How do you keep your sodium low?

zephtalah
zephtalah Posts: 327 Member
edited January 6 in Health and Weight Loss
How do you keep your sodium low? Do you even bother? With the amount of food I need to eat, I am not sure how to keep sodium from always going over? Does the amount 2,500 ever change or is it the go to number regardless of calories?

Replies

  • JMJ1983
    JMJ1983 Posts: 170 Member
    Cut out all calorie based beverages, especially soda. Limit and even better omit processed foods, don't add salt at the table. Fill your food journal with fruits and vegetables, Buy No Salt Added Veggies if you buy veggies in a can. Look for any packaged snacks that say hint of salt in them.
  • JMJ1983
    JMJ1983 Posts: 170 Member
    And limit how often you eat fast food or restaurant food, everything on a restaurant menu both fast food and sit down is sodium laden.
  • zephtalah
    zephtalah Posts: 327 Member
    Thanks for the tips. I do a lot of those, but I am still going way over. I love fruits and veggies, but when I eat to many of those I am too full to eat enough calorie rich foods to hit my target. Like today it was great until dinner, some ham and mashed potatoes sent it sky high. Is there a different number for sodium depending on calorie intake or is it always 2500?
  • lawtechie
    lawtechie Posts: 708 Member
    Ham is inherently high in sodium. Try switching to low sodium turkey ham if you have to have ham. Chicken, Fish would be other choices for meat. Mashed potatoes shouldn't be high in salt, unless you are adding it. Daily sodium intake is about the equivalent (I think?) of ONE TEASPOON. Not too much, huh?

    Processed foods like lunch meats are going to be high in sodium. Soups, stocks also high. Canned veggies can be high -- switch to fresh or frozen and read the label.

    high sodium can lead to high blood pressure and over the long run, heart problems. Once in awhile high won't hurt and can be yummy (like the ham) but shouldn't be an every day food.
  • petetep
    petetep Posts: 2
    sodium intake is a guideline of 6grams a day max by safe food regulations however i wouldnt have anywhere near that except when i have the odd chinese. keep sodium low by switching salt for black cracked pepper as a flavour additive to meals, not only keeping sodium low you should keep hydrated throughout the day (sugary drinks are a diuretic) and they actually dehydrate.
    The main advice i can give to you is steer clear of any foods with msg (monosodium glutamate), fructose corn syrup and refined salts or drinks with aspartame added (would surprise you which ones are the worst for this) anyway i hope this helps you any advice you need send me a message :)
  • SarahAFerguson
    SarahAFerguson Posts: 250 Member
    Limit processed food and eating at restaurants. Don't add salt to cooking except for baking and then cut it in half. When using a salt shaker shake the salt into your hand first to ensure you don't put too much on your food.
  • Celuwen
    Celuwen Posts: 80 Member
    If you're going over your sodium everyday then perhaps look into why. Processed food is especially horrible for sodium. If your blood pressure is okay, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but cutting back a bit at a time might be worthwhile in the long run.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Cheese and processed meats, like deli meat, are loaded with salt.


    Salt / Sodium in and of itself is not bad. It is an electrolyte that is balanced by Potassium (found in fresh fruit and vegetables, and dairy and meat and beans.) So just make sure you get alot of fresh fruit and vegetables, and watch the processed stuff. Unless you have a medical reason, or are older, it isn't really a big concern as long as you stay under 2500.
  • jlohcook
    jlohcook Posts: 228 Member
    Are you using the food list in MFP? I do notice that many similar foods have did decent level of sodium in them depending on how they are prepared. If you prepare your own food, you will be able to control the sodium intake, as for recording to ensure accuracy, I use the raw food form, create my own food recipe, to see how the ingredients add up in terms of sodium level.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    How do you keep your sodium low? Do you even bother? With the amount of food I need to eat, I am not sure how to keep sodium from always going over? Does the amount 2,500 ever change or is it the go to number regardless of calories?

    For one thing, you will want to avoid fast food (LOADED with salt) and processed food (particularly canned soups and lunch meats) which are also loaded with salt (and MSG which is another source of sodium). A nutritionist once told me that I should never eat anything that has more than 5% of the daily allowance for sodium in one serving if I wanted to keep my sodium to a healthy level.
  • TinaBaily
    TinaBaily Posts: 792 Member
    Other sodium secret culprist are condiments, like ketchup, and salad dressings. My mother has to eat a very low sodium diet and has switched over to making just about all of her food from scratch.
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
    I agree. Quickest way to lower sodium is to limit your intake of almost any food that is convenient. Fast, canned, and frozen foods are generally the highest, but certain boxed foods are as well. Eat as fresh as you can whenever you get the chance. If you limit only one of your meals to being convenient, you should have no problem staying under. And caloric intake does not matter. 2,500 is already a generous goal. Closer to 2,000 is more widely recommended.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    I make all my own meals from whole foods, and never eat out, or eat processed foods. that seems to work great
  • zephtalah
    zephtalah Posts: 327 Member
    I do make the vast majority of our foods. I don't add salt to our meals. We don't eat out or do fast food the majority of the time. ( It does happen now and again, but it is limited.) Ham is not a regular for us, but I was surprised how high it was in sodium. I don't like processed meats/ lunch meats. It seems like everythings is high in sodium. I do use fresh or frozen veggies. If I use canned (infrequently), I rinse them first. Maybe I need to just enter my own recipes instead of picking the meal closest to it on the food logs.
  • zephtalah
    zephtalah Posts: 327 Member
    sodium intake is a guideline of 6grams a day max by safe food regulations

    If this is the case, I am no where near that even on bad days.
  • zephtalah
    zephtalah Posts: 327 Member
    Other sodium secret culprist are condiments, like ketchup, and salad dressings. My mother has to eat a very low sodium diet and has switched over to making just about all of her food from scratch.

    That probably is part of the problem. I will have to look and see what I can do about this. Thanks.
  • formersec
    formersec Posts: 233 Member
    2500 mg. is the standard upper limit, but for many people, that amount is too high. People with high blood pressure or a family history of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and/or kidney disease may need to lower their sodium. Your doctor should advise you as to what your daily limit should be. Don't rely on the limit set by MFP or what anyone else tells you.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    I eat very few processed foods and my sodium usually isn't even close to 2500. Even just a couple servings of processed food can put the sodium over though. I'd rather eat minimally processed foods and add sea salt. As long as my sodium is from mostly healthy food, i don't worry about it.
  • heypurdy
    heypurdy Posts: 196 Member
    I never go over my sodium. I cook all my meals. I think that's the key.
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    The easiest thing to do is educate yourself and be able to identify high-sodium foods. All cheeses have a lot of sodium, as well as sodas (diet or not). Stay away from processed foods of just about any kind, and do your own cooking so you know exactly what's going into you're food.
  • bridgelene
    bridgelene Posts: 358 Member
    Per the (for the US, at least) Healthy Americans Act 2010 by the US Department of Health and Human Services --

    "Healthy adults need to limit their sodium intake to no more 2,300 mg a day (about 1 teaspoon of salt).
    Some people, including children and those with high blood pressure, need to keep their sodium intake even lower (no more than 1,500 mg a day). Ask your doctor how much sodium is okay for you.
    You don’t have to make all of these changes at once. Slowly reduce the amount of sodium in your foods, and your taste for salt will change with time." (http://healthfinder.gov/prevention/ViewTool.aspx?toolId=57)

    The link also gives some guidance on lowering sodium intake. Another thing to consider is the US Department of Health & Human Service's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute gives guidances to their DASH Diet (DASH = Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/index.htm.

    As always, speak with your doctor about changes you make -- they can give you some guidance as well. But presuming this isn't contraindicated for you and your physical condition, this can provide some guidelines :)
  • Hoppymom
    Hoppymom Posts: 1,158 Member
    Per the (for the US, at least) Healthy Americans Act 2010 by the US Department of Health and Human Services --

    "Healthy adults need to limit their sodium intake to no more 2,300 mg a day (about 1 teaspoon of salt).
    Some people, including children and those with high blood pressure, need to keep their sodium intake even lower (no more than 1,500 mg a day). Ask your doctor how much sodium is okay for you.
    You don’t have to make all of these changes at once. Slowly reduce the amount of sodium in your foods, and your taste for salt will change with time." (http://healthfinder.gov/prevention/ViewTool.aspx?toolId=57)

    The link also gives some guidance on lowering sodium intake. Another thing to consider is the US Department of Health & Human Service's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute gives guidances to their DASH Diet (DASH = Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/index.htm.

    As always, speak with your doctor about changes you make -- they can give you some guidance as well. But presuming this isn't contraindicated for you and your physical condition, this can provide some guidelines :)
    This is just what I was going to say. I can do this if I eat clean and cook most of my own food. I always get in trouble if I am eating out.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    sodium intake is a guideline of 6grams a day max by safe food regulations

    If this is the case, I am no where near that even on bad days.

    It's not 6g of sodium the earlier poster was incorrect, it is maximum 6g of salt (sodium chloride) which works out to about 2.5g (2500mg) of sodium.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Avoiding sweets is also a way to avoid salt. Did you know that an old chef's trick for making oversalted food taste less salty is to add a bit of sugar? That is how fast food can contain so much salt---they add a bit of sugar (usually the worst kind, high fructose corn syrup or HFCS solids).

    Remember a while back, when some guy wanted to see what would happen to a "Happy Meal" if he left it in the trunk of his car for a year? When he looked at it after a year, it looked pretty much the way it had gone into the trunk--a little bit dehydrated--but otherwise quite recognizable. When a food scientist looked at it, he determined that the reason why it didn't rot or even mold is because there was so much salt in it! :noway:
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    sodium intake is a guideline of 6grams a day max by safe food regulations

    If this is the case, I am no where near that even on bad days.

    It's not 6g of sodium the earlier poster was incorrect, it is maximum 6g of salt (sodium chloride) which works out to about 2.5g (2500mg) of sodium.
    Yep, and you have to watch stuff like MSG (monosodium glutamate), baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), baking powder (mostly sodium bicarb.) etc.
    If you want low sodium, you have to cook fresh.
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