Curious about your Sodium intake

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  • charovnitza
    charovnitza Posts: 689
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    I never track it. I love salt, use it all the time, and my bp last Friday was 90 over 70.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    average around 3000mg it seems.

    Agreed re sodium vs potassium.

    Also, sodium is a required mineral and having too little is also not a good thing.
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    My goal is customized to 1,800 mg of Sodium and I try my hardest to never go over that
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    i track it but not to make sure i dont go over it - just to balance it out with potassium as much as possible. i usually get close to 3500mg/day, some days more, some less..today i had 5030.
    i dont worry about it much because my blood pressure is kind of on the low end (105/60 at my last prenatal appt, normally 110/70).
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
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    1800
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    nothn that bad about sodium unless u have heart problems or regulating blood pressure.. should be the least of your worries especially if you exercise regularly then you actually would need more sodium if you are an athlete.
  • nataliescalories
    nataliescalories Posts: 292 Member
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    Around 2500.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,871 Member
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    I gain water if I go over 1500 mgs. I am struggling with getting my sodium levels dialed in right now. My potassium is good, I just seem to be overly sensitive to sodium. This happens to be a reason that I am sticking around MFP. I would have never known or tracked or cared if it weren't for MFP. My blood pressure readings at stores and a new cuff have also been high. I made a doctor appointment today to get it professionaly checked. Old age isn't for the timid.
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    I don't track sodium.
  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
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    Thanks, everyone. I thought I was being a bit overly cautious, but I see we are all within a similar range.

    I 'm happy too see that you got support from everyone, I find that its easier too ask and receive then too sit and wonder.
    I track my sodium w/vigilance
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
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    Hmmm...sodium is very essential. It's why our tears and sweat taste salty....it's the mineral that is responsible for shuttling electrolytes into our bodies....eating 3000mg or 5000mg sodium is not exactly bad. The problem is that in modern society, and in modern diets, potassium does not counter-acting it.

    Without getting into raw science, the body works on something called a sodium-potassium pump. Eat a lot of salt, and you should also eat alot of bananas.

    In the end, I probably go from 2000-10000mg sodium a day. But I'm taking in average 5000mg potassium. Which literally neutralizes any negative effects that sodium may or may not have.
  • earlswimsuit
    earlswimsuit Posts: 63
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    985 :love:
  • significance
    significance Posts: 436 Member
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    On a normal day, when I eat only home-cooked food, my sodium is usually about half the recommended limit. I grew up with a father who had to limit his sodium intake, and I make my own (salt free) stock, which used to be the main source of salt in my diet.

    If I eat out, though, I usually end up going over the recommended salt intake. Restaurant and take-away food is so high in salt!
  • TrishLG
    TrishLG Posts: 173 Member
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    Since I eat mostly unprocessed vegetables and do not add salt, my levels should be very low.
    As far back as h.s. I saw my sister in law struggle to reduce sodium when pregnant, so I stopped using salt.
    Then when my children were born, the peditrician told me that you never need to by salt and that if you try to avoid salt, you will still get more than the body requires.
    So I do not use can food, except for tomatoes.
    I do not use prepared foods.
    I stick to mostly beans and vegetables.
    I buy nuts and seeds raw. Not much salt there.
    Some vegetables like celery are high in salt naturally.
  • samcat2000
    samcat2000 Posts: 106 Member
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    My MFP goal is at 2500. Had no idea the AHA recommends only 1500 - thanks for this info. Yikes. I seem to hover around 2500 but have gone over and under. I have no issues with blood pressure and when my body is craving something salty I eat it! I usually do not add salt to any foods I cook at home, except guacamole (can't resist) and roasted potatoes. I can get sort of crazy with my salt mill...big problem for me because I can't measure what I'm adding so I try to not use it. I also have a small addiction to dark chocolate filled with soft caramel and topped with sea salt (coarse). I fully admit I'm in denial about how much salt tops one of these pieces of chocolate. :noway:
  • Yeller_Sensation
    Yeller_Sensation Posts: 373 Member
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    Anything between 2500 and 3500 mg.

    My BP's always been at or below 110/60.

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