Sodium.

Good question - I would like to know what the deal is with sodium too. I think, although someone will have to elaborate, it has something to do with retaining water and, if relative to salt intake, can cause high blood pressure in the long term...

Everything I eat also has sodium in it... I know you can buy low-sodium foods in the US, but to be honest, here in the UK, there doesn't seem to be a big market for those kinds of products yet, so you don't really see them... thats not to say they don't exist but I guess you have to really look for it, and probably pay extra for it too.

So in short, at the moment, I do not really take that into account.

#1 Don't eat prepared (processed) food!!!! Very important for your health and sodium levels. Take the time on Sundays (or whatever your "usual" day off is) to do some cooking and portion out some items you use throughout the week.

#2 Read labels! If you can't pronounce some of the ingredients then DON'T eat it!

Takes a bit of planning and a few hours on the weekend but it is SO worth it to eat "clean". If you don't make it you just don't know what is in it!

i have cut back my sodium by eating amish chicken as it is fresh and not injected with the sodium broth like tyson, i believe it has a like 63mg sodium but compared to tyson sodium of 230 for 3-4 0z thats better, i have managed to stay under my sodium most times, its the sugar i always go over, i try to stick to fruits but even with that i go over. watch your tuna even know good for you it has a lot as well as cottage cheese and regular cheeses. swiss is probably the lowest in sodium i use kraft. beware of chik-fil-a grilled chicken i eat but it is loaded with salt, same with subway and other places they have to keep the chicken moist so the salt keeps it moist and flavorful, kentucky fried chicken is high in salt too even the grilled. eat fresh veggies ones from a can are loaded with salt too

Yay! I'm glad to see a post about this. Just like the original poster, I couldn't BELIEVE the amount of sodium I was getting in my regular diet ~ even when I started trying to eat "healthier" foods, I was dumbfounded by the hidden sodium in most food.

Like lutzsher, I have eliminated quite a bit of the prepared foods I had been eating; but if you don't see yourself cooking on the weekends (yet!) to prepare for your week, here's a tip I was given: Find a flatbread or pita that you like (these tend to be better/healthier than even the "healthiest" tortillas), buy a bag of spinach or mixed greens (yes, you can start with the things that will make your hectic life easier), and make a veggie wrap to go ~ add some cucumbers or peppers, shredded carrots. Whatever is easy for you. In trying to eat less processed meats (which are loaded with sodium), I have found the joy of making bean spreads. My first simple one? Mix equal portions of your favorite low-sodium salsa (maybe a relative's homemade salsa?) with reduced sodium black beans in a food chopper/processor or just mix them by hand if you don't have a processor. I've made some wonderful spreads with reduced sodium kidney beans, black beans, and chick peas. I spread them on a flatbread, add in some green leafys, and I have a yummy, healthy, EASY lunch.

Another thing we've done at our house is try to find lower-sodium options in the processed foods we still buy. The cheese we'd eaten for YEARS was unbelievably packed with added salt, as was our favorite bread. I was so SAD! Still, we went on the search for lower sodium options. It was a worthy venture, as we found many of our favorite brands offer "heart healthy" varieties ~ this typically means they've simply lowered the sodium. For example, I'm not quite to the place that I'm making my own pasta sauce (I'm still a bit intimidated in the kitchen), so we switched to Prego's heart healthy sauce, which has a fraction of the sodium our previous sauce did.

Even when we aren't ready to throw out all the old as we transition to the new, there are things we can do to get on a better path. For me, it's been a gradual shift ~ because of the time I've had to explore, I'm gaining confidence in the kitchen and am now willing to attempt things I never did before (like making my own tahini & hummus!).

Keep your eyes open & keep up the good fight! :happy:

A healthy sodium intake is 1,500 mg daily for people aged 9 to 50. I plan my meals ahead of time and enter it at MFP. That way I know ahead of time if I'm off track in any category and change it BEFORE I eat it. Hope that helps.