Someone PLEASE tell me............ it isnt so.

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  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I will disagree with anyone who says that ignoring your sodium is 'fine' . You do need SMALL amounts of it yes but the average person gets WAY WAY more than they need. High sodium can lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure and thus increase your risk factor for stroke, as well as heart and kidney disease. If you choose to 'ignore' the sodium your kids eat/drink you are also putting them at risk for high blood pressure or the development of high blood pressure later in life.

    2,300 mg /day is the UPPER limit. The recommended is more like 1,500 mg... excess sodium will cause you to retain water unless you counter it with potassium and/or drinking more water (go for pale/clear urine). If your not getting pale/clear then you need to drink more water. Same if you have bags under your eyes - you are dehydrated.

    Many nutrition experts want the upper recommendation changed to 1500 mg, and even less for older adults.

    But, that said, I am a 51 year older adult and I don't track sodium. I don't eat much processed food and rarely use table salt in cooking or at the table. I tracked it for a while on MFP but it was always good, so I stopped. Also, I workout and sweat a lot and have never had high BP so it's not really a concern for me. If your children are eating mostly natural home-cooked foods and are active, it's likely not much of concern for them either.

    Sodium is important, but so are most nutrients. Personally, I worry more about getting enough calcium than getting too much sodium.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    Actually 1,500 shows in every one of those links as well but that was not my issue. The issue was the people who basically said "oh don't worry about your sodium..delete the column".

    "Most" people do not cook everything at home from scratch, nor do they avoid pre-packaged and canned foods. 1 serving of the 'wrong' can of soup/beans can cost you 1000mg. I almost had a hernia when my boyfriend cooked me some canned pea soup last week because it was close to 800mg for 1 cup.

    I totally agree with you..if you cook everything at home and avoid cans/packages you have no problem staying under whatever 'recommended' amount you wish to follow.
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
    How any vegatable or fruit of ANY kind can have sodium in it is beyond me and simply devastating to me.

    <snip>

    WELL I FELL OFF MY CHAIR ( yes i got back up just fine :laugh: )WHEN I SAW THAT FRESH VEGGIES HAVE SODIUM. and egg whites???. kale?? .................WHAT????????? The data base has to be wrong period.

    Er...no, the database probably isn't wrong. Sodium is just a mineral, like potassium, calcium, and iron, and all those other minerals you find listed in the tiny print on the multi-vitamin bottle. The problem isn't so much sodium as sodium chloride, aka table salt. Large amounts of salt can cause mildly elevated blood pressure in the small percentage of people who are salt-sensitive. The amount of sodium you get in fruits, veggies and other non-processed foods isn't going to hurt you.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The good news is, unless you are under a doctor's orders to reduce sodium due to high blood pressure, sodium doesn't matter. For the vast majority of people, the body can handle extra sodium just fine. In fact, despite the anti-sodium doctrine, there is also evidence that low sodium diets aren't even good for most people.

    What was considered a low sodium diet in the evidence you refer to above? It's pretty easy to get enough sodium for body function without ever adding salt to food.

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