Too little sodium?

incircles_lp2
incircles_lp2 Posts: 132 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone have problems with not getting ENOUGH sodium in their diet? I always struggle to get enough into my diet and I think that is mainly due to the fact that I make a lot of my own food and don't add extra salt to it. What kind of health concerns should I have with not enough salt? I still retain water really well so that doesn't really make sense, but I do crave salty things a lot so I'm assuming my body is trying to tell me something. Help! Thanks

Replies

  • lukasmac
    lukasmac Posts: 216 Member
    sodium is vital for the heart but to be honest, i think you'd have to be taking in little to none for it to become a problem...
  • YeaILift
    YeaILift Posts: 580 Member
    As long as you have a good sodium to potassium ratio you will be fine. It is better to have too little than too much in my opinion.
  • hermosafit
    hermosafit Posts: 8
    If you do a good job of entering your food on a daily basis this program will tell you exactly how much sodium you are getting.

    Recommended levels I have seen are 2000-2500mg per day, or 1,500mg per day for people with high blood pressure or other conditions sodium affects. Check the mayo clinic website or other reputable website for more info.

    Btw, it is close to impossible today to get less than 1,500mg of sodium in your daily diet on an ongoing basis. I try really hard to limit sodium and have a mostly vegetarian + fish diet, but its in everything processed and a lot of raw things too (like skim milk), and my level is mostly north of 2,000mg per day. One can of "healthy" lentil soup has 1,500 mg sodium (or more). [Before I tracked sodium closely I would regularly get 2x to 3x the recommended amount per day!]

    Note the other half of the equation is potassium. It offsets sodium in your cells. So be sure to eat foods that add up to your recommended daily amount. If you do that and keep sodium to a reasonable amount you should be fine (unless you have another health issue going on).

    If you are eating healthy and still have high blood pressure, then certainly check with a doctor.
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