Sodium

nicleed
nicleed Posts: 247 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all, I have my sodium set to 2300 mg (per Mayo website) and I must admit I struggle to stay under that. I don't think I eat too much processed food - although the last week or so doesn't look great. Lazy holidays has us eat a lot of bought salads etc!

But I do enjoy salty food such as feta and parmesan cheese, olives, capers, leg ham, smoke salmon etc etc. Adn it is obviously in breads etc.

My sodium is rarely over 3000 and I drink plenty of water - which I don't track accurately, just click the arrows till I get to 8 or 9 glasses. I probably drink a couple of litres each day (sometimes with a dash of lime juice)

So my question is - how bad is sodium really for an otherwise healthy 44 year old woman with no heart problems or high blood pressure. In fact my BP tends to be on the lower side. (NB: I started tracking sodium as my mum was diagnosed with chronic heart failure about 6 months ago and I don't want to be her in 30 years.....). Is 3000 mg still too much? (although I understand the average sodium consumption in the west is around 4500 - ugh!

Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    I have no idea about your question but if you like salty stuff. David brand pumpkin seeds...They only have 10mg of sodium per serving and are surprisingly super salty. So much so the middle of your tongue gets sore from sucking all the salt off and eating too many. . I loooove them and they are high in protein.
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    WAAAH - never seen those in Australia. Otherwise I would be heading to the shops right now!
  • Valtishia
    Valtishia Posts: 811 Member
    Its a balance thing. I have family members that can eat easily over 3000 mg of sodium whereas I can't eat over 1400 without it affecting me. That may be a question for your doctor because sodium helps with low BP as well. Thats why it is generally associated with high BP for people who may not tolerate it as well. You might be okay where you are if your BP is generally low. Eating too low might actually cause your BP to plummet. I would ask your doctor before deciding on what to do.
  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
    I too struggle to stay under 2000 mg a day. I've read on here that if you don't have BP issues, it's not a big deal with the sodium. Sounds like you're drinking lots of water and don't have health issues, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, just don't go too high. It can also make you feel bloated and pretty fat... does me anyway. I gave up ham (most days) and other high-sodium food when I started tracking macros on here.
  • BamsieEkhaya
    BamsieEkhaya Posts: 657 Member
    I struggle to MEET 2,500 can I have a look at your food diary please ?

    ps just realised something !
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    Thanks for input people - I might check with GP next time I see her.

    Food diary is open...

    Christmas ham didn't help the sodium!

    Salt/greasy food has always been my downfall. Give me a bucket of hot chips and a cake and ask me to pick one, I will ALWAYS go the chip!
  • AllanMarcus
    AllanMarcus Posts: 1
    The USDA recommends no more that 2300 per day for an adult, and no more than 1500 per day for at risk groups. Obviously each person is different.

    By the way, how do you change something like your sodium goal in myfitness? I cannot seem to figure that out. I need to change one from 2500 to 1500.
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    See the 2300 is where I struggle - I'm under that maybe 3 days in seven...

    (You can change goals by clicking settings, then goals, then change goals, the "custom")
  • alisonsurf
    alisonsurf Posts: 92 Member
    I recently read an article (NYTimes I think) that said there is very little science to back up the USRDA and that it is the type of salt you eat that matters. There are trace minerals in many sea salts that are beneficial to your health that are not present in processed salts. It also mentioned that there isn't a 'salt' lobby to complain or advocate for using healthier, less processed salt use.

    I, too, crave salt, and I use a lot of sea salt in my cooking - especially a little on vegetables. Hawaiian red salt makes meat taste amazing.
  • tobnrn
    tobnrn Posts: 477 Member
    3k mg of Na+ in a healthy adult is fine medically. If someone has hypertension, heart disease or kidney issues it will be lower depending on the condition.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Hi all, I have my sodium set to 2300 mg (per Mayo website) and I must admit I struggle to stay under that. I don't think I eat too much processed food - although the last week or so doesn't look great. Lazy holidays has us eat a lot of bought salads etc!

    But I do enjoy salty food such as feta and parmesan cheese, olives, capers, leg ham, smoke salmon etc etc. Adn it is obviously in breads etc.

    My sodium is rarely over 3000 and I drink plenty of water - which I don't track accurately, just click the arrows till I get to 8 or 9 glasses. I probably drink a couple of litres each day (sometimes with a dash of lime juice)

    So my question is - how bad is sodium really for an otherwise healthy 44 year old woman with no heart problems or high blood pressure. In fact my BP tends to be on the lower side. (NB: I started tracking sodium as my mum was diagnosed with chronic heart failure about 6 months ago and I don't want to be her in 30 years.....). Is 3000 mg still too much? (although I understand the average sodium consumption in the west is around 4500 - ugh!

    Thanks in advance.

    Arguably quite a few of your chosen foods are processed. If you cut back on salt for a while your tastebuds seem to become more sensitive, you notice more subtle flavours and like overly salty foods less. Or pick your battles, if you adore salty proteins maybe stop eating salted carbs each day and don't add any salt to your cooking. There are plenty of alternatives to bread and breakfast cereals, eat more steamed rice, beans, lentils, sweet potatoes and so on, plenty of ways to add flavour to your cooking without salt. And ensure you are getting plenty of other minerals, especially potassium and magnesium, for balance. Salt cravings can sometimes indicate a deficiency.
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    Hi all, I have my sodium set to 2300 mg (per Mayo website) and I must admit I struggle to stay under that. I don't think I eat too much processed food - although the last week or so doesn't look great. Lazy holidays has us eat a lot of bought salads etc!

    But I do enjoy salty food such as feta and parmesan cheese, olives, capers, leg ham, smoke salmon etc etc. Adn it is obviously in breads etc.

    My sodium is rarely over 3000 and I drink plenty of water - which I don't track accurately, just click the arrows till I get to 8 or 9 glasses. I probably drink a couple of litres each day (sometimes with a dash of lime juice)

    So my question is - how bad is sodium really for an otherwise healthy 44 year old woman with no heart problems or high blood pressure. In fact my BP tends to be on the lower side. (NB: I started tracking sodium as my mum was diagnosed with chronic heart failure about 6 months ago and I don't want to be her in 30 years.....). Is 3000 mg still too much? (although I understand the average sodium consumption in the west is around 4500 - ugh!

    Thanks in advance.

    Arguably quite a few of your chosen foods are processed. If you cut back on salt for a while your tastebuds seem to become more sensitive, you notice more subtle flavours and like overly salty foods less. Or pick your battles, if you adore salty proteins maybe stop eating salted carbs each day and don't add any salt to your cooking. There are plenty of alternatives to bread and breakfast cereals, eat more steamed rice, beans, lentils, sweet potatoes and so on, plenty of ways to add flavour to your cooking without salt. And ensure you are getting plenty of other minerals, especially potassium and magnesium, for balance. Salt cravings can sometimes indicate a deficiency.

    Thanks - I do realise there is a number of processed foods on my diary :) But I also eat a tonne of veg and fruit (love them all) and most of our main meals - dinner - are home cooked (logged in the recipes), and we don't add salt. It's the cheese and bread that is likely the day to day culprit :) My husband is vegetarian and I don't eat red meat, so we tend to have a lot of legumes - and feta :) I have cut down HEAPS since I started MFP, but not enough it seems!
  • takumaku
    takumaku Posts: 352 Member
    How much sodium is a very subjective question which I feel is best handled by a chat with your GP. Depending on your lifestyle and how sensitive you are to sodium can dictate how much sodium you can consume. For example, I am a runner, normal bmi, and I consume a high amount of potassium. Most days I consume under 2k sodium. However, my GP has informed me because of my lifestyle, I can safely consume 4k without issue.

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