a little bit salty

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smilesalot1969
smilesalot1969 Posts: 392
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys was just needing some help with the sodium thing. I had been happily thinking my diet was pretty okay until i clocked the sodium column and realised i was 300+mg over the daily allowance. Looking through my diary i was horrified to realise there's 100mg in one of my yoghurts and 160mg in the diet one!!! I seem to hold on to water pretty easily so i need to keep my sodium down so what can i eat that isn't full of hidden salt??

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  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Don't worry too much about it unless you have some sort of condition that requires you to limit your sodium. Make sure you're well hydrated.
  • jazee11
    jazee11 Posts: 321
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    It is generally the processed foods that contain the sodium. You discovered this by checking the sodium content on your labels.

    You can add more whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. I also use most of the Mrs, Dash seasonings in my foods now. They have way more flavors then they did when I was growing up. Check those out. I have also learned to cook with much more onion, garlic, celery and other herbs and spices. Take a walk down your seasoning and herb isle and start experimenting.
  • TNFirefly
    TNFirefly Posts: 169 Member
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    Any bread is going to have it - tortillas, too. Processed cereals tend to be high. Hot cereals tend to be ok (oatmeal, grits, etc). I use low sodium ezekial bread from the frozen healthy food section.
    dairy products tend to be high also - especially cheese. Be careful of anything in a can. I buy a box of tomatoes and make a bunch of marinara and freeze it in bags. When we have spaghetti or something, I use one of my bags of sauce and the rest use my normal pasta sauce. It is surprising once you start to look.

    Reset your diary to show sodium and it will help you a lot.

    Once you start to drop your sodium things will taste funky for a while, and then you will adapt. I shoot for under 1500 mg a day because of hypertension and meniere's disease.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    Just drink a lot of water! Less processed foods too. Sodium is my biggest nemesis
  • NikkiGetsFit185
    NikkiGetsFit185 Posts: 93 Member
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    It is generally the processed foods that contain the sodium. You discovered this by checking the sodium content on your labels.

    You can add more whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. I also use most of the Mrs, Dash seasonings in my foods now. They have way more flavors then they did when I was growing up. Check those out. I have also learned to cook with much more onion, garlic, celery and other herbs and spices. Take a walk down your seasoning and herb isle and start experimenting.


    I agree with this, it will make a major improvement, i was also over on my sodium but more like by the thousands and didnt realize it, and because i retain water i was wondering why i wasn't losing. But make these changes as stated and you should see some results.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    100mg of sodium is nothing. Just drink more water to balance out the sodium. If you know it's water retention, why worry about it? It's not making you fat.
  • elijhasmomma
    elijhasmomma Posts: 270 Member
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    It is generally the processed foods that contain the sodium. You discovered this by checking the sodium content on your labels.

    You can add more whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. I also use most of the Mrs, Dash seasonings in my foods now. They have way more flavors then they did when I was growing up. Check those out. I have also learned to cook with much more onion, garlic, celery and other herbs and spices. Take a walk down your seasoning and herb isle and start experimenting.


    ^^^ this. plus i realized when i started tracking my sodium i was over anywhere from 100-1,000mg almost ALL the time...talk about a wake up call. i set my sodium to level at 2,300mg and aim to stay under even that number since MFP puts u at 2500mg. Customize ur settings for ur sodium to be where u want it, and try to aim for that. It helps me when I am planning my meals for the day and has done wonders! I also drink 8-10 glasses of water a day with pure lemon juice squeezed in as lemon is a natural diueretic. good luck!
  • hellohappylisa
    hellohappylisa Posts: 141 Member
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    100mg isn't that much, you are probably eating something else...
    Personally I don't really like salty, I like spicy, so I add garlic, onion and chilli powder to everything, plus some hot sauce. The hot sauce has a tiny bit of sodium and LOTS of vinegar to make it taste plenty salty.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    I agree with the suggestion to eat more whole foods and fewer processed foods. In any case, I wouldn't in good conscience tell you to eat less yogurt because it has some sodium in it. But if you're concerned about sodium, I bet you would see a drastic reduction if you made your own meals from fresh produce more often than eating something that is prepackaged. Most sodium comes from preservatives.

    What's your blood pressure like? If you have low to normal BP, your sodium intake is probably fine. Also, if you're retaining water, you want to make sure you are replenishing electrolytes AND hydrating yourself well. Combat sodium with potassium (coconut water and bananas work well)
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    The way to keep it down is definitely to keep processed food to an absolute minimum x
  • smilesalot1969
    smilesalot1969 Posts: 392
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    I do track sodium i had to since im terrible for bloating and holding fluid. I dont eat canned food and try not to eat very much processed stuff, i tend to eat a lot of salad, cold meats, fish, yoghurt and fruit. I'm pretty OCD when it comes to food and tend to stick to a lot of the same stuff but dont usually go over MFP salt levels it just seems like such a lot!! And in yoghurt???:frown:
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,290 Member
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    I have been on a weight loss plan where I eliminated all added salt and processed foods. I never lost weight so fast before. I'd make everything from scratch or buy nsa or no salt added.

    I think sodium is the secret key to losing weight that has not been revealed. Everyone thinks it is basic water weight gain and hypertension issues. A minor thing. I think it makes us hold onto fat.

    However..it is very hard to eliminate it. I'm going to try and keep it down..but really I'm not losing very fast at all not eliminating entirely like before.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I watch both sodium and potassium in my diary as a proper balance between the two is what regulates water in our bodies. As others have said, eat more veggies and fruit, less processed foods. If you track sodium and potassium together, you will realize that a lot of the potassium comes from fruit and veggies.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    I've been tracking my sodium for the last few weeks. It started out as curiosity - because I didn't really know where I was with it. It was an eye-opener! The best thing this has done for me is point out where I can look to make adjustments to my recipes. If I see one that is really high, it's most likely because of something processed, and I'll look for ways to adapt the recipe. The benefit is that I've been making my food healthier by reducing the amount of processed things that go into it.

    The less processed food you consume, the lower your sodium is going to be - look at those foods first. The rest will probably be in a normal sodium range, and not as alarming.
  • Miss_Chievous_wechange
    Miss_Chievous_wechange Posts: 1,230 Member
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    Oh, that kind of salty. Nevermind!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    I do track sodium i had to since im terrible for bloating and holding fluid. I dont eat canned food and try not to eat very much processed stuff, i tend to eat a lot of salad, cold meats, fish, yoghurt and fruit. I'm pretty OCD when it comes to food and tend to stick to a lot of the same stuff but dont usually go over MFP salt levels it just seems like such a lot!! And in yoghurt???:frown:

    1) You manually set your sodium intake to be 1000mg less than the default
    2) Looked at your diary. Yogurt is barely making a dent compared to deli meats (notoriously bad sodium)
    3) Most days you seem to be WAY under your sodium intake. are you sure you really have a problem with sodium and aren't just driving yourself crazy for no reason?
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    Just don't do what I did.. I went to Montreal (Smoked meat capital of Canada) My one day of smoked meat sandwiches was over 6000mg of sodium! but SOOOOO yummy! I'm drinking water like a fiend now to try and flush it out. Normally I have my sodium set to about 1250gm and most of the time I manage to stay under ;)

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