Sodium- come on people, scare me!

janatleigh

Okay, so now that I'm tracking my food, I'm realizing I consume way more sodium than I should. Should I be concerned about that? What are the health and/or weight loss implications of eating too much sodium?

Thanks so much for any advice you can give!

MightyDomo

http://www.livestrong.com/article/371494-high-sodium-effects-on-health/

This is a short but sweet article that can tell you some good reasons why to cut down on the sodium.

It's much better for your heart and kidney health to do so. A realistic and good level is 2000 mg a day but 1800mg would be much better.

candy102389

BOOOOOOOOO! Yu get scared lol. If you have to much sodium beside cholestrol you will retain more water which will probably dissapoint you on the scale.

sarahg148

You could just google "effects of sodium" and see what pops up or just ask your doctor next time you see him/her. It affects people differently. For me, I can bloat up and retain some water...but my blood pressure is fine.

Anthonydaman

High blood pressure, but you already knew that. I find a high sodium day will show a weight gain the following morning. I know it's just water retention, but frustrating non the less.

bluetrumpet01

i don't want to be a jerk ... but ...

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=risks+of+high+sodium+diet

saugonda1

Well, it will slow down the weight loss, But my Dr. told me to drink at least 1/2 my body weight in water, Water will flush the sodium out

Astacia74

HIgh sodium intake has been linked to water retention, high blood pressure and many other health issues. Here's an article from Prevention magazine that should get you thinking: http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/dangers-high-sodium-diets

RobinC37

Is there any danger of not consuming enough sodium? What level would that be?

BlackTimber

Salt is not the enemy.

nxd10

All the health reasons are true. And it makes you retain water.

But food just tastes better when you reduce your sodium because you regain your sensitive to flavors other than salt.

Faye_Anderson

The fact that you felt the need to post this asking people to scare you says you pretty much know the answer yourself.

If I go over 1800mg sodium the scales repay me by going up a few lbs for a couple of days.

janatleigh

Bluetrumpet:

I'm a special education teacher who works with adolescents with social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities, so rude comments are not new to me, thank goodness! Thanks again for your helpful input.

nxd10

Is there any danger of not consuming enough sodium? What level would that be?

According to the NIH, no one gets that low unless they have a specific disorder.

A friend of mine does have that disorder. She faints if she doesn't each massive amounts of sodium because her body can't process it so her heart doesn't regulate properly.

But in general - not to worry. It's naturally in a lot of foods and we add sodium chloride to many more.

Faye_Anderson

Is there any danger of not consuming enough sodium? What level would that be?

The minimum human requirement for sodium is 500mg a day

aamtodd

Is that a typo? That would mean you would be drinking about 10 gallons a day. That would certainly flush your sodium out but you probably wouldn't survive long enough to get the benefit of it!

Spokez70

I can pretty much watch my blood pressure go up with high sodium- ironic I see a Chili's banner on this page too because the Buffalo Chicken Salad I had there yesterday had like two whole days worth of sodium in it. :ohwell:

Tdacks

I won't bother trying to scare you, since you probably already know it isn't good. I had a wakeup call when my heart would pound so loud in my ears that I couldn't sleep. I replaced my table and cooking salt with Morton Lite salt, which is half Sodium half Potassium. It still tastes salty, but some people find it has a bitter aftertaste, so YMMV. I eventually transitioned to full salt substitute, and now my levels for both Sodium and Potassium are closer to normal.

chels0722

Here's a link with some informations for you:
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/medical-dangers-much-sodium-3662.html

My advice, don't use table salt whatsoever. You'll use a lot more than it looks like. If you feel you really have to add something to your food choose a spice or herb. Sodium is one of those things that are good for you, but ONLY in moderation. You should never have more than a teaspoon a day. Prepackaged and frozen foods tend to be higher in sodium. The smartest way to go when trying to lower, or just monitor your sodium intake, is to make/cook all your own food. I know that is time consuming, and not everyone has the time, but it is definitely worth it. I hope that helps.

NikoM5

There's evidence that your ratio of sodium to potassium is more important than overall sodium intake.

cwolfman13

Very bad things happen to me...I have hypertension, largely due to heredity and a high sodium day puts my BP through the roof...like scary am I going to have a friggin' heart attack kind of thing. Even if you do not have hypertension, a diet high in sodium can lead to it, as well as kidney disease. If your diet is high in sodium, I'd recommend at least checking on your blood pressure regularly.

Natihilator

Well, it will slow down the weight loss, But my Dr. told me to drink at least 1/2 my body weight in water, Water will flush the sodium out

False. It might 'mask' weight loss if your sodium balance is out of whack, but it will not slow down actual weight loss, beyond daily fluctuations.

cwolfman13

There's evidence that your ratio of sodium to potassium is more important than overall sodium intake.

Also true...I try to keep my sodium between 1,500 and 2,000 and my potassium between 3,500 and 4,500 to help me regulate.

Vassyness

resonable amount is ok for the bones, but junk food sodium is a killer and will push it over the limit! I think if you stick to natural foods the limit for be great.

also try pink salt when cooking!

NualaTW

I just try to use unrefined sea salt for cooking only and not add any extra salt to my foods. Sea salt (especially unrefined gray or pink) has lower sodium content per serving, and you don't have to add much at all in your recipes that call for salt. Just cutting down on processed foods and adding salt to food on your plate makes a big difference overall.

Also, drink extra water when you feel that you may have overdone it on sodium for the day. It helps flush it out a bit faster.

FredDoyle

I just try to use unrefined sea salt for cooking only and not add any extra salt to my foods. Sea salt (especially unrefined gray or pink) has lower sodium content per serving, and you don't have to add much at all in your recipes that call for salt. Just cutting down on processed foods and adding salt to food on your plate makes a big difference overall.

Also, drink extra water when you feel that you may have overdone it on sodium for the day. It helps flush it out a bit faster.

This is wrong. Sea salt, whatever colour or from the Himalayas is still 98% NaCl with trace minerals.

vjohn04

I am over my sodium every day.

Ehhh... no biggie for me, but for others it may not be so good.

cgfol1

I never take any notice of sodium. In fact, I embrace it. I don't eat any sugars as I much prefer savoury foods.

My doctor was telling me that so many people are so scared of water retention- induced weight gain on the scales that they are in fact not getting nearly enough.

Salt is just like any other mineral, you should not avoid it.

brower47

"The benefits of salt reduction are surprisingly murky. At least 13 studies have tried to tease out what happens to people who choose to eat salty or not so salty food - and the results have pointed in every conceivable direction, epidemiologist Micheal Alderman, MD, pointed out in an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Some studies suggest that cutting salt protects the heart; others suggest that zealous salt reduction can actually increase heart problems."

So, like most everything in life, moderation wins yet again is my guess.


And just fyi, the average American consumes 3.4 grams of sodium everyday (mostly from packaged and restaurant food). The USDA suggests no more 2.3 grams and the American Heart Association recommends no more than 1.5 grams.

brower47

I just try to use unrefined sea salt for cooking only and not add any extra salt to my foods. Sea salt (especially unrefined gray or pink) has lower sodium content per serving, and you don't have to add much at all in your recipes that call for salt. Just cutting down on processed foods and adding salt to food on your plate makes a big difference overall.

Also, drink extra water when you feel that you may have overdone it on sodium for the day. It helps flush it out a bit faster.

This is wrong. Sea salt, whatever colour or from the Himalayas is still 98% NaCl with trace minerals.

Thank you! Sea salt's benefits do not come from lower sodium content... it's salt. What some sea salts have that regular table salt will not, are some extra minerals that aren't processed out.

NikoM5

"Hey do you know any good jokes about sodium hypobromite?"

"NaBrO"