Lowered my carbs sum but sodium is way too high... help!!

Losing85

I have lowered my carbs to 180 per day. From someone who eats pasta and bread all day long and feels sluggish and overweight to eating them in moderation for each meal is a big deal, but it's working! My only issue is that I have been trying to fill up on protein and all of the prcessed options and cheese are taking my sodium up to about 3500 or more per day. Please anyone have some advice of lower sodium options? I'm already eating fruits and veggies and I'm not getting full enough with those. help!!

laele75

You want to lower your sodium, don't eat processed food. Period. As for meats, be careful of meats purchased in most supermarkets. They love to 'plump up' meat by injecting it with salt and water. You have to read food labels.

My go to protein snack is 1/4 cup of unsalted almonds. No sodium and they stick with you.

Also, just as a warning, commerical bread has obscene amounts of sodium. Even two slices of whole wheat bread have 500mg. So that's probably where you're getting some of it from, unless you've cut it completely out. I eat corn tortillas instead.

fleetzz

The only time my sodium goes nuts is when I eat processed food.

Cook your meat yourself. Cheese has sodium, don't eat it. Fruits and veggies have no sodium. Eat fish you cook yourself.

On the days I make everything myself I am typically under 1000 mg of sodium (usually under 800), and I add salt when I cook.

_Zardoz_

Simple answer Don't eat processed food.

Losing85

You want to lower your sodium, don't eat processed food. Period. As for meats, be careful of meats purchased in most supermarkets. They love to 'plump up' meat by injecting it with salt and water. You have to read food labels.

My go to protein snack is 1/4 cup of unsalted almonds. No sodium and they stick with you.

Also, just as a warning, commerical bread has obscene amounts of sodium. Even two slices of whole wheat bread have 500mg. So that's probably where you're getting some of it from, unless you've cut it completely out. I eat corn tortillas instead.

Of course I'm trying to not eat processed but until I find the healthier alternative, I'm not going to throw it all out quite yet. I do need to look into the breads. thanks for bringing that to my attention!!

Losing85

Simple answer Don't eat processed food.

Well yeah I know that answer. I'm asking what things can be replaced with the processed foods. Thanks for your...... help.....

mckellipgirl

The thing that helps me, don't eat breaded meat, or deli meat and don't eat out. In order to keep under sodium I have to cook my own meats for sammiches and not eat out. When I do that I stay under.

angelcurry130

well, aside from the obvious answer already being presented, gather up everything processed in your pantry...find a friend, neighbor, or co-worker who is not so conscious of their intake and offer the food to them. or donate it to your local food pantry. you can even go so far as to allow yourself ONE processed item in a day and no more...but that requires a lot of willpower.

Edit: i suggest this because i went gluten free (diagnosis) 5 years ago, and then low carb (by choice) a year and a half ago. in both diet changes, i took everything that was unopened and gave it to a friend who was down-and-out on finances. the same friend enjoyed my cooking and a lot of my opened freezer food went to her too. after that, i gave myself a month to finish off everything that was left. if it wasn't gone by the end of the month, it went in the trash. no exceptions. as long as you don't go crazy and start opening everything up, this is far less wasteful and less detrimental to your health.

Mrs_Wellington

oh it's not easy by any means.you have to really take a step back and look at your diet like someone else is seeing it,as if you have no attachment to it ( emotional eater me,lol ) criticise your food intake like you are marking an exam paper.then make adjustments if you can.mfp has really made me look at my diet this way . hope this helps.

themedalist

Spend time reading labels of items you buy frequently as you may find some lower sodium items that are really tasty that can become your "go to" items. For example, as was mentioned, bread is typically pretty high in sodium. But I found a great oatmeal bread that is 110 mg sodium per slice...half that of most breads. Similarly, spaghetti sauce is typically about 500 mg per half cup, but after reading ALL the spaghetti sauce jar labels, I found a local brand that was 240 mg per half cup. My whole family thought it was delicious.

Good luck!

EmilyEmpowered

First of all, if you just started working on lowering carbs take time to adjust to that and then focus on the next thing. That usually helps you make changes slowly.

Second... my sodium is always high, people love to point it out to me on my diary. guess it doesnt matter, I am still losing weight and getting results. I drink a lot of water. As long as you drink water and arent over by a crazy amount every single day, you should be fine! Try not to eat a ton of processed stuff every day, and you should be ok. I still eat a lot of processed food (usually at least one meal a day) and I am normally over by like 1,000, and as long as I drink water all day I dont get bloated or have a reaction to the sodium. Unless you were told by a doctor to specifically watch your sodium, being at 3,500 a day or so should be fine. (That is what I was told anyway.)

I really pay no mind to my sodium unless i have a really bad day or weekend and then I try to lower it for a few days.

ETA: I also agree, look for the lower sodium version of items you already buy, they really don't taste any different!

ecanales52

Simple answer Don't eat processed food.

Well yeah I know that answer. I'm asking what things can be replaced with the processed foods. Thanks for your...... help.....

ars1300

Make sure you are eating plenty of protein at every meal! It will help you feel fuller. Preparing foods yourself and cutting back on boxed, canned or processed foods can help lower sodium. Good protein choices- eggs, fish, chicken, other seafood- shrimp/scallops, lean red meats, lean turkey, greek yogurt. carbs- potatoes, brown or white rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, yams, couscous, quinoa.

wwwdotcr

I dont get the hate for sodium. Really its over - exaggerated by the marketing groups who think "low sodium" foods makes them healthy.

If you like high sodium foods, just drink more water. Yes you will be bloated, but as long as your macros are consistent deficit it doesnt really matter if you are bloated or not. You will lose weight.

And its real easy to flush sodium out if you need to.