Sodium Help

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mplummer925
mplummer925 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone,

I am new to the community and am looking for some help. I have been keeping track for close to two weeks now, and I have been surprised at what I use to eat. I have found though that I am averaging nearly 2000mg of sodium. I am appalled at this, yet I am not sure how to lower this amount. Any suggestions? I should not use artificial since I have High Blood Pressure and am on medication for it. I do not add a lot to my foods, it just seems to be a lot in the foods I eat. I like pork and chicken just for examples. I welcome any constructive criticism and suggestions on lowering, or is 2000mg an acceptable amount. Please help.

Replies

  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
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    ask Mr. Google - 2000mg is well within the apparently safe range. I tend to get less than that generally though.

    With these kind of things there is so much information on the interweb so just search it up there. Too much for me to write here!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    That isn't that much sodium. In fact, that is on par with where you should be. But if you want us to look, you need to open your diary so we can suggest improvements.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Edit: missed the fact that you're on blood pressure meds.

    How much sodium does your doctor recommend?
  • gpinzone
    gpinzone Posts: 25 Member
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    Since you have high blood pressure, you may indeed be salt sensitive. Having said that, reducing your salt may not be that big of a deal. You'd be better off losing weight (if you need to) and reducing fructose consumption since that raises uric acid levels, which can aggravate your hypertension. If you want a easy way to reduce salt, try Morton Lite Salt. It has extra potassium, too.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Has your Doctor given you an amount you stay under/around?

    To lower your sodium... don't consume processed foods often. Try to reduce how much deli/lunch meats you eat, sauces you use, dressings, frozen meals, canned foods, etc. All those things are higher in sodium... anything processed is really. You can keep your sodium low by preparing all your meals yourself using fresh ingredients.
  • stephenson2012
    stephenson2012 Posts: 94 Member
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    My family has a history of blood pressure problems. I have foumd out I am sodium sensitive. I manage to keep my sodium under 1500 mg. Add some vegetables, have a salad for lunch or dinner, some fruit. These will fill you up and reduce your number some. Vegetables are not sodium free but they are lower. Watch processed foods. I use frozen veggies or fresh versus canned.

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