Sodium

pholbert
pholbert Posts: 575 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Can you go to low on sodium?

Replies

  • healthybabs
    healthybabs Posts: 600 Member
    I think you can. As my doc explained it, the body does need some sodium. I take medication for HBP and a huge contributor besides obesity is sodium overload which severely taxes the heart. RDA for sodium is 3500 which MFP presets to. My doc has advised to stay around the 1500 mark and I do try to do that.
  • zzspezialkzz
    zzspezialkzz Posts: 3 Member
    I try to keep my sodium intake at or under 1500 as well.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Yes, but if you eat any sort of pre-prepared (store or restaurant) food it's unlikely that you ever will.

    About the only way would be to eat literally nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables and meat with no injected sodium solution. Then go do some serious cardio in the sun.
  • GADavies
    GADavies Posts: 62 Member
    Depends, do you like having working kidneys?

    A friend of mine is a nurse and tells me she's seen an increasing number of patients over recent years with issues brought on by not having enough sodium in their diet, as with most things (including phenyalanine, all you Aspartame haters) it's essential in moderation but too much is not necessarily good for you.
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
    I have gotten pretty good at keeping it under 1500 of course somedays are exceptions. The last couple of days 550 to 600 is that to low.
  • DPernet
    DPernet Posts: 481 Member
    Can you go to low on sodium?

    This can be lethal. Look up Heat Exhaustion :sick:
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I have gotten pretty good at keeping it under 1500 of course somedays are exceptions. The last couple of days 550 to 600 is that to low.

    Yeah that's actually really low. Do you have a heart condition of some sort that requires a very low sodium diet?
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    I've read that the minimum required amount is somewhere around 500 mg. daily. I looked this up because I was trying to limit to 1500mg/day and no one seemed to know this...I can't find the cite right now but it's pretty hard NOT to get 500 mg./day.
    I'm finding the following from Statscan:

    Recommended sodium intake

    The Institute of Medicine (IOM)1 recommends the following “adequate intakes,” or AIs, per day:

    1,000 milligrams (mg) for children aged 1 to 3
    1,200 mg for children aged 4 to 8
    1,500 mg for people aged 9 to 50
    1,300 mg for adults aged 51 to 70
    1,200 mg for seniors over 70 years of age.
    The IOM has also established a “tolerable upper intake level,” or UL (see Definitions and Limitations), which ranges from 1,500 mg to 2,200 mg of sodium per day for children and adolescents aged 1 to 13, up to 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 or older. Consumption exceeding these limits increases the risks of adverse health effects, especially those linked to hypertension.1
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
    I've read that the minimum required amount is somewhere around 500 mg. daily. I looked this up because I was trying to limit to 1500mg/day and no one seemed to know this...I can't find the cite right now but it's pretty hard NOT to get 500 mg./day.
    I'm finding the following from Statscan:

    Recommended sodium intake

    The Institute of Medicine (IOM)1 recommends the following “adequate intakes,” or AIs, per day:

    1,000 milligrams (mg) for children aged 1 to 3
    1,200 mg for children aged 4 to 8
    1,500 mg for people aged 9 to 50
    1,300 mg for adults aged 51 to 70
    1,200 mg for seniors over 70 years of age.
    The IOM has also established a “tolerable upper intake level,” or UL (see Definitions and Limitations), which ranges from 1,500 mg to 2,200 mg of sodium per day for children and adolescents aged 1 to 13, up to 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 or older. Consumption exceeding these limits increases the risks of adverse health effects, especially those linked to hypertension.1
    Thanks Fred for the info. I am 56.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Good luck. I'm only a few years behind you. :drinker:
  • healthybabs
    healthybabs Posts: 600 Member
    Great info Fred, I guess based on this I should be at 1300. I wish MFP would make the default 1500 as opposed to 3500 since I think so many people think that is acceptable just because that is there.
  • Fitburd
    Fitburd Posts: 92 Member
    Yes you can be too low, you need sodium to produce iodine which drives your thyroid. Its the body's only source. If you have a diet low in salt don't go running out to get table salt though it modified and not fantastic. Sea salt is best and most efficient.

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