Is Sodium in EVERYTHING??

dare2love81

Okay, so I've been trying to pay attention to my sodium intake lately and I'm having one heck of a time staying within my recommended sodium macro (2,500mg per day). It seems the only way I can stay under that is if I don't add sauce/seasoning to anything - which come on, just isn't reasonable, much less sustainable. I think I eat pretty cleanly, mostly chicken and fish and LOTS of fruits and veggies, but today for lunch I had a salad with three ounces of grilled chicken and a few tablespoons of FF french dressing and the sodium in the salad alone was almost 1,300 mg!

Has anyone been able to consistently stay within (or under) the 2,500mg per day? If so, what are you eating? I'm supposed to be eating between 1,800-2,000 calories a day (depending on whether or not it's a heavy workout day or not) and I'm finding it's darn near impossible to keep my sodium counts low.

Acg67

Okay, so I've been trying to pay attention to my sodium intake lately and I'm having one heck of a time staying within my recommended sodium macro (2,500mg per day). It seems the only way I can stay under that is if I don't add sauce/seasoning to anything - which come on, just isn't reasonable, much less sustainable. I think I eat pretty cleanly, mostly chicken and fish and LOTS of fruits and veggies, but today for lunch I had a salad with three ounces of grilled chicken and a few tablespoons of FF french dressing and the sodium in the salad alone was almost 1,300 mg!

Has anyone been able to consistently stay within (or under) the 2,500mg per day? If so, what are you eating? I'm supposed to be eating between 1,800-2,000 calories a day (depending on whether or not it's a heavy workout day or not) and I'm finding it's darn near impossible to keep my sodium counts low.

Do you suffer from hypertension and must keep your sodium low? If not, I wouldn't kill myself over worrying about sodium

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Anything that is fat free is going to have more sugar and sodium than the full fat versions as fat adds flavor to stuff.

Go for the natural stuff and full fat and leave that fat free stuff alone.

Better yet.................make your own salad dressings alone.

Leave the boxed, bottled, packaged, frozen stuff sitting right there on the grocery store shelves.

SuffolkSally

I keep an eye on it. I only go over when I succumb to Chinese food! If you'd like to add me as a friend you're welcome to look at my diary...

dare2love81

Do you suffer from hypertension and must keep your sodium low? If not, I wouldn't kill myself over worrying about sodium

Nope. I'm just trying to keep it in line so that I can't blame the lack of weight loss on water weight. :laugh:

secretlobster

You can only gain so much water weight... Even if you do, it will not hinder your weight loss...

dare2love81

Anything that is fat free is going to have more sugar and sodium than the full fat versions as fat adds flavor to stuff.

Go for the natural stuff and full fat and leave that fat free stuff alone.

Better yet.................make your own salad dressings alone.

Leave the boxed, bottled, packaged, frozen stuff sitting right there on the grocery store shelves.

Yeah, maybe I should just go for the full fat versions, or even the reduced fat. I guess it's which is the lesser of two evils, fat or sodium? :grumble: And really, I don't eat that much packaged stuff, with the exception of dressings (if I have a salad) and bread.

Darklion74

I have a problem myself with it, but I don't kick myself over it if I go a little over during the day. Something you may want to try is to plan your day if at all possible - maybe planning your day before or after your breakfast and see where you are for your sodium intake at that point if it means that much. Sometimes you can't and you're forced to make a best guess.

If you have a high sodium meal coming, you may need to stick to two lower sodium meals for the other parts of your day.

Again, if you go over by 100mg even 200mg and don't have hypertension or heart problems, I wouldn't sweat it too much, just try not to go over often. You do need to live your life every once in a while, as long as you keep it every once in a while and not every day, like I did for too long.

Freshly made foods usually (not always) have less sodium than packaged foods, and if you make it yourself, you can control how much sodium is in it by typing in the recipe and seeing how much is in what you (or others) are making.

Just a little food for thought. (Pun very much intended)

Alexstrasza

Do you suffer from hypertension and must keep your sodium low? If not, I wouldn't kill myself over worrying about sodium

Good advice, IMO.

I tried tracking my sodium and ended up just saying "screw it!" I don't have any health concerns regarding my sodium intake and never have, nor does it run in my family. I'm eating healthier and cleaner, that's a big enough step for now.

tigersword

Okay, so I've been trying to pay attention to my sodium intake lately and I'm having one heck of a time staying within my recommended sodium macro (2,500mg per day). It seems the only way I can stay under that is if I don't add sauce/seasoning to anything - which come on, just isn't reasonable, much less sustainable. I think I eat pretty cleanly, mostly chicken and fish and LOTS of fruits and veggies, but today for lunch I had a salad with three ounces of grilled chicken and a few tablespoons of FF french dressing and the sodium in the salad alone was almost 1,300 mg!

Has anyone been able to consistently stay within (or under) the 2,500mg per day? If so, what are you eating? I'm supposed to be eating between 1,800-2,000 calories a day (depending on whether or not it's a heavy workout day or not) and I'm finding it's darn near impossible to keep my sodium counts low.

Do you suffer from hypertension and must keep your sodium low? If not, I wouldn't kill myself over worrying about sodium

This. For 90% of the world population, there's really no limit for sodium. Sodium can exasperate hypertension, but it doesn't cause it. So unless you have issues with hypertension, just ignore it.

katymcd81

I usually end up under 1500mg sodium per day, don't think I've gone over 2500mg in a few weeks, if at all...you're welcome to look at my diary if you like I don't make any effort to avoid it, though I have to say some things surprise me with how much is in them. I don't add salt to anything, eat very little in the way of condiments, and I have crisps maybe twice a year, lol.

Doberdawn

Sodium is in a lot of processed foods & prepared dishes.Easier to avoid if you fix your own. If you're really wanting to do this - feel free to friend me & I'll try to help you. I stay under most every day with the occasional naughty one.

MelissaGraham7

Good job trying to keep it lower. As mentioned above, if you vary a few hundred up and down, it is okay. I even discovered 1100 mg of sodium in my MEDICATION so I had to switch.

I disagree with many above who said if you don't suffer from hypertension, you don't need to worry about it. As with anything, the cumulative effects of excessive sodium DO play havoc with your body in future years, as does too much fat, too much sugar, etc. It is a good idea to watch it and start monitoring it now. Also, eating less processed foods (to get rid of the salt) is a huge health plus and will also help lose weight so I say.... Keep up the good work! However, if you have a day every now and then when you go over, I wouldn't obsess about it as you want to make this a life-time change.

Stuz359

I think the problem for a lot of people is the hidden sodium in processed foods. Adding a bit of seasoning to meat shouldn't be that much of a problem.

ktsmom430

Also look at the sodium content on boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Natural fresh chicken breast have less sodium than the frozen variety. They add sodium (and sugar) to processed foods.

crocal

Unless your blood pressure is a problem, don't worry about it too much unless you are way over the recommended amount. Sodium is found naturally in most things and is especially high in ready mad processed foods you buy. Try making your own versions of dressings without adding any salt, eg olive oil and lemon juice. Look on line for recipe ideas.

justaloozer

I try to keep my sodium between 1800-2000. I've noticed that more sodium than that hinders my weight loss.

Menecairiel

It is in everything...and I love it because I like salty things. I do desperately try to have as little as I can live with, if that makes any sense? I just....like salty things...and bread with flavour...and...and....I am trying to be good with it. Honest!

LorinaLynn

At around 2000 calories a day, I have a hard time staying under 2500mg sodium... so I don't really try. I used to. You know what the biggest difference seems to be? I had greater fluctuations in weight when I was restricted my sodium, then had a meal higher in sodium. Now, if I got way over, it doesn't affect me as much.

For instance, last year, when I was watching my sodium like a hawk, after my brother's pig roast with brined pork, I "gained" 8 pounds, which quickly disappeared over the course of the next few days. This year, eating all the same stuff, I didn't have any noticeable change on the scale.

trixiemou

Hi, I have no problem with sodium am always under. Take a look at my diary its open. I rarely buy processed foods, sauces are mostly cooked from fresh, but take minutes to prepare. If I can give you any ideas, drop me a line. Cheers.

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

Yeah I started watching mine a few weeks back and it was kind of horrifying at first, I felt like I was doomed on three counts of sugar salt and fat, if a food didn't have one, it would definitely have another! Then I learned what the main offenders were and avoided them. It all boils down to that same old message, eat fresh home made food, and avoid things like processed meat and ready meals. When I cook I now don't add any salt at all and in a very short space of time I've gotten used to it. As a plus, my weight is now very responsive and I drop pounds quite quickly compared to how I was before. It's definitely worth doing.