Sodium?

akb2006

How do you all stay under 2500 for your sodium for the day. I just added sodium to my tracker and my total was like 4,000! I don't get it ugh!

Here is a typical day for me if you have any suggestions or subsitiutions i could do that would be great thanks!

Breakfast:
1/2 cup egg beaters
2 oz diced ham
2 pieces 45 calorie bread
1 tbs strawberry preserves
lower sugar oatmeal
.5 cup skim milk

Total calories 420 Carbs64 Fat 5 Protein 36 sodium1,515 Fiber 8

Lunch:
Salad w/ ff ranch dressing
fat free yogurt
reduced fat wheat thins
1 point ww cheese
Turkey breast on salad

Total calories 345 Carbs49 Fat 7 Protein 23 Sodium1,355 Fiber 6

Supper:
Salad w/ ff western dressing
steamed veggies
Michelinas Lean Gourmet Meal
Jello w/ ff cool whip

Total calories 380 carbs 50 Fat 7 Protien 14 Sodium 997 Fiber 3

Snacks
ww yogurt
1 banana
1 cup grapes
100 calorie popcorn

Total calories 428 Carbs 93 Fat 5 Protien 11 Sodium 245 Fiber 11

Total for the day 1,573 calories 256 carbs, 24 grams fat, 84 grams of protein, 4,112 sodium, 28 grams fiber

And here i thought it was all about counting calories LOL. :sad:

akb2006

How do you all stay under 2500 for your sodium for the day. I just added sodium to my tracker and my total was like 4,000! I don't get it ugh!

Here is a typical day for me if you have any suggestions or subsitiutions i could do that would be great thanks!

Breakfast:
1/2 cup egg beaters
2 oz diced ham
2 pieces 45 calorie bread
1 tbs strawberry preserves
lower sugar oatmeal
.5 cup skim milk

Total calories 420 Carbs64 Fat 5 Protein 36 sodium1,515 Fiber 8

Lunch:
Salad w/ ff ranch dressing
fat free yogurt
reduced fat wheat thins
1 point ww cheese
Turkey breast on salad

Total calories 345 Carbs49 Fat 7 Protein 23 Sodium1,355 Fiber 6

Supper:
Salad w/ ff western dressing
steamed veggies
Michelinas Lean Gourmet Meal
Jello w/ ff cool whip

Total calories 380 carbs 50 Fat 7 Protien 14 Sodium 997 Fiber 3

Snacks
ww yogurt
1 banana
1 cup grapes
100 calorie popcorn

Total calories 428 Carbs 93 Fat 5 Protien 11 Sodium 245 Fiber 11

Total for the day 1,573 calories 256 carbs, 24 grams fat, 84 grams of protein, 4,112 sodium, 28 grams fiber

And here i thought it was all about counting calories LOL. :sad:

MrsTomy

Ham, dressings, frozen meals, and cheese are all high in sodium. Try to cut back in some of those.

If you can't then drink MORE water! It will help you flush out some of the sodium!

Good luck! :drinker:

BrandNewLaura

Well, there are a lot of substitutions that you can make in order to get your sodium down. I CONSTANTLY have trouble with sodium, and I shouldn't go over 1600 mg per day because I have high blood pressure. Potassium helps to counteract sodium I've heard, and lots of water flushes it out.

If you are serious about reducing your sodium though, go through your food journal and pick out the things that have the highest sodium content...some of them will surprise you...your diced ham in your breakfast is probably a huge contributor...so maybe substitute some veggies instead of ham...and your turkey at lunch is another high sodium item...

Really, so many processed and convenience foods have way too much sodium...lunch meat, microwaveable meals, canned soups, etc. And the only way to really cut them out is to move toward clean eating with nothing but fresh items.

For me, sodium is my nemesis, and I battle it daily. My main weapon against it is tons of water. I track my sodium, as it is a concern for water retention and my blood pressure, but really right now I need to focus on calories and get my weight down, which will help with my blood pressure anyway. That's just my opinion.

akb2006

I gotchya there but what do I replace it with? Turkey lunchmeat was high in sodium too and doesn't the protien weigh out the sodium? What about the dressing, should I ditch the salad all togehter eating a salad w/o dressing is not an option for me LOL

akb2006

Brand New Laura thank you!! makes perfect sense to me now. I'll try maybe diced chciken breast or something instead of the ham and lunchmeat when they're all gone thank you!

isadoraworkman

I am guessing that what really put you over the top was the michelina's meal...most prepackaged frozen meals are full of sodium. It is actually quite difficult to meet the sodium guideline if you don't eat pre-packaged foods. Sounds crazy, I know.
Good luck on the journey

MattySparky

I have to agree with everyone about the packaged meals and the salad dressings. You need to look at the foods you eat more closely before you buy / eat them, not just after you eat them when you're adding them up. It's really simple actually, buy foods with less sodium... that's the only way you're going to limit your intake. Try eating raw vegetables as a snack with no dressing, like raw cauliflower and brocolli. By your example you're eating two salads per day with who knows how much dressing on each salad... that's a lot of salad dressing. I usually eat a salad a day too, but the dressings I choose are all low fat, low cholesterol, low calorie per serving and low sodium. Renees has some good ones, you have to be really picky though because they also make some really bad ones (like mighty ceasar... bad bad bad!!). My fav's are spring herb italian and sweet onion. Im also really strict... I ONLY put 1 tbsp of dressing on my salad. It sucks to get used to but it's worth it.

akb2006

For the lower sodium dressings how much should I try to keep it under for 2 TBS. I'm pretty good about only using only 2 TBS but I can also cut it down to one, the dressing I'm using now has 250 sodium in it.

Thanks so much!

havingitall

I eat few processed foods and my sodium is always way under. Make your own salad dressing with olive oil, cider vinegar & spices.

Read the labels on the package of what you are eatinng...you will be surprised

lulubar

definately make your own dressing! I also use lemon juice on my salads or fresh salsa - which is sooooo delicious. Also, invest in a meat slicer from walmart or target and cook your own turkey breast and slice it up mmmmmmm I'm gettin' hungry.

Now that you've identified the problem, you'll get better and better at eliminating the excess sodium in your diet. That's really what this is all about - learning more so we can live healthier lives... good for you for reaching out!!

crystal_sapphire

it's the processed food... use real eggs instead of egg beaters, lunch meats are difficult ... i'm still trying to find a replacement for those that isn't costly, those frozen entrees re packed with sodium as well.

your best bet is to stick with simple foods: lean meats, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.

MattySparky

For the lower sodium dressings how much should I try to keep it under for 2 TBS. I'm pretty good about only using only 2 TBS but I can also cut it down to one, the dressing I'm using now has 250 sodium in it.

Thanks so much!

well usually a serving of dressing is one tablespoon, so if you're eating a dressing that has 250mg of sodium in it per serving, then most likely with 2 servings you are getting 500 mg.... that's almost not worth eating a salad anymore.

MattySparky

it's the processed food... use real eggs instead of egg beaters, lunch meats are difficult ... i'm still trying to find a replacement for those that isn't costly, those frozen entrees re packed with sodium as well.

your best bet is to stick with simple foods: lean meats, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.

ahhh the age old lunchmeat factor.... the best way to beat that one is to buy meat and prepare it yourself, therefore limiting the preservatives and sodium in the food. I usually buy packaged turkey (Lillydale), but other than that any other meat I use for sandwiches comes from meat that I buy and cook myself. Its way healthier. I also eat wild game wherever possible. Deer meat is an excellent replacement for beef. Its way leaner and has on average 1/3 of the calories pound for pound as beef. Those of you who live in the states have wild farmed meat readily available to you almost anywhere. In canada, not so much, we have to hunt for it.... but it's better that way anyways. Alot of farmed "wild" meat gets pumped with hormones and stimulants so in the end is it really wild?