Way too much sodium AND too much protein.

_Mimi_

High blood pressure is not the only issue with high sodium.

Copied from this article: http://www.womenscircleofhealth.com/201002/sodium_dangers_feb10.php

Thanks for the link - this is something I'm genuinely interested in, so more data is always useful.
The article cites two references, but the second reference is another article which cites the first reference. (The link for the first reference doesn't work, but found some details elsewise.)
Unfortunately the full text is not available for us freely.
But what is available is the information that rather than a scientific 'study', this is a 'projection'.
Further, that the author(s) is a member of: "Institute of Medicine Committee on Population Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake", which does seem to suggest some bias to me!

I'm not trying to be critical for the sake of it and not saying that it's wrong or right; but before I make a decision on what to put in my body, I'd prefer there to be some more solid evidence.

Oh and incidentally, my macro-levels on MFP are set at 40%carbs, 45% protein, 15% fat. The bulk of my weight loss was done with a bit higher carbs and lower protein in percentages (I was just monitoring calories), but on joining MFP I upped the calories overall, but most of that was probably protein to try and make some 'use' of the reasonable bit of heavy manual work I was doing.

I just pulled that one at random because it gave the info about bones and kidneys I was looking for. There are lots of articles out there that say the same, and more. I'm also going on the advice of my physician. My blood pressure is perfect too. So was my father's even though he salted everything to the point of seeing the salt sitting on top of the food. His kidneys and bones were not so good.

msemejuru

I joined MFP because I had high blood pressure and needed to track my foods. The hardest part was accepting that if I wanted to eat low sodium, I couldn’t eat convenience foods. Once you get past that, it’s not too bad.

Anything that’s canned you can probably make in the Croc-pot. I make my meats on the GForeman grill and slice instead of lunchmeat. Making things ahead of time and freezing them with the Foodsaver saves time and replaces some convenience foods. Rinse anything from a can and re-season.

Good news is your taste buds will change and you will get used to the lower sodium taste and not need as much salt.

geebusuk

Given the choice, I'd prefer to make my own any day - burgers made with lean steak minced at home can be tasty AND low fat (as well as sodium, I'd guess), where if you use shop bought lean mince it tends to be missing out in taste a bit.

Mimi: unfortunately I'm sceptical without facts to back things up for MY SITUATION specifically.
An awful lot is written in an awful lot of places (books as well as the internet) that contradicts scientific studies etc.)

For instance it's generally 'accepted' that you should go for "complex" carbs over simple ones like sucrose.
However this is an interesting article that suggests for me at least (I'm not an athlete or a body builder, but seem to have got myself to a reasonable level of fitness and be reasonably trim) it's probably not an issue http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-science-of-nutrition-is-a-carb-a-carb.html .

_Mimi_

It's all good, geebusuk. I just wanted to put it out there because so many think as long as their BP is good, they can have as much sodium as they want. Sadly, the only way you will know for certain if/how it affects you personnaly is when/if it does. Hopefully it will have no ill affects! Continued health to you!

hellohappylisa

One really easy way to cut down on sodium is to make your own food, like other people have said. Me? I hate cooking, but I found a really easy way to make your own frozen dinner.

Cook up enough rice/noodles for the week. Use brown/whole grain as a healthier alternative. Buy yourself some plain, unseasoned frozen veggies. I like two buy 2-3 different packs so there's a huge variety of colors (vitamins).

Throw some veggies in the oven, still frozen, covered in foil, seasoned how you like, for 20-30 min. Find some low sodium sauces or just make them really spicy! I douse mine in garlic powder, onion powder, red chili flakes, and the tiniest bit of low-sodium tamari. Just toss the stuff on and throw it in the oven! You can change up the flavor whenever you want to and do some experimenting! And the things don't even taste like veggies anymore, it's like a garlic-onion explosion.

When it's done you have veggies and rice/noodles made with little effort and very low sodium.

Personally I don't enjoy eating foods with a lot of salt so it's really easy for me to eat low sodium. You just have to train your taste buds!

You should get a crock pot/slow cooker also, makes for easy, low effort meals.

Murf1968

To manually change your settings go to
'My Home'
'Goals'
Check " Custom: Manually set my own custom fitness goals" then click continue.

Excellent. Thank you. :drinker:

BTW, that's water my smiley is drinking... one of my 8 glasses a day.:laugh:

jms3533

Do you have high blood pressure from the sodium?
I often eat a lot of salty foods, but have a healthy blood pressure, so that isn't an issue for me.
I'm not too worried by water retention and any other 'issues' I've seen regarding sodium, so quite happy to leave my salt intake as it is.

I have been eating a high sodium and high protein diet generally and managed to lose a good bit of weight and put on a bit of muscle at the same time. (Around 50lb since may.)

High blood pressure is not the only issue with high sodium.



Copied from this article: http://www.womenscircleofhealth.com/201002/sodium_dangers_feb10.php

Bone Health – excess sodium causes calcium to be removed from bone. This ultimately increases the risk for osteoporosis. Some experts speculate that the rate of osteoporosis in Americans is greater than that of other populations because of our high sodium diets. In addition to cutting back on sodium, increasing calcium and vitamin D intake through foods and calcium supplements like Adora Calcium can help prevent bone loss.

Kidney Disease & Kidney Stones – the kidneys remove excess sodium from the blood. When high sodium foods are consumed the kidneys must work harder. This can lead to kidney problems such as renal disease or kidney stones.

Bloating - Although it is not a life-threatening concern, sodium intake is also a primary contributor to bloating. Salty foods lead to water retention which promotes weight gain and lethargy.

Thanks for this additional info! Very helpful. I tend to go over, and always need to be more cognizant of it.

LLRider

For those of you watching your sodium intake because you have high blood pressure ~ you may find this article interesting.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100125/low-carb-diet-lowers-blood-pressure

wftiger

Unless you have kidney issues or diabetes there really isn't too much protein. IMHO MFP sets protein limits about half what they should be.