Ugh! Sodium help?

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Naomi91
Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey all,

I am a typical college student: living in the dorms with nothing to cook with besides a microwave.
With that being said, I eat a lot of packaged soups and other high sodium foods.(note i do get low sodium ones when I can and they are all soups and products organic and healthy besides sodium!)
If I go down to the eating centers, the only thing i can have that aded with sodium is salad! and thats about all I eat in the centers

So my sodium intake is always over, even though I am eating very nutrient rich foods and eating healthy

It can be WAY over some days, but i dont want to retain any water because of it!!

any ideas of how much more water I should drink to help my body from retaining all the fluids?

Replies

  • Kminor67
    Kminor67 Posts: 900 Member
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    If I am a few hundred mg over, I try to drink at least 12 glasses. If you are consistently over my a significant amount, I would try really hard to get in 14-16 glasses. It's hard when you're at the mercy of convenience/cafeteria foods. I would avoid soda at ALL COSTS, and stick with the healthiest options possible. Good luck!
  • ZacFields
    ZacFields Posts: 62 Member
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    Good thing you started this topic because I have wondered the same thing.

    My sodium is ALWAYS too high. I could be 1,000 calories below my goal and my sodium would already be way over. I think my question would be: How much would this hinder my weight loss? I don't have an issue with blood pressure so I'm not really so worried about that, but I don't want it to keep me from losing weight.
  • cmw9696
    cmw9696 Posts: 123
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    I agree with Kminor67...LOTS of water!

    Try some high potassium foods and/or high water content foods. Plain lo-fat yogurt. Baked potato WITH skin. Medium sweet potato. Banana. Raisins. Carrots. Cantaloupe. Celery.
    Also be sure you are getting your calcium and Magnesium.

    good luck!
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
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    I usually try to get in at least 9 cups... guess now I will aim for 12-14!

    and deal with lots of trips to the restroom >.>
  • merimeaux
    merimeaux Posts: 304 Member
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    From what I understand, potassium is a key player in the regulation of fluids...for one, you might want to check out Low Sodium V8 to help balance out the high sodium in other foods. It has a ton of potassium without a lot of sodium.

    I only get 30 minutes for lunch at work and have various soups every day, along with a piece of fruit and some fat free yogurt. For soups, Dr. McDougall's is a great vegetarian/vegan brand with great low sodium options.

    Edit: Regardless of how much sodium you take in, you should always shoot for as much water as possible...no fewer than 8 glasses :)
  • donbogi
    donbogi Posts: 175
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    If you are preparing food at home, substitute the salt with Mrs. Dash herbs and spices. They add flavor to food and it is sodium-free.

    I don't think this really answered your question - but its a tip that's worth sharing!

    Good health & Cheers!
    Don
  • cmw9696
    cmw9696 Posts: 123
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    First, dehydration can cause water retention.
    Second, limit sodium intake to 2500 mg a day.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/280749-side-effects-of-too-much-salt-intake/
  • ME02134
    ME02134 Posts: 26
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    1. Drink lots of water 2. Eat bananas-- they're loaded with potassium to help drain some of that water weight!

    Good Luck!
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
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    They don't mention the one I experienced the most with too much sodium and that was feeling dried out. I guess it goes with dehydration.

    Just like what's been mentioned. Potassium counteracts the sodium. So potassium rich foods or 12+ glasses of water if able. I used to eat more sodium than any one person should eat in a week. My favourite things were salty foods, lots of chips in large quantities, pizzas, soups(ridiculously high) and I drank very little water. If you want a good way to get your water in, get yourself a 1L bottle which is a little over 33floz, drink 3 of those a day and you have your 96floz. What I've done is put 3-4 paperclips on the keyring of the bottle and I take one off for every bottle I drink. I've read other people using elastic bands and things, just some kind of marker is all you need.
  • Boopa
    Boopa Posts: 45 Member
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    I decided to start watching my sodium less than a week ago and boy has it made a huge difference, I was retaining water like crazy and I drink at least 9 glasses of water each day. I noticed that things I didn't think were very high in sodium actually were. Today I discovered that while I enjoy calorie wise ranch dressing with my veggies(you mentioned eating salads) I also found out that for those 2tbsps I used to dip my plate of veggies in, I got to add 360mg of sodium to my overall intake. Drop the dressings or at least bring your own so you know exactly what you are putting on the salad. Deli meats are also high in sodium as are alot of prepacked foods..Since I started checking the sodium I have been able to drop 5lbs that I had picked up in a matter of days. Good Luck!

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