Sodium. Why do you care about it?

JustPeachy044

I track it b/c I think too much of anything is bad for you and I think in general Americans get too much sodium. Lots of processed foods touted as "low sugar" and "low fat" have added sodium for flavor. I tend to hold onto water and weigh more when I have too much! I also think it is a cheap way to add "flavor" to foods that don't have much delicious flavor of their own--it overpowers the natural flavor of foods that have plenty of good taste on their own. Not saying I don't use salt, I do, but sparingly to add just a little pizzazz to things like sliced tomatoes. But I think I am healthier and food tastes better since I have cut my sodium intake.

mooglysmom

Because my Mom has HBP even with tracking her sodium.

Aslo, my joints seem to be stiffer when I get too much.

And its just not all that great for you.

HotMummyMission

My body collects a lot of water so I watch mine to keep it down x

briyowes

I started tracking sodium and stopped adding additional salt to my food at the beginning of the year. My family has a history of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is very prevalent in the African-American community. (http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/hypertension-in-african-americans). Having high blood pressure leads to a lot of other complications such as stroke and heart disease, also things that were present in my family. In fact, my mother, who had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a history of strokes, and heart disease died at age 55. As I started to look at my life as I turn 40 and what I could do to improve my health, losing weight and decreasing sodium intake were both at the top of the list. Since I have reduced my sodium intake I've learned to enjoy other seasonings for food. On the rare times when my sodium in higher than usual, like going out to eat, I can feel the effect because it causes me to retain water and get a bit of a headache. Fortunately, I do not have any health problems according to my checkup last week. All biometrics were normal and I'm happy for that. But I will continue to limit my sodium intake in order to keep everything that way.

amymichelle1226

There's just not that many health benefits to sodium! And I mostly try to use less of it at my house because my husband got several (yes, SEVERAL) kidney stones a few years ago and his doctor told him to cut sodium because that was a major factor for why he was getting them. He hasn't had one since and won't let me add salt to anything!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I track sodium because I'm a salty and a sweet, which means that both my sugar and sodium consumptions have a tendency to spike leaving me with issues. The sugar is rather obvious, the salt makes me retain water leaving me feeling bloated and drained. It's difficult to explain, but when I have too much sodium I get the same sort of feeling in my legs I had when I was 8 months pregnant where they're always just a little tired and achey.

RhonndaJ

I track mostly out of curiosity as I rarely add salt to my food anyway and it's been interesting to see how much sodium is in the foods I eat.

Kerri_is_so_very

I have no idea why I track it, other than just general awareness. Most days I don't eat processed foods, but it's easy to tell when you do due to high sodium levels. Also, pickles...OMG who knew?!?!?! LOL I love pickles, so disappointing to see how much is in those babies!

mearlie

I track it because of water retention and because, in general, it's just bad for you in high quantities. After reading this article recently, I changed my daily sodium goal to 1500mg. http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/how-kick-salt-habit?page=2

Thanks, I'm going to read this after I get the kids off to school!

THANKS!
I posted the wrong link, although the above link gives great tips on how to reduce sodium. This link tells you why you should reduce your sodium. http://www.prevention.com/node/26225

mearlie

I have no idea why I track it, other than just general awareness. Most days I don't eat processed foods, but it's easy to tell when you do due to high sodium levels. Also, pickles...OMG who knew?!?!?! LOL I love pickles, so disappointing to see how much is in those babies!

Sometimes I eat a pickle if I'm feeling low. Usually perks me right up! Salt Definitely makes me feel better when my bp is low.

monty619

sodium is the last thing u should track... end of story.

LoggingForLife

sodium is the last thing u should track... end of story.

Unless you have high blood pressure....which could lead to the end of your story!

birdieaz

Because I swell up like crazy when I eat too much. My fingers will feel tight and uncomfortable. I set my daily goal for 2000 and that works for me.

heidiberr

High Blood Pressure runs in the family so I'm trying to ensure I don't have a problem with it as I usually am on the high end of normal/prehypertension when I go to the doctors.

Culley34

For me - I drink a ton of water and that only partially neglects the effects of sodium.

For instance -- yesterday was NFL sunday. I had some pizza, breaksticks, and buffalo wings. I could tell they had a ton of sodium. Despite drinking water all day long, I wake up and my knuckles and fingers are swollen. I can especially feel it when I clench my fists.

Aside from the adverse health factors (e.g., high blood pressue) mentioned by other posters, it really forces me to retain a lot of water weight. I'll see 5-8 lb water weight swings in as little as 1-3 days as a result of getting rid of excess sodium in my body.

monty619

sodium is the last thing u should track... end of story.

Unless you have high blood pressure....which could lead to the end of your story!

well assuming everyone here is trying to eat healthfully and lose weight blood pressure shouldnt be an issue if exercising and controlling calories.

heidiberr

sodium is the last thing u should track... end of story.

Unless you have high blood pressure....which could lead to the end of your story!

well assuming everyone here is trying to eat healthfully and lose weight blood pressure shouldnt be an issue if exercising and controlling calories.

While this usually is the case, blood pressure can also be hereditary. You can do everything right and still have high blood pressure. I exercise frequently, eat right, lost 95 pounds, and I still need to be very conscious of my sodium intake.

See here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/DS00100/DSECTION=risk-factors

monty619

sodium is the last thing u should track... end of story.

Unless you have high blood pressure....which could lead to the end of your story!

well assuming everyone here is trying to eat healthfully and lose weight blood pressure shouldnt be an issue if exercising and controlling calories.

While this usually is the case, blood pressure can also be hereditary. You can do everything right and still have high blood pressure. I exercise frequently, eat right, lost 95 pounds, and I still need to be very conscious of my sodium intake.

See here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/DS00100/DSECTION=risk-factors

i know sodium impacts blood pressure yadda yadda, but so does exercise and body composition which should come waay before you track sodium intake... also the main thing about sodium is that you eat it consistantly and the same level because there is a hormone that is realeased when sodium amounts fluctuate greatly (forgot the name).. so if you eat low sodium then stay like that, if you eat moderate or high sodium stay like that... just dont fluctuate all over the place by eating different levels on a daily basis... basically season food the same every day and be consistant.

cbrrabbit25

I track sodium because it bloats me and makes me look fatter in my legs. i seem to hold it in so its hard to get rid of in my body.

elishazf

I find that if I eat too much sodium I start to bloat so I really watch what has a lot of sodium and what doesn't