Confused??

LH2011

On my food diary the is a line for "sodium" and my daily allowance is 2500 which I have never been anywhere near, I thought sodium is salt in which case is 2500 not way to high??

kmtetour

I look at the sodium line not as a goal, but as an absolute limit.

ClarkMer

Sodium is really bad for you, it is in a lot of foods, not just salt

meshellmybell76

that is not high at all. 2g Sodium is considered a medically low sodium diet. Your daily totals may be looking quite low because many of the entries in the database on here don't include sodium.

baisleac

On my food diary the is a line for "sodium" and my daily allowance is 2500 which I have never been anywhere near, I thought sodium is salt in which case is 2500 not way to high??

Sodium is only half of salt. Salt is NaCl or sodium chloride.

And, as others have said, sodium is in a LOT of foods, including healthy ones. Our bodies need sodium, just not too much.

jgranger221

You'll be amazed how much sodium you ingest in every day foods. Processed foods especially have a lot of sodium, but plenty of whole foods do as well, especially animal products. I was shocked when I saw how much sodium is in cereal!

I never put salt on anything, so I also assumed that sodium wasn't a problem for me. When I started recording what I ate, I was shocked. You just have to watch it and try to stay clear of the foods with excessive sodium. It's only one part of the process, so don't worry about it too much at first. It's all part of the process.

Good Luck!!

Beebs33

We need sodium especially if we exercise. You just don't want to overdo it!

ladybug1620

I look at the sodium line not as a goal, but as an absolute limit.

Right. You want to strive to stay below 2500. Also, many entries from UK and other countries are missing the sodium in their entries here on MFP, so your diary probably is incorrect in regards to that. You should always check to make sure the packaging matches with the entry you are selecting.

meshellmybell76

Sodium is really bad for you, it is in a lot of foods, not just salt

meshellmybell76

the above is simply not factual!!! Please do not report things as facts unless you have an actual knowledge on the subject matter! Thank you!!!

happybrooke

I changed my sodium goal; to lower that number. I don't freak out too much if I go over, but when I hit 1500 I start drinking a lot of water to offset the higher soduim amounts. It's not a goal I can hit daily, but it makes me aware of high sodium foods once I see that number go in the red.

MyNameIsNotBob

It's not necessarily too high, unless you have high blood pressure. Some researchers have recommended 1500 mg. I try to aim for somewhere between 1500 mg and 2500 mg. If you're concerned about your sodium intake, you should prob. talk to your doctor.

robertf57

Wow! Such dogma!
Sodium is in all cells and the fluid surrounding them. Without sodium we couldn't live. For people that are sodium sensitive excess dietary sodium can be a problem. It may be prudent to watch your sodium intake. It can lead to water retention is some subsets of people. However, the general advisability of a low sodium diet has been questioned. A recent report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) from Belgium investigators found an excess of cardiovascular death among those consuming a low sodium diet as measured by urinary sodium excretion.

JAMA. 2011;305(17):1777-1785.

If you don't have other medical problems I would not worry excessively over a 2500 mg sodium diet.