Sodium is NOT the bad :P

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Melinda1987
Melinda1987 Posts: 130
in Food and Nutrition
A friend the other day was questioning how much sodium I take in. And I responded the same way I have to my doctors over the years: "I don't smoke, don't do drugs, rarely drink, and don't have promiscuous sex. Due to my diabetes I try to watch my sugar & carbs. FOR GOD'S SAKE GIVE ME SALT!!!" :laugh: My father was a salt-a-holic and had great blood-pressure. My mom avoided salt and had terrible blood-pressure problems - go figure.

I see people on this site preach anti-sodium because it makes you retain water. Well I've been researching that on the net and that's only true if you don't flush it out of your system with a lot of fluid. I drink over a gallon of iced tea (no sugar, just lemon) a day (yes I know it's a diuretic - I don't care) PLUS my 8 glasses of water. Trust me - whatever sodium I'm taking in is flushed from my system! :tongue:

And in my research I found this lovely article.
http://www.good.is/post/is-salt-actually-bad-for-you-new-research-adds-to-the-confusion/
And before you say anything - yes I realize that research & stats can be bent anyway you want. Which includes any research that claims salt's bad for u. :wink:
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Replies

  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
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    well put :drinker:
  • taz00071
    taz00071 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you for the information. Tony
  • kellytime
    kellytime Posts: 23 Member
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    If this is true it will make me so happy :). Can live without sugar, fat , but have been missing salt!
  • Painten
    Painten Posts: 499 Member
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    People on here do tend to demonise sodium when really nothing eaten right should be labelled bad when talking about natural products such as sodium. When i had my children cut out most sodium not adding any at all my oh started suffering dizzy spells and when he went to the doctor they said he has low blood pressure and advised him to start adding salt to his food.
  • greeneyed84
    greeneyed84 Posts: 427 Member
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    Our bodies need sodium, very true. But unfortunate for me high bp lies in the family. Mine was in the 130s for years, during pregnancies even in the 140s. Since I started losing weight & staying around 2000ms of salt it was come down to the 120s & I have to keep it up. I'm only 26.
    Lucky you, I love salt!
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
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    Totally disagree. Sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease for years. In fact, most dieticians, doctors, surgeons, personal trainers and holistic "gurus" will tell you that too much sodium will sabotage your diet. The most efficient way to lose weight and keep it off is to exercise, and cut back on fat and sodium.
    Unsure of this "fact"? Check out the MFP'ers who have lost weight. Not even the ones who lost 'some" but those that have dropped weight BIG TIME. Ask them what they think about the sodium controversy. From the horse's mouth and all that...
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    Sodium is only one of the many contributory factors towards heart disease, along with age, family history, gender, smoking, weight and diet etc etc.

    BUT it is widely accepted by the scientific community that sodium intake IS a factor in heart disease. So, for those who have the major controllable factors under control, such as weight and not smoking, and are still concerned about heart disease, the fact that this site helps them to log it is a great benefit.

    While you might personally feel that as you're on top of everything else, it's not worth your worrying about sodium, I'm not entirely comfortable with the message you're putting across that it's unimportant in terms of health.
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
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    ..and I'm not saying ALL sodium is bad. I'm saying sodium off the guidelines will sabotage you.
  • KarenLouise1981
    KarenLouise1981 Posts: 144
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    A friend the other day was questioning how much sodium I take in. And I responded the same way I have to my doctors over the years: "I don't smoke, don't do drugs, rarely drink, and don't have promiscuous sex. Due to my diabetes I try to watch my sugar & carbs. FOR GOD'S SAKE GIVE ME SALT!!!" :laugh: My father was a salt-a-holic and had great blood-pressure. My mom avoided salt and had terrible blood-pressure problems - go figure.

    I see people on this site preach anti-sodium because it makes you retain water. Well I've been researching that on the net and that's only true if you don't flush it out of your system with a lot of fluid. I drink over a gallon of iced tea (no sugar, just lemon) a day (yes I know it's a diuretic - I don't care) PLUS my 8 glasses of water. Trust me - whatever sodium I'm taking in is flushed from my system! :tongue:

    And in my research I found this lovely article.
    http://www.good.is/post/is-salt-actually-bad-for-you-new-research-adds-to-the-confusion/
    And before you say anything - yes I realize that research & stats can be bent anyway you want. Which includes any research that claims salt's bad for u. :wink:

    Oh Thank you!! The amount of times I hear "the salt is responsible for your 5lb weight gain" drives me crazy!! Surely if we're eating fresh rather than processed salt won't be such an issue anyway??
  • audigal2008
    audigal2008 Posts: 1,129 Member
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    If this is true it will make me so happy :). Can live without sugar, fat , but have been missing salt!
    MMMM salt!! Ive tried "fake" salt, nothin beats the real deal :)
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    Oh Thank you!! The amount of times I hear "the salt is responsible for your 5lb weight gain" drives me crazy!! Surely if we're eating fresh rather than processed salt won't be such an issue anyway??
    Sodium in excess does cause water retention. Fact.

    However, it's irrelevant, because those of us who are here to lose weight should be trying to lose fat, not water!
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    thanks for sharing. I agree with the OP.
    Blows my mind how many people like to say salt is bad.
    If you're eating right and excercising, salt isn't going to be a problem.
    If you eat poorly, and don't excercise, salt still isn't whats killing you.

    I eat over 5000 mgs a day. BP is fine. And I don't retain water unless I go overboard with alcohol.
    Get off your butts and excercise instead of trying to say sodium is evil.
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I have passed out twice from low blood pressure and my dr told me to make sure to eat some extra sodium, followed up alot of fluids, which helps keep everything at a good level. I carry a drink with me everywhere I go and pretzels as well and haven't had a problem since. I love salty foods so I like the dr's orders :wink:
  • carlfry
    carlfry Posts: 62
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    I also have to disagree. Everyone will handle sodium differently. It will catch up to you if you're taking too much in. It's true - you do need some sodium to live and function, but only around 500mg/day. Most people take in well over 4,000mg/day which is where you're going to get your issues. The other factor is where you're getting your sodium from, because it matters. If you're getting it from pre-packaged foods vs. table salt, I'd imagine it's going to do a lot more damage.
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
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    Totally disagree. Sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease for years. In fact, most dieticians, doctors, surgeons, personal trainers and holistic "gurus" will tell you that too much sodium will sabotage your diet. The most efficient way to lose weight and keep it off is to exercise, and cut back on fat and sodium.
    Unsure of this "fact"? Check out the MFP'ers who have lost weight. Not even the ones who lost 'some" but those that have dropped weight BIG TIME. Ask them what they think about the sodium controversy. From the horse's mouth and all that...

    I am almost always over on my sodium (usually around 3000mg a day) it hasn't effected my weight loss at all since I drink a ton of water. You also should have a little more sodium in your diet when you exercise a lot since you do sweat some of it out.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    If you're eating right and excercising, salt isn't going to be a problem.
    If you eat poorly, and don't excercise, salt still isn't whats killing you.
    It is not that simple, there is never one single issue that leads to heart disease. Sodium IS a factor, as are many other things, including being overweight and not exercising.

    Just because you feel healthy, that does not disprove all the medical studies which have linked excess sodium to higher incidence of heart disease.

    *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
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    Totally disagree. Sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease for years. In fact, most dieticians, doctors, surgeons, personal trainers and holistic "gurus" will tell you that too much sodium will sabotage your diet. The most efficient way to lose weight and keep it off is to exercise, and cut back on fat and sodium.
    Unsure of this "fact"? Check out the MFP'ers who have lost weight. Not even the ones who lost 'some" but those that have dropped weight BIG TIME. Ask them what they think about the sodium controversy. From the horse's mouth and all that...

    I am almost always over on my sodium (usually around 3000mg a day) it hasn't effected my weight loss at all since I drink a ton of water. You also should have a little more sodium in your diet when you exercise a lot since you do sweat some of it out.

    IF you exercise a lot. That's the key...or for LOW blood pressure, sure. But to try to lose weight and just say "I'll do this, but not any of that", sodium in copious amounts cannot be helpful. It'd be like saying "I'll run two miles today and then spend the night with a bucket of chicken."...they cancel each other out. You just stay where you are.
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
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    Totally disagree. Sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease for years. In fact, most dieticians, doctors, surgeons, personal trainers and holistic "gurus" will tell you that too much sodium will sabotage your diet. The most efficient way to lose weight and keep it off is to exercise, and cut back on fat and sodium.
    Unsure of this "fact"? Check out the MFP'ers who have lost weight. Not even the ones who lost 'some" but those that have dropped weight BIG TIME. Ask them what they think about the sodium controversy. From the horse's mouth and all that...

    I totally agree with you.
  • SarzWix
    SarzWix Posts: 21 Member
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    An excess of salt is also linked with stomach cancer, if you use it in excess over a long period of time.

    However, I do think the OP is correct in that people do get overly hung up on the issue. If you have high blood pressure and have been advised to cut down on salt, fair enough, but otherwise, I think that like everything, balance is the key. If you exercise and perspire, you need to replace salts as well as water.
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
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    Get off your butts and excercise instead of trying to say sodium is evil.

    I think you are very rude! I do exercise and watch what I eat. If I eat to much salt it shows not only on my body, but the scales and I feel extremely weighed down. I work out every day, you don't know everyone situation, and I certainly don't agree with your opinion. My grandfather was not fat, and lived a very active lifestyle, but had a massive heartattack at the age of 45. The doctor linked it to excess sodium, and stress.

    When people on MFP complain of water weight, or not seeing the scales move, even after watching what they eat and exercising, it would surely be reasonable to say, watch your sodium and drink more water.

    How about this, seek medical advice on whether salt is okay in your diet or not. Then you will have an educated opinion and a reliable source!

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