Sodium

Fitness_Chick

man, i hate sodium....I think it's the devil, quite frankly, and believe it's just as bad as sugar...do you notice that it's in everything!  like, instant oatmeal...why do I need sodium in my instant-friggin-oatmeal?  I don't want it there if I can't control it (personally), and for anyone that saw our HFCS convo the other day, this crap is in the weirdest places when they definitely don't need to be.several studies have shown that sodium is MORE addictive than sugar.  :devil: :devil: :devil:  i hate to say it, but I agree!  I try my darndest to keep my level at 1500mg of sodium or lower a day, and I personally think your levels are too high, but get this:  the average american consumes over 7000 mg of sodium A DAY!  are you kidding?  yuck!  so it looks like you're not doing too bad...when it comes right down to it, trial and error will show you how much sodium you need...listen to yo body, baby, and you can't go wrong!

:drinker: This post has me so thirsty right now....soon as I post I'm heading to grab some more water!:drinker:

From what I've read...sodium is not only used as a food preservative (in nearly EVERYTHING) but is also added to foods to enhance the sweetness.

I know it sounds strange...but that is another effect of salt...it will enhance the sweetness (sugars, fake sweetners etc) in a food item. Lays baked chips are supposed to be much healthier (they say) than regular chips. But the few times I've eaten them...they taste very very sweet to me. Seems an item is removed from a food and in goes another one.

Fat free items...more carbs... Sugar Free..more sodium

Fitness_Chick

yeah, i noticed that too....did you notice that the more "skim" milk becomes, the higher the sodium? that's so weird....

it's everywhere....i was a huge smart ones and weight watchers junkie back in the day, and wondered why I was always so dang bloated...the sodium levels were usually above 1000 then for each meal! I ate three a day, at least! no wonder I always felt bloated...

the cleaner you eat, the better...

did you know that sea salt is an awesome alternative? yes, you get some sodium, but it has tons of minerals that most of us are lacking! i love that stuff, and i just sprinkle it on my food from time to time and enjoy the crunchy little bursts of salty goodness, without feeling guilty (or hella bloated)...

I love the change over to sea salt... pretty awesome just a teensy bit can really pop the flavors in a dish. So I'm with you on that!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: now off to get my water fix...

cause "These Pretzels are making me thirsty!" ':laugh:

songbyrdsweet

yeah, i noticed that too....did you notice that the more "skim" milk becomes, the higher the sodium? that's so weird....

it's everywhere....i was a huge smart ones and weight watchers junkie back in the day, and wondered why I was always so dang bloated...the sodium levels were usually above 1000 then for each meal! I ate three a day, at least! no wonder I always felt bloated...

the cleaner you eat, the better...

did you know that sea salt is an awesome alternative? yes, you get some sodium, but it has tons of minerals that most of us are lacking! i love that stuff, and i just sprinkle it on my food from time to time and enjoy the crunchy little bursts of salty goodness, without feeling guilty (or hella bloated)...

I love the change over to sea salt... pretty awesome just a teensy bit can really pop the flavors in a dish. So I'm with you on that!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: now off to get my water fix...

cause "These Pretzels are making me thirsty!" ':laugh:

Sea salt does lack iodine, so if you're making a permanent switch make sure your diet, multivitamin, or a supplement will be supplying sufficient iodine. An iodine deficiency will result in a sluggish thyroid.

Fitness_Chick

yeah, i noticed that too....did you notice that the more "skim" milk becomes, the higher the sodium? that's so weird....

it's everywhere....i was a huge smart ones and weight watchers junkie back in the day, and wondered why I was always so dang bloated...the sodium levels were usually above 1000 then for each meal! I ate three a day, at least! no wonder I always felt bloated...

the cleaner you eat, the better...

did you know that sea salt is an awesome alternative? yes, you get some sodium, but it has tons of minerals that most of us are lacking! i love that stuff, and i just sprinkle it on my food from time to time and enjoy the crunchy little bursts of salty goodness, without feeling guilty (or hella bloated)...

I love the change over to sea salt... pretty awesome just a teensy bit can really pop the flavors in a dish. So I'm with you on that!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: now off to get my water fix...

cause "These Pretzels are making me thirsty!" ':laugh:

Sea salt does lack iodine, so if you're making a permanent switch make sure your diet, multivitamin, or a supplement will be supplying sufficient iodine. An iodine deficiency will result in a sluggish thyroid.

Thanks for the tip!:happy:

songbyrdsweet

yeah, i noticed that too....did you notice that the more "skim" milk becomes, the higher the sodium? that's so weird....

it's everywhere....i was a huge smart ones and weight watchers junkie back in the day, and wondered why I was always so dang bloated...the sodium levels were usually above 1000 then for each meal! I ate three a day, at least! no wonder I always felt bloated...

the cleaner you eat, the better...

did you know that sea salt is an awesome alternative? yes, you get some sodium, but it has tons of minerals that most of us are lacking! i love that stuff, and i just sprinkle it on my food from time to time and enjoy the crunchy little bursts of salty goodness, without feeling guilty (or hella bloated)...

I love the change over to sea salt... pretty awesome just a teensy bit can really pop the flavors in a dish. So I'm with you on that!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: now off to get my water fix...

cause "These Pretzels are making me thirsty!" ':laugh:

Sea salt does lack iodine, so if you're making a permanent switch make sure your diet, multivitamin, or a supplement will be supplying sufficient iodine. An iodine deficiency will result in a sluggish thyroid.

Thanks for the tip!:happy:

No prob, I figured you might want to skip out on the goiter, probably unattractive under a turtleneck lol

Fitness_Chick

yeah, i noticed that too....did you notice that the more "skim" milk becomes, the higher the sodium? that's so weird....

it's everywhere....i was a huge smart ones and weight watchers junkie back in the day, and wondered why I was always so dang bloated...the sodium levels were usually above 1000 then for each meal! I ate three a day, at least! no wonder I always felt bloated...

the cleaner you eat, the better...

did you know that sea salt is an awesome alternative? yes, you get some sodium, but it has tons of minerals that most of us are lacking! i love that stuff, and i just sprinkle it on my food from time to time and enjoy the crunchy little bursts of salty goodness, without feeling guilty (or hella bloated)...

I love the change over to sea salt... pretty awesome just a teensy bit can really pop the flavors in a dish. So I'm with you on that!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: now off to get my water fix...

cause "These Pretzels are making me thirsty!" ':laugh:

Sea salt does lack iodine, so if you're making a permanent switch make sure your diet, multivitamin, or a supplement will be supplying sufficient iodine. An iodine deficiency will result in a sluggish thyroid.

Thanks for the tip!:happy:

No prob, I figured you might want to skip out on the goiter, probably unattractive under a turtleneck lol

:laugh: :drinker: funny girl you are!

PedalHound

I read a great article the other day about sodium and it suggested that you consume about 1mg of sodium per calorie that you're consuming. So, if you consume 1400 cals, it's appropriate to consume about 1400mg of sodium. Just one more thought out there

lessertess

I don't know what the recommendation is but I found this when I was doing other research...this is from an article in "Men's Health" magazine that was debunking some common food myths.

Myth number five: Salt causes high blood pressure and should be avoided

The origin: In the 1940s, a Duke University researcher named Walter Kempner, M.D., became famous for using salt restriction to treat people with high blood pressure. Later, studies confirmed that reducing salt could help reduce hypertension.

What science really shows: Large-scale scientific reviews have determined there's no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium intake. Now, if you already have high blood pressure, you may be "salt sensitive." As a result, reducing the amount of salt you eat could be helpful.

However, it's been known for the past 20 years that people with high blood pressure who don't want to lower their salt intake can simply consume more potassium-containing foods. Why? Because it's really the balance of the two minerals that matters. In fact, Dutch researchers determined that a low potassium intake has the same impact on your blood pressure as high salt consumption does. And it turns out, the average guy consumes 3,100 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day—1,600 mg. less than recommended.

The bottom line: Strive for a potassium-rich diet, which you can achieve by eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and legumes. For instance, spinach, broccoli, bananas, white potatoes and most types of beans each contain more than 400 mg. potassium per serving.