Sodium below 2000mg

ShottaB

Is it just me, or does anyone else consistently have their sodium below recommended amounts? When I first started MFP I thought I would have to watch all the food I cook and be limited in seasoning my food, but I'm consistently below the recommended amounts. Are the recommended amounts of sodium actually okay to eat?

tammietifanie

I keep mine around 1500mg i think over 2000 is alot and unhealthy

ShottaB

Yea, i thought so. I would look at my sodium, and think wow, if i wanted to I could douse my food in salt.

tammietifanie

Sodium makes people retain water so if i keep mine low it's harder for me to gain water weight...

firegirlred

Sodium is not unhealthy for you. It is a crucial part of your diet. If you keep it too low, you will have problems. That being said, there is such a thing as too much, but this is relative. Sodium is crucial to control muscle contraction, and your heart is a muscle.

http://www.medicinenet.com/electrolytes/article.htm

I'm very happy for you that your sodium is within recommended limits. That is my Achilles heel-when I'm not running, I have trouble keeping my sodium down, and I DEFINITELY get bloated.

Athletes need quite a bit more sodium than expected...

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/salt.html

Please do not think that sodium is bad. And extra water will not "flush out" extra sodium-you will, however, more than likely get bloated. And don't listen to people who tell you that sodium is bad. Salt is not enough by itself to cause high blood pressure.

http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/lifestyle-161415-5.html

Tammie-I'm sorry to contradict you. Other countries are saying that 3000 mg is a good number for a limit. Over 2000 is not unhealthy.

I run in the summer, in the Texas heat. On days when I run 10-12 miles, it is not uncommon for me to hit 4000 mg of sodium. This is not unhealthy, as I'm sweating out an average of 1000 mg per hour. You MUST replace sodium lost. This is a killer of young athletes and trained, healthy endurance athletes-hyponatremia.

http://www.faqs.org/sports-science/Ha-Ja/Hyponatremia.html

ShottaB

U're really trying to make weight huh? I'm over by 196 on my cals:explode: and probably need to log some wii time, or go running on the beach with my sister. I'm still getting used to the new low cals, i need to plan my food in advance.

ShottaB

thanks for the info fire. So I don't need to worry about dousing my food with salt:happy: , obviously i wont go over my limit but i'm around 1000 below recomended

megamom

Another thing, it is important to have sodium in your body and I know lots of people have switched to sea salt, a good switch put check to make sure it has iodine.