Any ideas how to even out a high sodium diet?

dawn_h_d
dawn_h_d Posts: 184 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have issues with sodium and dehydration. The cardiologist has told me that I need to have a high intake of sodium, but not a specific amount. The doctor did tell me to drink Gatorade/Powerade, but they are so high in sugar that it seems counteractive. The Lo-Cal versions do not have any sodium in them, so that is not going to work.

Anyone have any ideas on how can I get more sodium and liquids without adding a lot of sugar?

(I did have a more descriptive version of this, but it wouldn't let me post it - so if you have other questions about the situation, please ask)

Replies

  • lil_pulp
    lil_pulp Posts: 701 Member
    Uh...salt water?
  • dawn_h_d
    dawn_h_d Posts: 184 Member
    That was one of those things in the long drawn out post I touched on. I cannot drink plain salt water. It has actually made me throw up in the past.
  • bowbeforethoraxis
    bowbeforethoraxis Posts: 138 Member
    Not so much in the summer, but in winter and colder weather I LOVE warm chicken or veggie broth with a little bit of soy sauce.

    You could also just try drinking more water/tea/whatever, then try adding more soy sauce to food.
  • MorningWhispers
    MorningWhispers Posts: 182
    Invest in a juicer (Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juicer costs about $50 online and is really worth the money).

    Start juicing vegetables a couple of times a day in addition to your regular meals. You will get the natural sodium from the veggies without adding any refined sugar or other artificial ingredients.
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
    That was one of those things in the long drawn out post I touched on. I cannot drink plain salt water. It has actually made me throw up in the past.



    When I was a child we had to take salt tablets in the extreme hot summer. You may try taking them.
  • MorningWhispers
    MorningWhispers Posts: 182
    Here's a good article that talks about good foods that have naturally occurring sodium.

    http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/02/25/8-high-sodium-foods-that-are-ok-to-eat/
  • dawn_h_d
    dawn_h_d Posts: 184 Member
    Thanks for all the help/ideas. That has been my black hole for the last couple years in wanting to lose weight, but now I WANT to, and feel motivated to do it :)
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Invest in a juicer (Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juicer costs about $50 online and is really worth the money).

    Start juicing vegetables a couple of times a day in addition to your regular meals. You will get the natural sodium from the veggies without adding any refined sugar or other artificial ingredients.

    This is not needed. By juicing, you strip out the fiber from the foods. Also, unless a person is diabetic, the sugars in fruits and veggies are not something to worry about when tracking food.

    OP: maybe speaking with your doctor or getting a referral to a another professional (RD) to create a game plan.
  • mg234080
    mg234080 Posts: 29
    How about v8?
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
    Invest in a juicer (Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juicer costs about $50 online and is really worth the money).

    Start juicing vegetables a couple of times a day in addition to your regular meals. You will get the natural sodium from the veggies without adding any refined sugar or other artificial ingredients.

    This is not needed. By juicing, you strip out the fiber from the foods. Also, unless a person is diabetic, the sugars in fruits and veggies are not something to worry about when tracking food.

    OP: maybe speaking with your doctor or getting a referral to a another professional (RD) to create a game plan.

    For real. Because you could eg eat a crapton of Chinese food to get in your sodium; doesn't mean it's good for you. There's got to be some way of setting a min/max bar for the day, and better than worse sources.
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    high sodium foods that i know of -

    regular canned soup
    processed deli meats (sub sandwiches for example are good for that)
    table salt
    cheese
    salted nuts/ salted snacks like popcorn in the snack aisle
    regular (salted) butter
    barbecue sauce
    msg
    spices like seasoned salt, and other spices like bbq rub
    Subway has high sodium low calorie sandwiches
    sausage & ham & salted meat like brisket
    pork
    fast food like Kentucky Fried Chicken but Popeye's is the most salted.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    I have the same problem. I can't seem to get in enough sodium. Seafood helps get my numbers up. Low calorie and tons of protein, too.
  • karendee4
    karendee4 Posts: 558 Member
    high sodium foods that i know of -

    regular canned soup
    processed deli meats (sub sandwiches for example are good for that)
    table salt
    cheese
    salted nuts/ salted snacks like popcorn in the snack aisle
    regular (salted) butter
    barbecue sauce
    msg
    spices like seasoned salt, and other spices like bbq rub
    Subway has high sodium low calorie sandwiches
    sausage & ham & salted meat like brisket
    pork
    fast food like Kentucky Fried Chicken but Popeye's is the most salted.

    To add to this list....
    Pickles
    Cottage Cheese
    Canned Veggies (not my favorite)
    Soy Sauce
    Salted Nuts
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    I am planning to have corned beef and hash breakfast, it packs in a whopping 2800 grams of sodium. That should make up for my deficit this week, lol.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    ETA: self derp.

    olives! cheese!
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    Uh...salt water?

    drinking salt in water WILL make you throw up! DOHH :sad:

    try things like oxo cubes(extra ones)soy sauce has a lot of sodium in label look and you will find!
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,252 Member
    Uh...salt water?
    No don't do that.
  • rockinchick221976
    rockinchick221976 Posts: 346 Member
    :flowerforyou: :happy: Do you like pickles, not sweet ones like bread and butter, but kosher, deli or pilish dills? They have tons of sodium but not much else, no suger and very low calories and they will make you so thirsty that you will atomatically drink more water. I love them, but have been trying to stay away because they seem to make me retain so much fluid and look very puffy. The puffiness goes away after a couple of days, but I hate feeling all bloated. Soy sauce and chicken broth do the same thing to me. try adding some soy sauce to your meals or drinking a cup of chicken broth with them. Good luck!
  • tlou5
    tlou5 Posts: 497 Member
    How about baked chips .....or make your own salted veggie chips with zucchini, sweet potatoes etc in the oven
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,833 Member
    By juicing, you strip out the fiber from the foods.

    That's why a good, old-fashioned blender works well. Or one of the fancy ones with multiple blades. Instead of juice, you get a smoothie.
  • MsSleeth
    MsSleeth Posts: 15 Member
    The suggestion for increasing sodium levels really depends on the cause of having low sodium levels. You can lose sodium from over-hydration when sodium is continually being flushed out of the body, exercise-associated depletion, illness that result in vomiting and diarrhea, and from a variety of medical conditions.The treatment really depends on the cause, and since it sounds like yours is a medically caused situation, then it is very important that you treat it correctly.

    One treatment increases sodium while restricting fluids.

    Another treatment requires monitoring so sodium levels increase slowly and avoids sudden sharp increases.

    It sounds like your recommended treatment focuses on hydration with a fluid containing liquid, electrolyte (sodium and potassium), and carbohydrates (sugar). Besides restoring electrolytes and carbohydrates, the sodium and sugar actually help increase your body's ability to absorb the fluid. From your body's perspective, sugar and other carbohydrates are just glucose in the the bloodstream. With the help of insulin, glucose enters your cells, brains, and tissues. It is the primary and preferred source of energy for your cells and brain. If a sports drink is being used to treat low sodium levels, then just consider the sugar that is also in it as one source of your daily carbohydrates. The rest should come mainly from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fiber.

    According to the label, 1 serving of original Gatorade has about 14 grams of carbohydrate (sugar), 110 mg of sodium, 30 mg of potassium, and 50 calories.

    While there are some opposing views about carbohydrate needs, most medical professionals recommend that carbohydrates be 45 - 65% of the total daily calories, with at least a minimum of 130 grams per day. For a 2000 calorie diet, that is 225 and 325 grams of carbohydrates, and for a 1500 calorie diet, that is about 175 to 250 grams, or 700 to 1000 calories. 1 gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories. Ideally you want to space these carbohydrates throughout the day by taking in smaller, more frequent meals.

    You can also get the fluid/electrolyte/carbohydrate combination from soup (this can have 8 times the sodium of a sports drink, which might be a too rapid of a sodium rise) and from milk (my nutrition professor says chocolate milk/soy milk/almond milk are especially good for rehydrating athletes). There are also plenty of foods with higher sodium levels if you need to increase sodium but not fluids.

    You have two goals here: increase sodium and lose weight. Rather than following our recommendations, I suggest you do exactly what your cardiologist prescribes for now because low sodium levels can have bad consequences. But you should also ask the cardiologist to recommend a nutritionist counselor who can work with you on your specific diet so you can address your needs and goals. And it helps that you are using MyFitnessPal because this gives your nutritionist a good starting point.
  • dawn_h_d
    dawn_h_d Posts: 184 Member
    Thanks for all the great suggestions. I never looked at it that way, MsSleeth. That makes a lot of sense. I guess for the time being, I am going to watch my sugar intake and look at the amount in two ways - one with and one without the gatorade sugars. It doesn't mean that I am going to max out my sugar intake after taking the gatorade sugar grams out, but it might help me not get as discouraged seeing that number going in the red everyday.
  • MsSleeth
    MsSleeth Posts: 15 Member
    Also keep in mind that it is very common for people to go over their sugar limit with MyFitneesPal. It is kind of misleading because they lump healthy fruit and milk sugars with refined, added sugar. I almost reach my limit with just a banana and a glass of milk in the morning. Some days I am we'll under the limit, and some days I am completely over without consuming any added sugars. So I don't worry about it as long as I know that the majority of my sugar comes from natural, healthy sources, and only a small amount ocassionally comes from added sources, like the small piece of dark chocolate I enjoy once a week.
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
    How about some of those "diet" type frozen foods???? I've always avoided them because of the sodium, but maybe this would actually be of some help in your situation.
    Canned soups and broths may also be beneficial for you.

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