sodium is ridiculous

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CMLaughman
CMLaughman Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
How in the world is anyone supposed to stay under the daily sodium intake allowance? I'm under everything but that. Some days I take in almost DOUBLE!!

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  • evilras
    evilras Posts: 42
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    I'm with you big guy! Its crazy!!! Sodium and sugar are killing my stats!!!
  • mablesyrup
    mablesyrup Posts: 286 Member
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    I feel the same way!! But from reviewing my log- here is what I figured- when I eat processed food- the sodium goes through the roof... so yesterday when I went and bought groceries for meals this week- I stuck to the OUTSIDE- got fresh meats, fruits and veggies....

    It's funny too- because I hate salt-so never salt anything and so I always assumed I never ate anywhere near what the max for sodium is- and then when I started logging I was stunned at how wrong I was!~
  • aurablue
    aurablue Posts: 12
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    Am I missing this? I am brand new, day 7 yay me :) I thought it was weird that I can't see my fiber ,sodium or sugars. Where can I see this?
  • NotSurprised
    NotSurprised Posts: 8,083 Member
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    Am I missing this? I am brand new, day 7 yay me :) I thought it was weird that I can't see my fiber ,sodium or sugars. Where can I see this?

    if I'm correct you can click settings, on top of the page, first click Food, then you will see settings then click that it should be on that page choose what you like.

    Sorry about that if you read the other post my mistake, I checked it though.:smile:
  • pjansen
    pjansen Posts: 19
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    The only way to keep it low is don't eat anything from a can with salt added, no soups, no processes frozen meals.
    Fresh meats, veggies, rice, pasta, etc. Processed foods are insane with salt so it tastes good and is preserved.
    It's a stuggle, but your heart and weight will love you for it. :huh:
  • rrlucero
    rrlucero Posts: 24
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    Frozen processed meals are filled with sodium, ugh. Most of the "lean" meals like Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine are so high in sodium it's ridiculous. I started looking at frozen meals that I would buy, and then just buy the ingredients to make it yourself.

    I was diagnosed with hyper tension a few years ago when my blood pressure starting going up, so my Doctor put me on a low sodium diet. When I started paying attention to how much sodium was in foods I ate from a can or box it was crazy! In a few months, just by lowering my sodium intake, my blood pressure stabilized.
  • NotSurprised
    NotSurprised Posts: 8,083 Member
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    Frozen processed meals are filled with sodium, ugh. Most of the "lean" meals like Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine are so high in sodium it's ridiculous. I started looking at frozen meals that I would buy, and then just buy the ingredients to make it yourself.

    I was diagnosed with hyper tension a few years ago when my blood pressure starting going up, so my Doctor put me on a low sodium diet. When I started paying attention to how much sodium was in foods I ate from a can or box it was crazy! In a few months, just by lowering my sodium intake, my blood pressure stabilized.

    glad to here, but yeah that's practically all of the time thank God.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    People have already said this - but basically you have to cut out as much processed food as possible. I had trouble with this at first, but now I eat almost all fresh veggies, fruit, whole-grains like barley, no-sodium added beans, and lean protein. Dairy tends to have bit of sodium (especially cheese) but it can also be a good source of protein, so I try to work it in by keeping sodium on everything else really low to allow for some dairy every day.

    My biggest piece of advice would be to READ LABELS when you're grocery shopping. There are almost always lower sodium options. What really got me was the bread and lunchmeat I used to eat. I was able to find lower-sodium options for both of those that allowed me to stay under 2500. Now I don't even eat lunchmeat sandwiches, and most days my sodium is around 1500 or less.

    My food diary is public - feel free to check it out to see what kind of foods I'm eating to keep my sodium low.

    Good luck!
  • cassandra1220
    cassandra1220 Posts: 284 Member
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    Ditch the processed foods!
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
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    I am surprised how much sodium is in veggies! Ex. "Celery - Raw, 1 cup chopped" 81 grams of naturally produced sodium absorbed from the ground. This is an issue for me as well.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I am surprised how much sodium is in veggies! Ex. "Celery - Raw, 1 cup chopped" 81 grams of naturally produced sodium absorbed from the ground. This is an issue for me as well.

    Hmm... interesting. I eat tons of veggies, but I have no problem staying under for sodium. Maybe some veggies are just worse than others? Also, I eat very few processed foods, so I have plenty of room for sodium from veggies without going over.
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
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    Point taken... I need to cut back on my processed foods as it would probably help. I guess I will start watching myself closer and give it a try.
  • Casi23
    Casi23 Posts: 138 Member
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    A good method to avoid processed foods is to stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store. I think Bruiseviolet already mentioned this.

    I make sure I stick to the veggie/fruit sections, the meats, bakery and dairy. If I do wander down the inner aisles, it's for seasoning, or a certain condiment. But I find that if I stick to outside aisle, I fill my cart with the good all-natural stuff, and not the processed, fatty, sugary, salty crap....

    Just a lil method of mine - but I think it helps a ton.
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
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    That's a great suggestion and I will give it a try. Thank you.
  • 50by50
    50by50 Posts: 15 Member
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    i know! I had a 7 ounce sirloin at Applebees and it had 1100 in the sodium range. Holy Cow!
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
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    I'm always over o my sodium! It sucks. I think I was under like 1 day this week.
  • 50by50
    50by50 Posts: 15 Member
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    Another thought. I was told to switch to sea salt in recipes vs table salt. It is healthier and actually has less sodium. Since I am a saltaholic I am trying the switch first and then cut back altogether.
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Another thought. I was told to switch to sea salt in recipes vs table salt. It is healthier and actually has less sodium. Since I am a saltaholic I am trying the switch first and then cut back altogether.

    You need to be careful with that because sea salt isn't iodized like table salt. You should use it every now and then to get it.
  • mablesyrup
    mablesyrup Posts: 286 Member
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    Another thought. I was told to switch to sea salt in recipes vs table salt. It is healthier and actually has less sodium. Since I am a saltaholic I am trying the switch first and then cut back altogether.

    That is a great idea! I use sea salt instead of regular salt for cooking (i hate salt so never salt anything)...

    Also- I am the one who made the comment about sticking to the outside isles.. and something feels GREAT about walking through the store with a cart FULL of fresh fruits and Veggies =) It always makes me feel proud of myself and I feel good because I know people won't see my size and then look in my cart and be thinking, "oh my lord- no wonder she is so big" I do so much better with things if I think people are watching me.. lol
  • Emilydmo
    Emilydmo Posts: 101
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    A good method to avoid processed foods is to stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store. I think Bruiseviolet already mentioned this.

    I make sure I stick to the veggie/fruit sections, the meats, bakery and dairy. If I do wander down the inner aisles, it's for seasoning, or a certain condiment. But I find that if I stick to outside aisle, I fill my cart with the good all-natural stuff, and not the processed, fatty, sugary, salty crap....

    Just a lil method of mine - but I think it helps a ton.


    I agree! I eat 1900-2100 calories a day and unless I eat out or eat frozen/prepared foods, I'm usually below 2,000 g sodium. The fresher the food the better! I'll admit my diet isn't very balanced because I'm a grad student who needs to pay rent before I pay for groceries, but Imy staples are oatmeal, PB on crackers/toast, protein bars, fruits and veggies, cereal and soy milk and veggie burgers on thin buns with spinach and hummus. .LOL, just reading this makes me realized I'm kind of a carb-a-holic.. I guess I don't have much advice because I don't think I eat super healthy, but I just wanted you all to be aware that it can be done :)

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