sodium

calliope_music

i know sodium makes you retain water. however, is there really a need to worry about it if you don't have high blood pressure? i know that TOO much isn't good for you because it mucks up how your the cells in your body work, but...what are some other dangers of sodium?

Aileen46

I am constantly battling too much sodium in my diet so I'd love to hear what others say. I retain water like crazy so I always check labels, etc to see what the sodium level is and try to avoid it as much as I can. But it's really difficult on some days!!

Aileen46

I am constantly battling too much sodium in my diet so I'd love to hear what others say. I retain water like crazy so I always check labels, etc to see what the sodium level is and try to avoid it as much as I can. But it's really difficult on some days!!

♥♥YoungMrs♥♥

all that sodium is bad for your heart! I know its hard to keep sodium out of your diet but too much is really bad for you..and as you know it slows down weight loss..

Jill_newimprovedversion

Bump

MelissaL582

Check out this link - http://www.drcutler.com/diet/american-heart-association-calls-for-reduction-in-sodium-intake-800344698/

My dad has high blood pressure and I don't want to end up on that path. I've noticed that since I've been watching my sodium, I don't feel so bloated. Having lots of sodium now, will cause me to have headaches - I guess my body has adjusted itself.

The article mentions 1500 for sodium..that's dang hard to stay under! It's hard enough staying under 2500.

calliope_music

thanks for the responses so far! the articles were very interesting. i just wanted to clarify that most days i'm not eating like 5000 mg of sodium - i'm normally over by a few hundred mg if that! my blood pressure is also on the low side of normal according to my doctors - last time i went i "had the blood pressure of a teenager" (i'm 25!). i try not to eat too much sodium, and drink lots of water daily!

MamaLeague

I try to stay under 1500 per day, and usually am pretty good about it. 1900 at the highest. I'm arthritic and salt doesn't help the swelling. I can tell before I get out of bed if I had too much sodium the day before by playing with my rings...even if I don't log, I can tell. I feel much better on my low-sodium days.

Jill_newimprovedversion

is there really a need to worry about it if you don't have high blood pressure?

The biggest risk of a high-sodium diet is the effect it has on blood pressure and heart health. Hypertension/high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney failure are some of the long-term effects that can result from long-term, high-sodium intake. In the body, sodium is processed by the kidneys. However, when a person eats too much sodium, the kidneys cannot process all of it. The excess sodium ends up in the bloodstream. Because the mineral retains water, the volume of blood in the body increases. As a result, the circulatory system has to work harder to pump the blood. Over time, this added strain on the system can result in heart disease and kidney failure.
Read more: Effects of a High-Sodium Diet | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5040786_effects-highsodium-diet.html#ixzz1OK90M6Wv

Anything you can do to lessen your consumption is much better for your body in the long run. You may not have a problem with high blood pressure ( and praise God if you don't)...but all of us who DO have it, at one time did NOT. For me, I seldom go over my sodium levels, but it was a factor in developing it due to family history.

CarolynB38

As long as you are eating somewhere with in the healthy range for sodium (below 1600mg in the UK, 2500mg US) and you don't have high blood pressure or kidney problems you should be fine, but you could always check with your doctor if you are worried.

I have to be careful to eat enough salt! I don't eat processed foods and I drink plenty of water and exercise a lot but I tend to have low sodium blood levels if I'm not careful. When that happens my blood pressure drops to around 90/50 and I feel very tired and faint. My heart beat also becomes erratic. This is more unusual and not a problem most people have. We do need some sodium in our diet but definitely not too much.

If you do cut your intake, don't cut it too far. Certainly don't cut it out completely as some people try to do. If you start to feel like I described above, you may have cut back on your salt too much. Also bear in mind that if you drink a lot of water (more than 8 glasses a day), exercise a lot or the weather is very warm, you will be getting rid of more salt than usual.

Basically, you don't need to get your sodium intake super low (in fact it's not a good idea) but it is a good idea to try and stay below the maximum recommended amount even if you currently have no associated health problems.