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    Sodium - my new enemy

    Posts: 27
    edited February 7 in Food and Nutrition
    Hello, guys! Since using MFP I've realised how much sodium I eat and I guess that's a very bad thing. For example, today I've crossed the limit with almost 1500 mg and I really don't know where they've come from! What foods contain less sodium and what foods should I try to avoid? Have you ever had such kind of problem?

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    • Posts: 300 Member
      I assume you mean 1500 mg.

      Anyway, I don't consider sodium extraordinarily bad. I don't add salt to anything, but it's not something I'm overly concerned with. It will lead to a temporary weight gain if you had a day full of it... but I've found that the weight "gain" from sodium comes off pretty quick on after one or two "normal" sodium days.
    • Posts: 10,413 Member
      Is there a reason you are concerned about sodium?
    • Posts: 2,270 Member
      1500 is a decent number. I'm sodium restricted due to high blood pressure, and mine is set at 1600.

      Avoid a lot of packaged products and fast foods, many are loaded with sodium.

      But really, if you're not needing to restrict it for medical reasons, 1500 is low. You need some sodium to keep living!
    • Posts: 1,280 Member
      Sodium is particularly bad if you have a medical issue. Diabetes, hypertension, renal failure.... And so on. The only foods that do not have sodium or much is fresh... Restaurant foods are the worst, followed by any processed foods.
    • Posts: 1,126 Member
      Sodium isn't the enemy unless you have medical issues.

      If you are looking to lower your intake, however, avoid processed foods. Most processed foods are super high in sodium; just check out the labels. If you stick to mostly cooking your own foods instead of using prepared meals you should be able to greatly decrease your sodium intake.
    • Posts: 310 Member
      I stay around or under the MFP suggested 2500MG a day. Sometimes i go over, and i just up my water intake that day and the next. Best to avoid high sodium days 1-2 days before you do a weigh in , as sometimes you can retain ya know?. I wasn't paying attention to it for a long time, until recently when a MFP friend suggested i try to watch it (lots of it in pre-packaged and processed foods) Now that im watching it. i do feel a little better and not feeling as"bloated"? .
    • Posts: 21,219 Member
      Sodium is actually important to our bodies especially when we are athletic or sweat.
    • Posts: 182 Member
      Im dealing with the sodium issues also trying to get in in check so can get off of meds one thing I did was leave the frozen foods alone mainly already made meals and started tracking and looking at the sodium amt on the seasonings that I was using
    • Posts: 336 Member
      Sodium shouldn't be an "enemy" as these other posters are right, you need it to live! But I can understand why OP would want to minimize her intake. I found that higher-sodium items make me bloaty. Try to cut back on snack foods like chips and pop, and go for fresh foods. Good luck :flowerforyou:
    • Posts: 770 Member
      Processed foods have a lot of sodium in. Food in restaurants do, too.

      Trying cooking stuff from scratch, using fresh ingredients, as opposed to pre-packed processed stuff.
    • Posts: 1,690 Member
      Sodium is particularly bad if you have a medical issue. Diabetes, hypertension, renal failure.... And so on.

      Not necessarily. Really, only 1/3 of the population is salt sensitive in regard to blood pressure. Salt doesn't have much impact on Diabetes unless you also have kidney disease, and then you have to watch out for all sorts of stuff.
    • Posts: 310 Member
      Im dealing with the sodium issues also trying to get in in check so can get off of meds one thing I did was leave the frozen foods alone mainly already made meals and started tracking and looking at the sodium amt on the seasonings that I was using

      try Mrs. Dash seasonings. They have low-sodium and No Sodium options :)
    • Posts: 2,401 Member
      I don't even track sodium. do you have hypertension or any other conditions that require you to keep your consumption low? sodium is actually an electrolyte and it is important to make sure your intake is at an adequate level. if you do not consume enough you may develop a sodium deficiency.
    • Posts: 1,690 Member
      Hello, guys! Since using MFP I've realised how much sodium I eat and I guess that's a very bad thing. For example, today I've crossed the limit with almost 1500 g and I really don't know where they've come from! What foods contain less sodium and what foods should I try to avoid? Have you ever had such kind of problem?

      If you must worry about salt, then make it the last thing on your priority list. It's far more important to get your calories, macro's, fiber, and exercise right.
    • Posts: 8
      Those packaged meals that claim to be healthy, or those dehydrated soups all have a TON of sodium! I try to avoid those as much as possible. Other than that, try trading a high sodium snack for some berries or raw unsalted almonds. Always the better way to go! And I know some drinks have high sodium, but I only drink tea, water, and the occasional milk or fruit juice- So I don't know any specifics.
    • Posts: 310 Member
      I don't even track sodium. do you have hypertension or any other conditions that require you to keep your consumption low? sodium is actually an electrolyte and it is important to make sure your intake is at the correct level. if you do not consume enough you may develop a sodium deficiency.

      too much sodium is also a bad thing.
    • Posts: 290 Member
      I have to be extremely careful of sodium because I'm in end stage renal failure. Mostly, I try to eat fresh foods and don't add extra salt. However, not everyone has to be as careful as me.
    • Posts: 738 Member
      If you track sodium in your diary, you'll be able to see where most of it is coming from.
    • Posts: 10,413 Member
      show previous quotes

      too much sodium is also a bad thing.

      Not necessarily. "bad" is relative. so is "too much".
    • Posts: 27
      Yep, I meant mg, not g, sorry :-) Thanks for your replay!
    • Posts: 2,401 Member
      show previous quotes

      too much sodium is also a bad thing.

      can you please link to any sources that substantiate this claim as applicable to someone without health concerns that require a low sodium intake? OP is worried about consuming 1500mg which is very low. I would be concerned if they consumed even less.
    • Posts: 900 Member
      Sodium causes high blood pressure depending on your sensitivity to it. HBP leads to strokes, heart disease and kidney problems. All my family has died from strokes and my dad doesn't have much kidney function left.

      It's good that you caught the sodium thing early on. If you have even a minimally busy life, you will find it difficult but not impossible to manage.

      You will find people who say that it is not that hard to manage but it is. You are reduced to eating a "clean" diet at home or about 6 teaspoons of O2 from your average fast food restaurant.

      Stay away from fast food, convenience food, restaurant food and "diet" foods. Eat close to the ground meaning whole grains, lean meats and vegetables.

      Good luck. Keep it low now to prevent issues later on.

      Don't let this post digress to an argument between "anything in moderation" nazi's and "only clean paleo food" neanderthals.
    • Posts: 638 Member
      I too was shocked by my sodium intake at one time. I'm not a big processed food eater to begin with but I had no idea just how much sodium was in some foods naturally so I do pay attention to the sodium. I set my sodium level to 2200 not excessively low but enough so I strive to find foods that are lower in sodium. I keep my food diary open to friends so if you'd like to add me feel free to do so and go through my foods, it might help you find new options.
      I have no health issues that cause me to restrict my sodium intake I just noticed I generally feel better with a bit less sodium. Good for you looking at all the numbers and not just ignoring something that flashed in red.
      I noticed someone else suggested extra water on high sodium days and I completely agree, drink up.
    • Posts: 53 Member
      I have been paying more attention to my sodium lately since I worry about the water retention. It you look at your diary you should quickly be able to tell what you are eating that contains a lot of sodium. But 1500 mg a day is actually not a lot. 1500 is my daily goal. In order to stay at 1500 I cut out all processed foods and fat free/low fat cheese seems to have a huge amount of sodium for a small amount of food.
    • Posts: 3,902 Member
      I don't track sodium or sugar and it hasn't affected my weight loss one bit. As others have mentioned, if you don't have a medical condition that requires limiting it, why complicate things?
    • Posts: 344 Member
      show previous quotes

      try Mrs. Dash seasonings. They have low-sodium and No Sodium options :)
      I was using too much salt so I cut it out altogether. Mrs. Dash seasonings are a good taste alternative over salt. I don't watch my sodium intake now because I am usually right on according to what MFP recommends.
    • Posts: 10,161 Member
      With sodium, lower is not better. When you get below 1500 mg, especially much below, you start increasing your chances of death. Sodium is an essential nutrient. Unless you're under a doctor's direction to keep sodium intake very low, it's not really worth worrying about. If you really want to set an upper limit, set it at at least 2500 mg, or 3000 mg.
    • Posts: 10,413 Member
      FYI... many of the unwanted effects of sodium intake can be counteracted by increasing potassium intake.
    • Posts: 900 Member
      show previous quotes

      Not necessarily. "bad" is relative. so is "too much".

      For f*cks sake people! Just stop this! Are you f*cking 8 years old?
    • Posts: 310 Member
      show previous quotes

      can you please link to any sources that substantiate this claim as applicable to someone without health concerns that require a low sodium intake? OP is worried about consuming 1500mg which is very low. I would be concerned if they consumed even less.

      i sure can.

      http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_300625.pdf
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