Does anyone track their salt intake?

Kissybiz

I started tracking my sodium and was SHOCKED. I now no longer eat (except on RARE occasions) canned soups or processed foods or fast food, even Subway is loaded with sodium. I've never had high blood pressure issues, but my ankles tend to swell, but that doesn't happen as much anymore.

I was down 2 lbs earlier this week and went out for martini's the other night (I like them dirty with olives). I woke up and had gained 2 lbs back and my ankles were a tad swollen. It took 3 days to lose the water weight. Some people are not salt-sensitive, but I think it makes a huge difference.

Also, now that I'm actually getting used to cooking without salt and using other things like lemon or using seasonings sparingly at the end of cooking, I can actually taste the "food" now, instead of just the salt, and it's better.

Feathil

When I had a failed attempt at eating healthy at the start of the school year I passed out from low blood pressure (because I was playing music and it puts huge pressure on the oxygen you need). I was advised to have a good sodium intake, so I just went back to my normal routine.

This time around I'm watching my calories and eating healthy but I'm not making effort to avoid salt, I'm just letting that take care of itself.

susanswan

I am very sensitive to salt for weight gain, too! I am a retired hospital nurse. 30 years ago they considered 4000 mg of salt to be "normal" and 2000 mg to be "restricted". Don't know how they work it now, but I've heard in the news lately that a "normal" sodium intake should be no more than 1500 mg to avoid health problems down the road. Sugar also attracts water weight. White flour and refined grains are also one small chemical change above sugar and will help retain water.

Foster Farms chickens are injected with salt. I've also heard on the news that the very same products that we make here when they are packaged for Europe contain less salt and sugar. Go figure. Feeding the American addiction for salt and sugar.

I don't track salt any more as I have kicked the habit! I was never a big salt user, but still liked it. Now I have finally gotten to the point where I don't add ANY salt to my food, unless I am making a stirfry and then the smallest amount possible of soy sauce. It does take a little getting used to, but read the labels and you will see so much sodium even in bread, ww tortillas, and everything! Soup and tomato products are the worst in my opinion as well as almost any restaurant food.

It's a process but you can do it if you want to! Best of luck to you!

themedalist

I track sodium as closely as I track calories. I have set a goal for myself in March to keep my sodium count below 2000mg/day. My understanding is half of Americans should keep their sodium intake to 1500 mg/day or less due to high blood pressure and other health related concerns...I'm working my way toward that goal.

As other posters have said, sodium is in EVERYTHING (almost...not dark chocolate..phew!) so you need to read labels closely. And also not go by how it tastes. A tablespoon of peanut butter and a serving of most types of baby carrots have the same amount of sodium.

BrienJD

Nope...to depressing seeing those high red numbers! To keep those numbers in the green would mean cutting out a lot of the stuff I eat. I have already cut the amount of foods I have been eating, and if I were to keep that in the green, I would have to drastically alter what I am eating and I'm not going to do it. If I start denying myself, depriving myself and/or restricting or completely eliminating food stuffs from my diet (unless it is under the direct ORDERS of competent medical authorites) then that is when this diet/lifestyle change is over and done with. I spent way too many years in the military where being overweight, no matter how skilled you are at your job, is a career ender, doing just that. 20 years of it....NEVER, EVER AGAIN.

That's my take on it.

hopefloatsup

I definitely track sodium! High blood pressure runs in my family and I've had my issues with it as well. I quite drinking soda and watched my sodium before and my BP went to a "normal" range. In the last week, I really MADE myself become more conscious of it. I love soups. I don't eat them, so I'm collecting some recipes for home made. I no longer use canned pasta sauces because of it either. If i want a "chip" type snack, I go for the lower sodium as well and limit them. I can definitely tell a difference in drinking water too - I don't crave it as much (I ALWAYS was drinking water the entire time I was awake). I don't feel so "bloated" either at times. Whenever we eat out, my sodium is through the roof though

Aeriel

I definitely track it and try to keep it under control. I also track potassium, and try to keep that as high as I can, because it helps regulate the sodium. I always notice a large water weight gain any time I go over my normal levels or drink any alcohol, usually around for a few days.

Edited to add: It is much easier to keep it under control now that I am cooking fresh and eating less canned/processed foods. However, I love dairy too and it can be quite high too.

BrownEyedJerseyGirl

I don't add salt to any of my meals so I didn't think that I consumed that much. I decided to add sodium anyway to track it and WOW! I didn't realize how much "hidden" sodium I was taking in so now I keep it as one of the nutrients I track

orangecrayon

I track my sodium...actually, I track everything. Sugar, dietary fiber, etc., (but sodium and sugar are my biggies!). If you really work at it you can find a healthy diet that's delicious and not necessarily high in salt! And you can always have those cheat meals with the higher salt intake so you don't go crazy.

BrianSharpe

I keep an eye on mine but I'm not fanatical about it. I'm one of those lucky people who perspires freely when exercising (I can make anything look like hard work) and have actually considered taking salt tablets during long runs in really hot weather.

ampa916

I track my sodium intake because I have higher blood pressure, I try to get lower sodium everything that is available.

Stacyanne324

I have it as something I track but I haven't really changed my diet to this point to bring it down. It definitely opened my eyes to the amount I consume though.

bllowry

I track it as I was diabetic and had high blood pressure. I do use small amounts to cook some things, but mostly I use the herbs I keep growing on my windowsill. I also make my own stocks and broths and buy very little prepared foods to cut down on the amount we eat.

loki3981

I track sodium, fat, protein, fiber, and carbs. Sodium had been killing me before I started really looking at it. We try to not purchase anything with sodium over 400g a serving. It helps immensely.

tania2287

I track my salt and sugar...I have always tracked the salt in the food that l eat and have not gone over..Sugar too is a big one as to much sugar will make you put on fat. So l watch the sugar intake too.

velvetkat

I track my sodium and try to keep my intake below 1000mg a day. I am usually pretty dang close... I dont eat processed foods as we cook all our own meals. The sodium in things is outrageous and you dont need it. I was borderline high blood pressure but i really like that I no longer have any water weight gain from eating so much sodium and I dont have ankles or fingers that are swelled up.. I feel so much better.

I wanted to make a casserole with mushroom soup but didnt want to use the canned soup because of the sodium so I found a recipe to make homemade.. tastes so much better anyway and wasnt that much work!

fearlessbetz

Alright, I had high blood pressure last time I was at the doctor (49 lbs. ago) and he told me to watch my sodium! The nutritionist asked me to try to keep it around 2000 mg. per day. Pretty hard sometimes, but it keeps me looking for no salt added, or low sodium lines of prepared or canned items. I'm looking forward to showing my progress and hopefully a lower blood pressure.

bellevie23

Yep, i track it, prob the one thing I focus on the most. I eat whatever I want in moderation, however focusing on sodium has helped me tweak what is really not worth it and how often I should eat it compared to foods I enjoy that are low in sodium.

25sherry

You are definitely right about the weight coming off slower the older we get. I'm 45 and every ounce I can get off feels like a victory. I have always loved sweets AND salt. I don't monitor my sodium, but just concentrate on fat and calories. I've been on the site for 10 days and lost nearly 2 pounds so far, thanks to support and encouragement from everyone!

maf66

I don't track salt, but I do fiber and sugar. On the other hand I don't eat any processes/packaged foods and the only canned goods in the house are tomatoes and beans. Occasionally I will use iodized sea salt, but not on many things.

You do have me curious though, as to how much natural sodium is in foods, might try tracking just to see!

MelissaL582

Sodium plays a big role and it's a pain to watch. Drinking lots of water and veggies like cucumbers will help it also. What you can also do is cook meals big and freeze the leftovers, this way you aren't stuck buying processed foods that's high in sodium. With you also watching your sodium now, your grocery time will double. Lol! Good luck to you!

wisebadger53

I lowered my goal for sodium to 1500 mg/day. It seems pretty low, but if you are really paying attention it is not hard to stay below that. At least when I go over now I know to make up for it the next day. Good luck - this is one that takes some work!

FitLink

Yesterday I got on the scale and I had lost over 3 lbs and this morning I got on the scale again and had over night gained over 2lbs. Well I was like how in the heck did I gain that much over night so I though about it and could only come up with one thing, SALT. So I went to my settings and I am now tracking my soidum intake. But I also went back to my tracked food from yesterday and what do I see my soidum was way out there I am a busy person so alot of my food is either mircowave or out of a can so its no wonder my weight was up over 2lbs in one day. I am going to try and eat less of this stuff since I know its not good for me but sometimes finding the time to cook is hard but I also know I can do it. Why do losing weight have to be so hard? Plus getting older sucks because you lose weight so darn slow. Oh well I want to be heathy and look better so time to get off my soap box and just do it.

There might be some merit to tracking sodium if you had signs that you had some problems with retention, but as a general rule, I don't sweat sodium. The reason I don't weight daily, and certainly not before bed and as soon as I get up is that weight fluctuates. If I weigh on my way to the restroom, and again after I pee, there is always at least a pound difference. If I weighed daily and graphed it, the graph would trend downward, but would jump up and down daily.

Maybe try to think in terms of just health. Weight loss may be slow, but health improvement comes LONG before you reach your goal. It's not about the endpoint, it's about the journey.

FitLink

I lowered my goal for sodium to 1500 mg/day. It seems pretty low, but if you are really paying attention it is not hard to stay below that. At least when I go over now I know to make up for it the next day. Good luck - this is one that takes some work!

Off topic, I know, but is that you on the bike? Awesome! I'd wet my pants if I leaned that far over that close to the shoulder! And awesome shot! Who took the picture?

JBsCrazyGirl

I am convinced
starting to track my sodium today!
Good Luck to you!

kaetra

I'm having a hard time digesting that "they" are saying 1500 per day should be the normal now. I'm wondering who "they" is - hehe, not that I don't believe it, it just seems pretty extreme to me. 1500 would be very limiting to anyone's diet - especially in America. Not impossible, of course, but it sure would majorly reduce a TON of foods dang near right out of the average diet. Potentially things like dairy, bread, meat and even celery!

The Cleveland Clinic still recommends people with heart conditions keep their sodium under 2000 and that more severe heart conditions should aim for 1500 or less per day. That I can understand.

I personally follow the 2500 guideline because my doctor told me that 2500 a day is absolutely fine. It's already pretty easy to go over 2500, so I don't make things any harder on myself or more variety-limited than they need to be.

chicpeach

As soon as I figured out how to change the settings on my food diary, I began to monitor my sodium and it was an eye opener. Even raw, whole, natural foods contain sodium. Went to the mayo clinic sight and they recommend that if you're over 50 and/or have high blood pressure, you limit you sodium to 1500 a day - which is 1000 less than what MFP gives you. I changed my daily allowance to 1500 and it is ridiculously hard to stick to it. Basically, there's no room from preprocessed anything beyond my morning cereal.

The advantage tho, is that by lowering my sodium intake and drinking lots of water this week, I cleared the sodium back up in my system. I noticed a decided reduction in bloat and can't wait for Monday - my weigh in day. I expect I will see a happy number on the scale.

alyson820

I'm just starting to. I'm on a high sodium diet and need to eat around 4000 mg a day, but now that I'm tracking it, I see that I'm usually eating about 800-1000mg. So bring on the salt pills... and water retention

SoozeE512

I check my salt every now and again, it says not to get more than 2,500 for me but I try to keep it under 2,000 as often as possible. Canned foods and frozen meals are definitely the worst. If you're eating canned veggies, switch to fresh and when you have time, chop them up and keep them chopped up in containers so they'll be easy to grab at when you don't have time. Most veggies don't need much preparation, you could even stick those in the microwave if you want but at least they won't be loaded with added salts if you've bought them fresh.

Also, cut down on toppings like salad dressing and spaghetti sauce - those are loaded with salt too and the servings sizes are usually really small (2 tbsps). Even for those I try to cut down to 1 tbsp when I can.

Meats are usually loaded with salt too but that's pretty unavoidable unless you're a vegetarian so then you just have to be careful with portion sizes. For a quick meat fix, I like Applegate Farms Chicken Patties. The number for sodium in 1 patty is 210 but at least it's already portioned out and it's microwavable.

In about 5 minutes, you could microwave and cut up 1 chicken patty and toss it over a couple of cups of some fresh chopped lettuce and a few cherry tomatoes, put a tbsp or two of olive oil over it, and you have a low sodium meal!

But if you still find that you're going over in your salts for the entire day, drink more than just the recommended 8 cups of water a day to try to flush some of the extra salts out!

BrianSharpe

I'm having a hard time digesting that "they" are saying 1500 per day should be the normal now. I'm wondering who "they" is - hehe, not that I don't believe it, it just seems pretty extreme to me. 1500 would be very limiting to anyone's diet - especially in America. ......

How about Health Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/index-eng.php