Sugar and Sodium

BoilerMaker22

My sodium and sugar intake have been excessively high when I enter my foods, even though I still have carbs and some calories left over.

If I eat the number of calories that MFP says I should a day, will i still lose weight, even though my sugar and sodium are too high?

Here's the link to my food log. You can see it's pretty high.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/BoilerMaker22?date=2009-10-13

EKarma

Wow! It was really high, but I noticed that you're eating Uncle Ben's rice and ranch had way too much sodium. You need to start cooking your rice, real rice.. Stop buying those processed products, like the rice.. You'll be more in control if you start making stuff out of scratch (if you're really that concerned).. Another plus is that it will be better on your pocket.. Buy rice in the bulk section, it's cheaper cause your not paying for all that packaging. And with the ranch.. Well, I've cut any creamy dressings out of my diet. They just aren't good.. Even if they say low-fat or fat-free.. Those creamy dressing are just not good for you.

TKelly06

I used to go over my sodium all the time, once I started checking my labels for sodium I did a lot better. Mostly eating fresh or frozen veggies instead of canned, frozen rice is good and almost no sodium. If I do go over on sodium I just make sure I drink more water that day to flush out the salt. I do go over my sugar every day though. I have only been keeping track of calories, fat, protein and fiber and I am consistantly losing .7-1 pound a week. Hope this helps a little.

Mindful_Trent

I'm not sure what effect high sugar levels will have on you, but I know sodium levels that high are bad - not just for weight loss, but for heath in general. I've had to consciously cut down on sodium. Bread, sauces, desserts - almost anything can be high in sodium, but usually there are lower sodium alternatives. I've started buying bread and lunchmeat that are lower in sodium and I quit making the processed/boxed foods like mac n cheese, rice meals, etc. Like the previous poster said, it's much better to make it from scratch - and usually it doesn't take all that much longer.

Here's some info on sodium I got from the Mayo Clinic's website:

"Our kidneys regulate the amount of sodium kept in your body. When sodium levels are low, your kidneys conserve sodium. When levels are high, they excrete the excess amount in urine.

If your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to accumulate in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume, in turn, makes your heart work harder to move more blood through your blood vessels, increasing pressure in your arteries. Certain diseases such as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can lead to an inability to regulate sodium."

BoilerMaker22

I just use the dressings for my vegetables. I can eat carrots without any dressing, but I have salad at night, and I can't eat plain lettuce. What would you suggest for the salad as an alternative to dressing?

I also drink five liters of water a day, so I think that may help a little bit.

Thank you guys for you input. It's much appreciated.

I'm hesitant to buy new stuff because I just went to the store last weekend to buy all new stuff that I thought was healthy, but apparently isn't.

I guess I'll just have to buck up and buy some low sodium alternatives :O

tukilaki

I read your food diary for the day, I try keeping my sodium aound 1000-1500mg a day because I have high blood pressure

Try the Blue Diamond Natural Almonds, they are super tasty the container is green
Instead of cottage cheese put Daisy Lite Sour Cream, super low in sodium and does the trick
Instead of Kraft Single Cheese, try swiss cheese usually 40-70mg of sodium vs 260mg in kraft singles
The hotter the salsa the less amount of sodium
rice, quick fix go to your frozen vegetable section and buy frozen Birds Eye brown rice, no sodium and less calories and carbs than white rice. It usually runs 1.25 a bad, if you like tortillas, instead of white tortillas get CORN tortillas. They have little or no sodium in them too.

I hope this helps!

mscocoa30

My sodium and sugar intake used to be excessively high when I first started tracking my meals on MFP. Anyway, I started dabbling here and there tweaking my food choices and eventually, I kinda got used to which foods I need to avoid. For instance if I eat a yogurt and a banana for breakfast, that's 34 grams of my daily 40 grams sugar limit. Instead I opt for either the banana or the yogurt and not both. I choose something else to eat with less sugar like a glass of 2% milk if I eat the banana or a toasted whole grain english muffin if I eat the yogurt. I use the same concept with my sodium intake.

If I eat something earlier in the day that is high in sugar/sodium, then I know what foods I need to avoid later. Also, I kind of plan what I am going to eat ahead of time. Sometimes I'll add the meal before I eat it just to see what the outcome will be. Based on that I tweak (edit) the meal to meet daily limits.

I think once you start tweaking your meals and seeing what works and what doesn't, you'll get the hang of it.