Sodium

Pughey
Pughey Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A few MFPers have mentioned sodium levels to me. I have a couple of questions:

1) What's a sensible amount in a day to have?
2) How do I monitor it if it's not counted on the daily diary?
3) If it's not counted on the daily diary is it really that important to watch?

Replies

  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    The less sodium you have in your diet, the better. Large amounts of sodium at its best causes water retention, at its worst cause high blood pressure which can lead to other problems such as heart disease, etc. There is tons of information out there, I suggest going to the American Heart Assocation web-site for more information.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Interestingly recommended maximums vary from country to country. Health Canada suggest an upward limit of 1500mg per day whereas the US Dept of Health suggests no more than 2500mg per day.

    There's an orange box at the bottom of the page in your food diary "view full report" - sodium is listed there.

    Personally (opinion only) if you exercise regularly (and sweat lots) and drink enough water I don't think you need to fixate on sodium intake unless you're hypertensive, in fact, if you're a distance runner it may be beneficial to take extra sodium on really hot days when you're running for more than a couple of hours.

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