My sodium is out of control!

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maccabeth
maccabeth Posts: 111 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am vegetarian and haven't had too much trouble staying under my calorie goal (often under it on days I exercise). Fiber is through the roof and fat, protein and carbs are in control. However, it seems I am blowing right though my sodium limit most days. I do think now that this is the culprit of my non-weight loss the past 5 months (despite working out regularly and watching what I ate). But, I'm not really sure what to do. I rarely add salt to food. This is just the salt in the food. I eat fake meat products many times/week and these seem to be fairly high in salt. But, the one serving of spaghetti sauce (Newman's Marinara) had like 500+mg of sodium! It really adds up quickly.


Should I be super worried? Any tips on how to lower sodium intake from your experiences?

Thanks! :)

Replies

  • LoveMy4Kids
    LoveMy4Kids Posts: 231
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    When I first started my sodium level was always way up there too so I had to cut out a lot of things I was eating on a regular basis! I don't even own a salt shaker in my house so I don't add salt at the table to any foods, but I was amazed at what foods had HUGE amounts of sodium in them. For instance I love canned spinach, well HELLO, omg it is FULL of sodium, so I started to buy fresh now instead! I bet if you could get your sodium down you would lose weight for sure!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Well, I don't know about 'super worried' but I'd be concerned as getting too much sodium each day can cause a number of health issues. The least of all is 'non weightloss', I'll let you Google the rest. :drinker:

    Not sure what amount of water you're drinking that will help to flush some out but keeping it down to 2300 or so is really what they now recommend. I think the food diary here is set at 2500 and with processed foods (fake meat products included since they add salt for flavor and to stay fresh) that can add up very very quickly.

    Eating out is crazy on the sodium as well. Unsure if Newman's own brand has salt-free products? Or perhaps making your own Marinara sauce, dressings etc. might help quite a bit.

    I would suggest you keep it in check and not go over if you can. Since joining here you're looking to get healthier and that's something you don't want to mess with high blood pressure etc. from high sodium levels.

    hth,
    Becca
  • DwightJenkins
    DwightJenkins Posts: 58 Member
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    If you get no salt added canned tomatoes and then add your own seasonings, it tastes good and is a lot lower in sodium. It seems that anything prepared is loaded with salt, so the secret is to eat at home as much as possible, and use fresh foods rather than boxed or canned.
  • maccabeth
    maccabeth Posts: 111 Member
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    Yeah, it seems it's mainly the pre-made foods that are getting me. I cook all of my meals and eat out very rarely. I just prefer to cook! I eat mainly fresh stuff with the fake meats as my protein. I don't have them every day, though. Thing is, the whole wheat bread I had for breakfast (2 slices) had like 360mgs. Maybe if I aim for about 700mg limit per meal?
  • candace1122
    candace1122 Posts: 3
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    There are many foods that are low sodium out there( organic salsa compared to regular salsa) However the real way to conquer the sodium battle is as you stated make your own meals . You will find you enjoy your food all the more. It gets easier every time you go to the store you find something new here and there and before you know it you've pieced together a complete lower sodium way to nutrition.
  • whiteleg
    whiteleg Posts: 3
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    Just avoid pre-packaged food if you can. Mine used to be very high until I switched to making most of my meals myself.

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