intake and I am also a saltaholic. I love salt, I have to put salt on most of my cooked food. It is the main seasoning in everything I cook. Food tastes so bad to be without salt. I need help with it an an intervention.

Well, hopefully reading this thread has had an effect on you.

Another anti-sodium advocate here My stepfather has terrible blood pressure problems and refuses to give up those frozen Lean Cuisine meals and other convenience foods. His job means he's away from my mother 5 nights a week and it's really hard for her, not being there to cook healthy meals for him and knowing he won't do it himself. I get so frustrated with him. Whenever he's home for an extended period, his blood pressure drops down to near-normal levels, depending on other factors like stress etc. Too much sodium is SO BAD!

Even for people without problems, it's nasty. I just don't like the way I feel after I've had a high-sodium meal. I'm drinking water constantly but still feeling thirsty, and my stomach bloats up like I'm 6 months pregnant. Bad, bad, bad!

I hear you on the feeling bloated, my fingers get so bloated it hurts to wear my rings and I am thirsty, then my soda addiction kicks in. I am drinking more water now, but with my body not used to the water I am running to the restroom quite a bit and its annoying.