Sodium and Sugar Overload

darreneatschicken
darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
edited February 13 in Food and Nutrition
Okay, I've been counting my macros for the past two months, and what I've noticed is that I eat A LOT of sodium and sugar. For example, I calculated my average of sugar intake for this week, and it came up to an average of 132 grams of sugar a day. For sodium this week, I consumed an average of 5577 grams per day. I am 19 years old, 5 ft 9, 138 lbs. Will this much sugar and sodium destroy my body? I've heard that carbs isn't what makes you fat, but it is sugar that makes you fat. I exercise a lot, workout 3x a week, play hockey when I have time (which is when I don't have school), and go on walks a couple times a week. Because of this, I have been skinny my entire life (also due to lack of food, which is starting to change). Nevertheless, since I've created myfitnesspal account, I've been taking health way more seriously, so I'm scared of getting fat. Regarding sodium, I don't really know what sodium is, but it doesn't sound good either lol. What do you guys think? Should I stop eating so much "outside food?"

Replies

  • ffargynnig
    ffargynnig Posts: 60 Member
    Cut down on processed foods ie...donuts, chips, candy, frozen diners, most canned soups. Eating better usually means learning how to cook! And say NO to soda!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    What makes you fat is too many calories it's as simple of that. Too many calories of broccoli will make you fat. Sodium is salt you need a certain amount a day but too much can have health implications in the long term. It will also make you retain waterThere is a lot of it in processed meats and many other processed foods. Cut these down and your sodium will drop. As for sugar unless you have a medical condition I wouldn't over stress it. MFPs macro is set way too low and it's easy to go over with just a couple of pieces of fruit. It's good to reduce your overall processed sugar though. there is a lot in many ready meals and obviously sweet etc. So just try and reduce. For overall weightloss the the important thing is the amount of calories.

    As your BMI is 20 I assume your trying to maintain and just add healthier options so you really need to be looking at fruit and veg and whole grains. If you cook and prepare your own meals the sodium and sugar will naturally come down. Juat make sure you are eating enough if your starting to increase exercise

    Good Luck
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    Well done for taking your health seriously.

    Based on your activity levels I personally (as a nutritionist) don't think the sugar is too concerning. Sugar can come from many places in the diet and if you are getting a good quantity of fruits and vegetables that can also push your sugar intake up. If it's coming from processed foods then there is a risk that you are getting lots of calories from sugar and not much else, e.g. other vitamins.

    Sodium is less good news. On MFP the daily "goal" (by the way this is NOT a goal for your average person, it's a max) is 2500mg, which is still much higher than we should be eating. I have manually set mine to 1500mg per day and I aim to stay below it.

    While you are young and fit and active your high sodium intake will probably not have too much of an effect on your health but as you get older it can start causing damage. The long term situation is a bit scarier. High sodium = higher blood volume, because your body needs to absorb more water to keep your sodium levels at the right concentration. This increases blood pressure, which, when combined with high blood cholesterol can contribute to damaging your arteries. Cholesterol can cause build ups of plaque in your arteries (e.g. atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries), and high blood pressure can cause the plaques to get flushed off by the sheer speed of your blood racing past it. This comes with an increased risk of heart disease.

    The odd day with high sodium intake isn't harmful, but chronic high sodium intake can contribute to some of the problems I mentioned above. Try looking at where in your diet the sodium is coming from, and look at whether you can substitute some of those foods for lower sodium versions. If you eat a lot of processed foods it is likely coming from here, but the good news is you can prepare low-sodium meals at home using fresh ingredients.
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