sodium is a @#$%

I have been watching my sodium intake too, some days it is discouraging! I try not to eat out much and to prep my own food as much as I can as well. I recently found that you can buy canned tomatoes with no salt added, fresh is still probably better but if you are short for time then you can keep some of those in the cupboard. I also found a no salt added canned soup for days when I am in a rush for lunch, it is by Health Valley.


Good luck!

i just noticed my sodium is insane as well.. okay well that might be why i'm retaining so much water.. although i'm drinking toooooooooons! i've gotta figure out how to watch every bite i put in my mouth now not only for carbs/fat/calories, but for freaking sodium too!!!! dang it!!

I watch sodium closely and have high blood pressure and take meds. Since watching here on MFP, my blood pressure has dropped to very healthy ranges. Before MFP, even on meds, it was still running high.

one thing I do notice is packaged and processed foods contain a lot of sodium. I have pretty much stopped eating sandwich meat -- even the heart healthy ones have 500, 600 per serving! That is crazy! Cheese are another higher sodium food - even the lower calorie ones. I love cheese, so that is really hard for me.

It's pretty bad actually how much sodium things really have. I just watch my numbers and then scan back up my menu and see where my sodium came from that day and can I avoid that next time.

On top of all that sodium, I also use salt to salt everything and I am not even counting that salt in my sodium intake!

One thing I've noticed since I've been on this site now for a week is my sodium levels are outrageous! I don't think I've had a day yet where my sodium hasn't went over the 2500 mg allowance. I know eating out - even if it is a grilled chicken sandwich at Chick-Fil-A - hasn't helped. So my goal this week is NO eating out.

But there are sooooo many things high in sodium, and I didn't really pay attention until MFP showed how many mg I was over each day. Thankfully, www.tasteofhome.com has a detailed recipe search in which I can search lower fat recipes with lower sodium. And if a recipe calls for canned tomatoes, I think I will start chopping fresh tomatoes for the weight that is called for in the recipe.

Any other suggestions on how to eat less sodium? If I can cut this back, I know I'll be able to get rid of some extra water weight I'm more than likely holding on to.

It's really an eyeopener isn't it! That's why I have sodium as one I was, more out of curiousity as mine is never that hight anymore since I started cutting out certain food. Cottage cheese is very very high but I eat it on occasion, deli meats or any processed sliced meats etc. are through the roof! Canned food, cheeses, things that was are very high as well. Nothing wrong with eating small amounts of them but they do add up! I can't imagine adding eating out to the mix, I'd be in trouble too.

I am not sure what effect sodium has on weight loss? Can someone explain to me? Why is it so bad?

It makes you retain a TON of water! The more water your body holds onto the more you weigh. That isn't the only reason you should be concerned though. It's probably one of the least concerning issues.

Article on sodium:

http://www.healthymenumailer.com/articles/why-is-too-much-salt-bad-for-you.html

You probably know that you shouldn't eat too much salt, but why is too much salt bad for you?
Did you know that the average American consumes between 4,000 and 5,000 mg of sodium (or salt) a day. That is close to double the recommended amount we should be consuming. So, how can we start eating less salt in our daily diet, without sacrificing flavor?

Before we get into the specifics of why it is a bad idea to eat that much salt, you may be wondering why we should worry about it in the first place. Consuming too much salt can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, edema and kidney stones. Your body also needs more potassium to be able to deal with the excess salt.

Let’s take a look how you can start reducing the amount of salt you consume in your food on a regular basis.

- Don’t use salt when you are cooking (or just use a tiny amount). Add just a pinch when the food is on the table.
- Use no-sodium seasonings as well as herbs and spices to add lots of flavor without the salt.
- Buy low-sodium chicken broth and use it to cook with instead of the regular broth that’s full of salt.
- Soy sauce has a lot of salt in it. Opt for a low-sodium version instead.
- Use fresh meats and produce when you cook. Fresh food has a lot more flavor and won’t need as much salt
- Don’t salt your pasta or rice water.
- Buy low or no-sodium versions of food
- Cut down on fast food and salty snacks. Grab some fresh fruit or veggies instead.
- Read the label. Pay attention to the amount of sodium that’s included on the nutritional facts label. You’ll be surprised how much sodium a can of condensed soup or even a slice of bread has.
- Rinse canned fish and vegetables to remove some of the salt.

By implementing just a few of these ideas, you can reduce your sodium intake by quite a bit. At the same time, make sure you drink at least eight glasses of water to help your body remove any excess salt that is in your system.

Using less salt may be a little tough on your taste buds for a while. We are so used to overly salty food, reducing salt makes foods less appealing in the beginning. But don’t worry, your taste buds will adjust and you will be able to enjoy all the true flavors of the foods you are eating.

When I saw your post, I thought I am probably way over as well...but I am actually pretty low? I had two small bags of Doritos cool ranch tortilla chips yesterday...but I guess that didn't do it. I don't eat a lot of prepared foods, and I think a lot will usually come from there. Low sodium rice cakes and all natural peanut butter have gotten to be what appears to be a good low sodium snack for me. Also unsalted nuts or unsalted trail mix I picked up at Whole Foods. Then lots of fruit and veggies.

Anyway, the one thing I wanted to mention about sodium is that the requirement does not change with your exercise...if you do long workouts, you sweat out a lot of salt and do need to replace it. MFP can't possibly account for that, so if you work out a lot, you may not really be eating too much salt.

I know that if I eat out that is most of my sodium intake for the day!

I try to cook a lot from fresh foods as well. I do eat 2% cheese, cottage cheese, tuna and canned black beans but those are about the only items that have a lot of sodium. Oh, and canned tomatoes... which I don't use as much in the summer.

It is easier for me right now with so much fresh produce available... I don't know what I'll do when it gets cooler yet but that is months away so I'll worry about it in a few months!

the only time my sodium gets outta whack is when i eat out. hence 2days out of whackiness.... but i'm normally BELOW my sodium intake. i definitely drink LOTS of water on those days. i know i'll retain water. hopefully 2nite i'll b able 2 cook my food 4 the rest of the wk & no more sodium overloads lol.

i hate sodium.... :grumble: :explode: :mad:

I watch sodium closely and have high blood pressure and take meds. Since watching here on MFP, my blood pressure has dropped to very healthy ranges. Before MFP, even on meds, it was still running high.

one thing I do notice is packaged and processed foods contain a lot of sodium. I have pretty much stopped eating sandwich meat -- even the heart healthy ones have 500, 600 per serving! That is crazy! Cheese are another higher sodium food - even the lower calorie ones. I love cheese, so that is really hard for me.

It's pretty bad actually how much sodium things really have. I just watch my numbers and then scan back up my menu and see where my sodium came from that day and can I avoid that next time.

On top of all that sodium, I also use salt to salt everything and I am not even counting that salt in my sodium intake!

Sara Lee has a lower sodium line of deli meats. The turkey has about 340 mg per 4 oz and the ham, I believe, is near 430. Its a great option when, like me, you love sandwiches!

I have been on diets for years and never really thought about how much salt I was having ,only seemed to be interested in cals and fat .
I love that on here it gives you a run down of tons of stuff going to see how I have done today

42lb is a huge amout to have lost ,well done

Oh my.... :frown: