OMG! My Sodium is HIGH!

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CABERGLUND
CABERGLUND Posts: 24
in Food and Nutrition
:noway: WOW! I just had an eggbeaters omelet with a few add ins for breakfast and a salad with a sandwich for lunch and my cals are way low but I have BLOWN my sodium for the day by over 400gs! I have taken off sugar from my food diary and added sodium and I am shocked at how much sodium I am taking in. I did this because I go over sugar without even thinking about it. I have not had sweets or sugar for over a month but one glass of OJ and I am near the limit. I am happy as long as I am keeping it to "natural" sugar. Then the other day I was working out and since I have been losing weight :happy: I usually have to take my wedding ring off because I fling it all over the place. I couldn't even get it off which meant major swelling. I figured since I am a girl, this happens but I had also read that too much sodium can do that too, so I checked my food on MFP and by golly , it was high. Does anyone else have this problem and what do you do? Nothing I eat is way high (except for the pretzels) but add it all together and boom, I am a blimp.

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  • gennyvieve
    gennyvieve Posts: 83
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    i am with you---my sodium is thru the roof if i'm not vigilant about it! right now i'm trying a little experiment and cutting out ALL fastfood/takeout/resteraunts to see if that helps---it seems that my sodium doubles on days when i eat out, even when i'm eating "healthy" stuff. Also, I found that the Flat Belly diet recipes seem to help my body release all the excess fluids---I esp love the sassy water, I swear I can feel the swelling go down after just a glass! I'll put the recipe on the bottom. :)

    Sassy Water

    2 liters water (about 8 ½ cups)
    1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
    1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
    1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
    12 small spearmint leaves.

    Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight.

    Drink the entire pitcher by the end of each day.
  • kingnatalie
    kingnatalie Posts: 163
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    Drink even more water than normal to try to flush some of that sodium out of your body.
  • dgirish33
    dgirish33 Posts: 9
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    Are you eating 400 grams or 400 miligrams? Most foods are measured in miligrams. According to the guidelines i just received from my cardiologist, you should be aiming for a daily intake of no more than 2g (or 2,000mg) for a salt restricted diet or 4g (or 4000 mg) for a less restricted diet. I find it hard to believe you are eating 400grams based on what you have said you eaten today. I have been watching what I am eating (more natural, less processed foods/fast foods) and I am barely making it to 2,000mg/day. Hang in there and keep drinking your water.
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Actually MPF has the sodium set quite high. The average adult only needs to consume 1500mg's a day (plus some for workouts).
    Limit processed foods and you'll be amazed. I try my best to avoid processed and pre-packaged foods and my sodium level almost never hits 1500mg's.
  • ddss37
    ddss37 Posts: 36 Member
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    I am watching sodium as well - you also may want to look at your potassium (MFP does track it). Sodium and potassium are related.

    Potassium is necessary for water balance and is found inside of every cell in your body. The potassium inside the cells balances the sodium outside the cells to maintain pressure and water balance in the body. Otherwise, if either the potassium or the sodium is high or either low or one high and the other one low, a pooling of water or dehydration can occur.

    What I have found out is that if my sodium is high (processed foods, going out to eat, etc.) - my potassium is low (fresh foods, raw foods).

    You have to have the opposite to not retain water, to lose weight, to keep your heart healthy, etc. Symptoms of low potassium levels are tiredness, muscle weakness and heart muscle irritability.

    You may want to google and research it yourself. Here is a start:

    http://www.weightloss.com.au/articles/healthy-diets/potassium-and-weight-loss.htm

    Donna

    p.s. I also agree that MFP has the sodium too high! I try to stay below 2000mg.
  • cassandra1220
    cassandra1220 Posts: 284 Member
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    The cleaner you eat the less sodium you will be taking in. Processed foods have high amounts of sodium (even egg beaters). Try plain egg whites for breakfast, oil and vinegar on your salad (It's the "good fat" but use sparingly), and crunch on air popped pop-corn or raw veggies and homeade hummus for snacks. At first you will think they are bland but you will soon get used to it and it will show (no bloating!). WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER...did I say WATER?!?

    Some things you just can't avoid, but if you try to do well 90% of the time, you will see a huge difference. Whatever you decide, I wish you lots of luck.
  • lt_mrcook
    lt_mrcook Posts: 389 Member
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    If you're eating anything prepackaged, be aware that the sodium is always sky high. It helps preserve it, but it also makes you crave it more to (the extra sodium makes you thirsty, which most people confuse with hunger, your body wants more of the last yummy thing it ate....) The best way to control sodium intake is to ditch the "junk" that comes in boxes and go for the more natural items and make it yourself. Be aware too that you will use a bunch of that sodium as you work out too, so just remember to drink plenty of water.

    You are corerct that natural sugars aren't something to be worried about. The problem is that orange juice doesn't grow on trees. Natural sugars are normally bound with natural fiber, which makes them harder to digest and slows their absorption. Remove the fiber, and you lose that benefit. Plus have you ever juiced a fruit? It takes a lot of fruit to make 8oz of juice.

    "Eat Food. Not a lot. Mostly plants." - Michael Pollan from "Food Rules" Excellent little book with simple rules.
  • CABERGLUND
    CABERGLUND Posts: 24
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    Thank you so much for all of your input. I have been going out of my way to not eat out and to eat non-boxed foods. I am sloooowly weaning myself off whole eggs with eggbeaters. So far so good, but still... I am drinking my water and will no doubt cut out the pretzels from now on. I wish mfp let you keep track of all of your nutrition levels, not just five things. Thanks again everyone!
  • CABERGLUND
    CABERGLUND Posts: 24
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    Yikes ! I just looked and my sodium is set at 2,500 mgs. Guess even that is too high. Gonna have to change that too.
  • BlueLikeJazz
    BlueLikeJazz Posts: 219 Member
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    Yikes ! I just looked and my sodium is set at 2,500 mgs. Guess even that is too high. Gonna have to change that too.

    Are you on a Dr.-recommended sodium-restricted diet? Otherwise, 2400 is still within the range of what's considered a healthy range according to most large health organizations.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284

    I posted pretty much the exact same topic last week when I switched it so MFP would show me my sodium and fiber intakes. I did a little research then and 1,500-2,400 seems to be the widely-accepted healthy range for most people, though people with high blood pressure to stick at or below the low end. Okay so that's the healthy range but the NORMAL range: 4,000 to 5,000. Most people do not monitor their sodium and if they did, would NOT be sitting in the healthy range.

    I've been eating very healthy since the beginning of January but I do choose to eat a lot of low-calorie high-sodium culprits: Progresso soups, low-fat cottage cheese, extra lean ham and turkey, pickles, low-fat salad dressings, etc. I have normal blood pressure (always right around 120/80) so the only reason I even thought to pay attention to my sodium was because of wanting to minimize TOM weight gain.

    Well since during the first day I started looking at my sodium, I had literally consumed every single one of the foods I mentioned earlier, my intake was outrageous, somewhere between 5,000-6,000, with no extra salt added to my food. Now I try to be a bit more conscious of it but from what I've seen, if you don't have high blood pressure or another reason your Dr. said to lower your sodium, it shouldn't be a huge fret. It will affect your water retention, obviously, but keeping it at the high end of the healthy range (2400) is no biggie.
  • BlueLikeJazz
    BlueLikeJazz Posts: 219 Member
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    Side note:

    I also wish that you could see all your nutrients on MFP because I'd like to watch a few more than the 5 things we're allowed, does anyone know if there's a way to?
  • haleysman
    haleysman Posts: 48
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    could someone please explain to me why when i work out and get extra calories, i also get extra fat, carbs, and protein, but not extra anything else? just curious because if i work out and really push it and sweat a bunch aren't i losing sodium from my body that would then need to be replenished just like replenishing the burned exercising calories? just think it funny that at 1500 or 2100 calories i have to keep the same sodium level, is it just me or does this seem out of whack?
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Trying to lower my sodium here too...spent my teen years living on ramen, kraft mac and cheese and chef boyardee, looking at that food now I'm surprised I'm not a pillar of salt now! There's so much sodium in everything, thanks for some of the tips about what to keep an eye on yall, I never even thought about the egg substitutes in my fridge!
  • jbuffan218
    jbuffan218 Posts: 275 Member
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    I retain fluid horribly, I rather resemble a camel at times.
    So, the first thing I did when I realized that you can customize what nutrients etc that you can track was add sodium.
    I think it is harder to keep my sodium below 2500 than to control my calories. I stopped adding salt to my food quite awhile ago.
    In fact beginning on wednesdays I REALLY REALLY pay attention to my sodium, otherwise my weight does not move.
    The thing I have noticed by doing this is that the ONLY thing I have been craving is SALT.
    I let myself have a "free" meal on saturday, whatever I want with no guilt. I always want something salty, sometimes something as simple as a dill pickle with a real burger.
    Ridiculous when you see how much sodium is in foods you dont even think of as salty. Cottage cheese is high!!
    Good Luck, you can do it but it takes vigilance.

    P.S. I just checked daily sodium requirements since someone else here posted that MFP has sodium set too high....I had no idea so I checked and yes I guess they do. Am Heart Association reccomends that You"aim to eat less than 1500 mg of sodium per day" wow, and I have a hard time with 2500. Bummer.
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    My sodium is a killer some days too.

    It's days that involve lunch meat, or packaged food. Most other days I stay within my limits. I have it on my display as well, because I'm a seasoning person. From Louisiana I tend to add Tony's Chachere's to everything. When we splurge at my house and eat boxed dinners we always go over. Drink a TON of water to flush your system. I've gotten a little puffy, but nothing like what I was before I started dieting.
  • ractayjon
    ractayjon Posts: 365
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    I find that when my sodium is near the 2500 per day "allowance" (or over) I will have :Weight: gain the next day - I know its water but the scale goes up
    Ive been having a harder time keeping sodium in line then calories...but the more natural foods I eat the lower it is. Forget about it if you have any meal out or eat a processed "fast" food or soup....

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