Salt- who makes up these recommended numbers?

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Does anyone know how much sodium (salt) should one have? I've had what I think is a really salty meal and when I checked the macros on MFP it said I had half the amount it set me 2500mg for the day and according to the Nutrient information I had around 231mg for the day with 2269 left over. It seems like a huge amount still and the numbers don't mean much to me and I feel like it's incorrect. Any ideas on who sets these allowances and what it actually means in real terms? Also if I eat a really low salt diet- do I lose more weight? Any weight loss success stories on using a low salt diet out there? Thanks. Annawaywego.

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  • caitlyn30
    caitlyn30 Posts: 207 Member
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    mine was set at 2500, still is. but, actually for me 1500 is best, or I tend to gain . I think everybody is different though.
  • tschaff04
    tschaff04 Posts: 296 Member
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    Good question. I just left mine as it was set but have no idea what the "right" number is.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
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    Healthy brain needs 500mg sodium ea day. Even if you eat NO processed food including cheese, cottage cheese then you would get this amount naturally from whole unprocessed foods such as egg whites, dark leafy greens (think spinach), lean fish, dairy (milk), even berries has a trivial amount.

    Try eating nothing but unprocessed food for a day and see what your sodium intake is by natural "clean" food. I myself shed a ton of water weight when detoxing from too much salt. I try to stay within 1100 mg of sodium a day and if I were to cut out my cheese, then it would be around 600mg/day.

    Losing the salt and seeing the scale drop is great motivation for your weight loss journey!
  • Annawaywego
    Annawaywego Posts: 35 Member
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    Healthy brain needs 500mg sodium ea day. Even if you eat NO processed food including cheese, cottage cheese then you would get this amount naturally from whole unprocessed foods such as egg whites, dark leafy greens (think spinach), lean fish, dairy (milk), even berries has a trivial amount.

    Try eating nothing but unprocessed food for a day and see what your sodium intake is by natural "clean" food. I myself shed a ton of water weight when detoxing from too much salt. I try to stay within 1100 mg of sodium a day and if I were to cut out my cheese, then it would be around 600mg/day.

    Losing the salt and seeing the scale drop is great motivation for your weight loss journey!

    Thanks for that, really useful. I am also feeling a bit puffy, especially as recently I have fallen ill and on asthma inhalers, although it says that the steroid dose is too low to make you put on weight I have noticed that I look "puffy" around my face and legs.