How do you keep sodium down??

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Blackdinomite
Blackdinomite Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First I'd like to say that my weight is starting to fall again after 3 weeks of no loss or gains (I think sodium is one cause of the stall) but sodium just seems to be so high in everything. Aside from cooking everything I eat, has anyone had success at maintaining low levels of sodium?
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  • Bluepopsicle_25
    Bluepopsicle_25 Posts: 62 Member
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    Try to cut down on processed foods. That is where you find most of it.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
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    Some products are made with lower sodium and usually says so on the front of the package (still a little high in sodium, but if you only use 1 processed thing a day, it helps). But other than that, you've really answered your own question, you have to cook everything you eat.
  • lovelylela415
    lovelylela415 Posts: 91 Member
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    Yes. I use lemon and lime instead, even with my turkey burgers

    But yeah, cooking my own food is also my best solution, and I guess this is obvious but avoid processed food. Processed is another word for "high in sodium"

    Ps edited to say congrats on recent loss!
  • Blackdinomite
    Blackdinomite Posts: 26 Member
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    Most of my meals are prepared and I still record high sodium counts. I don't eat lots of Fast food. Maybe once a week if that. Is my fitness pal accurate in sodium calculation?
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
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    Most of my meals are prepared and I still record high sodium counts. I don't eat lots of Fast food. Maybe once a week if that. Is my fitness pal accurate in sodium calculation?

    Do you have an example? Most foods prepared from scratch don't have much sodium unless it's added via salt.

    I mean, if it comes in a package or box or can from the store/it's been frozen, it's going to have a lot of sodium in it.

    I would say MFP is usually accurate, I saw one day where you logged pork chops, it seems odd to me that it has 400mg of sodium, but then again I don't eat meat so maybe that's a normal amount for it to be injected with at the store.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    make as much as you can from scratch and whole foods if possible, nothing from a box or package :smile:

    and absolutely no fast food or restaurant food, loaded with sodium
  • A_Warrior_Princess
    A_Warrior_Princess Posts: 344 Member
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    I make most of my own foods. I search online for low sodium recipes. I use lime, garlic and other things to spice up my foods instead of salt. I use unsalted broths to help flavor foods. My husband has a little bit of high blood pressure so I am doing my best to reduce the amount of salt/sodium he consumes. Hope this helps!
  • dcr5452WECHANGED
    dcr5452WECHANGED Posts: 121 Member
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    I hear that and it was one of my first issues when I joined MFP. There are certain foods like bacon for example that you might enjoy too much to give up completely but it is loaded with sodium. There are reduced sodium bacons out there that taste every bit as good as regular bacon and the levels are like half to one third of regular bacon as far as sodium is concerned.

    Once you get used to cutting it down, you will notice that foods that you may have added salt and pepper to in the past--now taste salty w/o adding any. Cottage cheese comes to mind. There is reduced sodium cottage cheese and it isnt as drastic a reduction as the bacon but it brings it down to a much more acceptable and manageable level. Just keep watching those sodium levels in everything you are eating and you will get a much better feel for it. You will also start to learn what foods have that hidden sodium in them too which should also help. Good luck--I am sure you will get better at it over time. FWIW--I am an avid cook so that helps quite a bit but it is never to late to learn to cook and as they say--practice makes perfect.
  • gamagem
    gamagem Posts: 87 Member
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    Sorry, but pretty much the only way I've found is to prepare everything myself. I make my own spaghetti sauce, bbq sauce, beans, salad dressing etc. I don't eat anything from a box or can unless it has zero or extremely low sodium. Even with doing this my sodium tends to be 1500-2000 a day, which isn't so bad as my potassium levels are 3500 or higher so the ratio is good.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
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    The VAST majority of what you eat should come from the perimeter of the grocery store if you want to keep sodium down (and really, it should come from there anyway). Fresh fruits, veggies, dairy, eggs, meat.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Don't use anything canned. Nothing 'processed' as in a box, unless it is something in it's natural form, such as dried beans. Nothing frozen unless its fruit or vegetables without added sauces. Be careful with sauces, mustards. They are loaded with sodium.
    I try to cook most meals and avoid ingredients with any added sodium. I use a lot of herbs, spices, jalapenos and citrus for flavor. I've found that I really can't stand stuff loaded with salt anymore. Especially soups and restaurant dinners. Blahhh
    I had to do it to help control my blood pressure, so I'm allowed only 1500mgs per day. It sucks and it's hard, but not dying from a heart attack is worth the trouble.
  • Blackdinomite
    Blackdinomite Posts: 26 Member
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    Actually now that I think about it most meals my wife makes do come from a box, bag or can, at least the side dishes. My family has always eaten like this so it never occurred to me I guess.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    Read the labels. There's a lot of sodium in packaged meals, condiments, cheese, and most marinades, salad dressing, and seasoning packets, like taco seasoning. Also in fast foods. Pretty much anything good. Lol. You can also drink lots of water to flush out the sodium. :) Good luck!
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
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    I struggle with sodium, too. My diary's open, feel free to take a look.
    If most of your stuff is truly 'scratch made' (e.g. plain raw chicken breast NOT the breaded, or prepped, or marinated stuff) then I'd look to the sauces and spices that you use. McCormick has a series of "no salt" seasonings that I swear by! Sauces/condiments are a big issue as they often have >300mg sodium per tbsp. Here are a few that I use that have 'lower than average' sodium:
    • La Choy Sweet N Sour sauce
    • La Choy Duck sauce
    • Panda Express orange sauce
    • Mrs. Campbell's Chow-Chow (great sub for pickle relish)
    Additionally, I rarely eat cold cuts and usually sub with my own alternatives:
    • Pork loin subs for ham
    • London broil subs for roast beef
    • Boneless, skinless chicken breast subs for... DUH!
    • Turkey breast... you get the idea

    There are several recipe websites (e.g. AllRecipes) that offer low-sodium recipes as well, especially for sauces/condiments/dressings. Google that!

    *ETA: I still eat boxed/canned stuff, but in moderation and sodium is the FIRST thing I look at in the store. If I want that 900mg sodium/serving entree for dinner (e.g. Chicken Parmigiana, Hamburger Helper, etc.), then I need to spend my breakfast and lunch with low/no sodium items (e.g. fresh fruits and vegs, etc.) to save room in my 2,500mg/day. For sides, Gunnoe's has 'lower than average sodium' for slaws and salads. Frozen bag veggies are WAY better than most canned ones, but Walmart has some "no sodium added" canned veggies as well. If I want a restaurant meal, then the day before or the day after should be low sodium all day with plenty of water throughout.
    The proof is in the pudding. This approach has gotten me off of HBP meds (3 weeks and counting).
  • Blackdinomite
    Blackdinomite Posts: 26 Member
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    I need to learn to cook then lol. I really don't think I'd like cooking but I'll try anything to keep seeing positive results.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
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    I need to learn to cook then lol. I really don't think I'd like cooking but I'll try anything to keep seeing positive results.

    Well sodium doesn't prevent fat loss, but it can definitely stall the scale, which may make you feel discouraged.
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
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    Actually now that I think about it most meals my wife makes do come from a box, bag or can, at least the side dishes. My family has always eaten like this so it never occurred to me I guess.

    Yes, just because you aren't eating out at fast food places and eating foods prepared at home, doesn't mean they are low sodium. Deli meats are extremely high and the breakfast turkey sausage. Most easy to make things in box, can, freezer ready meals, etc are high in sodium. So just try making more foods from scratch where you can control the salt and seasoning. You have to read your labels and just try little by little to incorporate more whole foods and less processed foods.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
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    Actually now that I think about it most meals my wife makes do come from a box, bag or can, at least the side dishes. My family has always eaten like this so it never occurred to me I guess.

    Well start slow, I know it can seem overwhelming, pick one thing per meal to make from scratch. Like rice, buy it in bulk and add your own low salt seasoning to it, there are a lot of recipes online.

    Once you have that down, try something else with a different part of the meal. Before you know it, it will be second nature.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    Is there a medical reason you are watching your sodium intake? If you are a healthy man with no heart/kidney issues then eating 2000-2500mg a day is not a big deal. I've got kidney issues that have me restricted to 1500-1700 a day.

    Are you "preparing" canned and packaged foods? If it comes in a box or a can it's going to have substantial amounts of sodium in it.

    So, looking at your food log....

    Lunch meat. Always SUPER high in sodium. Even the low sodium brands are high because of the preservatives.
    Sausage.... almost always high in sodium but especially the precooked sausage (heat and serve).
    Frozen prepared veggies (the heat and serve kind that they season for you and MORE especially the kind with cheese) always high in sodium
    Packaged and seasoned rice... going to be high in sodium because they seasoned it for you.
    KFC - I can't eat it, even occasionally. They are the SALTIEST of all the fast foods.

    Buy yourself a turkey breast and cook it/slice it yourself for sandwiches. Even better, buy a nice roast beef and cook/slice it up. It will be AMAZING and you can control how much sodium is going into it.

    Sausage, I buy Jimmy Dean 'Tube' sausage and break it down into patties and freeze it with wax paper between the patties. It's just a few more minutes to cook. I can get away with one patty a day if I'm careful.

    You can still eat frozen veggies with cheese, just make them yourself. Buy plain frozen veggies and cook in microwave..add 1/2 ounce of cheddar and nuke for a few seconds more. That will still give you similar with a fraction of the sodium.

    Packaged seasoned rice... Rice is a rather nutritionally devoid food anyway, you don't need it. Eat a baked sweet tater instead for more fiber and way more vitamins/minerals.

    KFC - Just no.

    Feel free to add me/send me a PM if you want to chat about it or have questions.
  • EdwarddeVere
    EdwarddeVere Posts: 178
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    Try upping your potassium. On paper, your sodium will still be high, but the potassium will help you expel said sodium.

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