Sodium Consumption

sbedette
sbedette Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First post - Today marks 30 days that I have been using MFP. Starting weight was 248 and current is 240. Exercise began 2 weeks ago and consists right now entirely of biking for 45-60 minutes.

I have asthma and high blood pressure. The high blood pressure began 4 years ago while I was pregnant with my daughter and I have been taking medication ever since. It is well regulated.

I am so new to this and have never dieted before in my life. My daily calories are 1240 in order to begin losing 2 pounds a week. My biggest question is while some days I do go over my calories (not by alot) or I have not logged my calories (these days are very few), it is VERY often that I am going EXTREMELY over in my sodium. Does anyone else have this issue? I know sodium is not good for my blood pressure and keeps water in. Any advice would be appreciated greatly! I am also looking for any low sodium food options.

The past 2 days have been bad with some ham slices and canned peas :/ I already know that unfortunately.

Replies

  • chuckles217
    chuckles217 Posts: 123 Member
    Switch to fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables to eliminate salt there an also frozen helps preserve alot of the good stuff. Get away from ham and deli meats. Nitrates and salt are bad for you. Eliminate processed foods and try to cook from scratch and in bulk. Freeze left overs for lunches or other meals.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Switch to fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables to eliminate salt there an also frozen helps preserve alot of the good stuff. Get away from ham and deli meats. Nitrates and salt are bad for you. Eliminate processed foods and try to cook from scratch and in bulk. Freeze left overs for lunches or other meals.

    Absolutely all of this. Pretty much anything that comes in a can, box or jar is going to have high sodium as it aids in preservation and makes things taste good. Be careful of the "diet" foods (low fat, low sugar or low calorie) because they can sometimes add sodium to make it taste better. While frozen veggies and fruit tend to be better than canned, keep in mind with there can sometimes be added sugar or salt. Check with your grocery store's deli counter to see if they have low sodium meats and ask to see the label to make sure it is in fact lower than what you're currently using. You may also want to switch to poultry or beef for deli meat as ham is typically very salty.

    Above all else, you need to be very diligent with reading your labels and don't trust all the listings on MFP's diary. For instance, the chicken you have listed a couple days ago may not really have that much sodium in it if it's a chicken breast you cooked yourself. When you log your food, try to find the exact brand you bought or make sure it's very close to the label on the food item.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    My husband is very sensitive to sodium so the whole family goes low.

    Read labels. For instance, I looked at 3 packages of Trader Joe chicken sausage yesterday that ranged from 150-600mg of salt.

    Things surprisingly high in sodium are bread and tomatoes. Don't even get me started on store bought soups
    Things that are lower are Swiss cheese (read, but often less than 1/4 of other types)

    Surprisingly enough, many things labeled low fat are high in sodium. Many things where you see the salt are lower than things that you don't

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