Sodium

WifenMom
WifenMom Posts: 40
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
How important is it to track sodium if you are drinking 12-15 eight oz glasses of water each day?
I was amazed to see my sodium content of my 275 calorie breakfast! The main amount came from the canned mushrooms I used (fresh is better but I didn't have any on hand).
Just curious those of you that are having success with weight loss how much do you take heed to monitoring your sodium intake if you drink a lot of water. I've heard it's important ..I've heard it's not as important for dieting IF you are drinking a lot of water?

Replies

  • Bvandergriff74
    Bvandergriff74 Posts: 18
    BUMP -

    I'm interested in people's thoughts on this as well. :)

    GREAT QUESTION!
  • bennjammin
    bennjammin Posts: 40 Member
    Bump
  • formersec
    formersec Posts: 233 Member
    My own personal opinion: Yes, it is important to keep your sodium intake under control. Water can do only do much to flush sodium out of your body. Too much sodium overwhelms the kidneys. Over time, you could cause permanent damage to your kidneys and even your heart.

    If you are going to use canned mushrooms, or any other canned product, look for no salt added varieties. However, read nutrition labels very carefully. Some products claim they are low salt, no salt added and so on, but they may not necessarily be low sodium. Salt is not the only source of sodium.
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
    Your body will tend to retain water if you have high sodium levels. As the sodium increases, the water in your body increases to maintain a balance. If you're drinking a lot of water you'll be more able to flush the sodium from your system.

    http://www.healthy-answers.com/a-salt.html

    Personally, if I have a day where my sodium intake is high (greater than 2500mg), I'll definitely see in reflected in the scale for a few days. If my diet is cleaned up, my weight returns to its normal value. It's important to realize that this extra weight is not fat gain, it's water.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    All that extra water does stress the cardiovascular and renal systems, though. The new recommendations for salt in the diet are lower than the MFP recommendations. (U.S.)
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    My sodium is HIGH a LOT. It has not hurt my weight loss at all over the long run. I try to keep my sodium low for my health though. So, my opinion is that sodium will not hinder your long term weight loss but it is not good for your health. :) And I agree that water can only do so much. I drink loads of water everyday but I'm still concerned about my high sodium intake. (I love store bought salsa and store bought tortillas. lol)
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