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Sodium

tfisher679
tfisher679 Posts: 64 Member
edited February 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I just looked at my reports mainly to see how I was doing on my for my nutrition side on things. Sodium was the only thing that I haven't been under more than once here and there and that's because I haven't tracked most of those days. Is there something I should be doing or eating to lower this?

Replies

  • elusive_design
    elusive_design Posts: 1,095 Member
    Really the only way to avoid excess sodium is to be hyper aware of your nutrition labels or make most things from scratch, nixing the salt. Drink lots of water to counter high sodium is the advice I have always been given. :)
  • chiccam
    chiccam Posts: 239 Member
    Check sodium content on all nutrition labels.
    I love pickles but if I were watching my sodium I'd have to stay away from them, along with many of the canned soups. Just start being aware of it if it's something you're concerned with.
  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
    It depends how your blood pressure is. If you have high blood pressure or any other risk for cardiovascular disease it might be a good idea to try and reduce it. The easiest way to reduce salt content in the diet is to reduce processed food consumption.

    However if you are in otherwise good health I would focus more on calories and your macros. The research on sodium reduction is mixed and cutting it down to an appropriate amount is very difficult because salt is everywhere!

    I hope that helps
  • MBrothers22
    MBrothers22 Posts: 323 Member
    Is there a reason you want to watch sodium? As long as you drink water it doesn't really matter. Look at me for example. I'm always 1000 or more mg over sodium and it hasn't hurt me whatsoever
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
    Sodium hides in processed foods, canned, lunch meats, cheese, pickled products, and of course salt. You can lower it by buying fresh meats and vegetables that have been frozen or canned without salt added, and limiting the items mentioned above. In my opinion it isn't important unless you have a medical condition that is affected by sodium intake. Drinking plenty of fluids helps alleviate it.
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
    I feel so much better when I keep my sodium right around 1500 a day.
    Not an easy task however. Really watch anything proccessed.
    But the majority of the time I do.
    Over time it gets easier and you don't miss it.
  • tfisher679
    tfisher679 Posts: 64 Member
    I figured as much. I do eat a lot of packaged products and I do have high blood pressure when I'm not on my blood pressure meds. Thanks a lot everybody.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,009 Member
    I feel so much better when I keep my sodium right around 1500 a day.
    Not an easy task however. Really watch anything proccessed.
    But the majority of the time I do.
    Over time it gets easier and you don't miss it.
    Same here. Nothing lowered my blood pressure like reducing my sodium intake. Losing 25 pounds helped but losing the excess sodium made the real difference. And now I am very happy to be on no medications whatsoever, 18 months later.
  • AdventureFreak
    AdventureFreak Posts: 236 Member
    The summer before last I realized that since a human is 75% water and excess sodium intake is a great way to retain water then dropping water may be a great way to drop weight. To that point, I started trying to never consume foods with sodium in MG over the calorie content per serving which means my sodium is always below my calorie intake. My blood pressure sure decreased too.
  • MrsHyland
    MrsHyland Posts: 87 Member
    Sodium is important to watch out for and try to limit. I don't agree with other people telling you not to worry about it. It may not have a huge impact right now, but the lasting effects could be bad. My husband was diagnosed with kidney disease last year and started dialysis right before Thanksgiving. Because of that, he has to limit his sodium intake. We kind of fell off the sodium wagon for a while, which caused my husband to be put on blood pressure meds. Now that we are keeping it in check, he is off the meds and doing really well with all his labs. I know that he has a medical condition that necessitates lower sodium, but it's good for everyone. High sodium can cause high blood pressure, which is one of the leading causes of kidney disease. Let me tell you, it's not a fun experience. Better to control it now than be on dialysis down the road. Adjusting to less salt is actually a lot easier than most people think. There are lots of great recipes online for kidney patients that are really good and have less sodium.
    Definitely drink more water if you consume more sodium, but I recommend trying to cut back. I'm not a doctor so my advice can be taken with a grain of salt, but I've learned a lot from doctors about the effects prolonged excess sodium has on the body. Good luck to you!
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,009 Member
    Is there something I should be doing or eating to lower this?
    To answer your question, here's what I do: I read every label, every time, before it goes in my mouth and if the sodium is too high, I don't buy it or eat it. It's appalling the amount of sodium in packaged foods; prepare to be surprised. I rarely eat out but when I do, I ask that my food not have additional salt on it, and I prepare ahead of time for the extra sodium hit by cutting back beforehand. Restaurant food is terribly high in sodium. I cook 90% of my own food so I know exactly what is in it, and DH eats whatever is put in front of him so it's all good. I use lots of spices instead of salt. I eat way more raw or steamed veggies and whole fruits now. I generally stay under 1200 mg/day (except for those days when I eat theater popcorn, one of my weaknesses!). Good luck to you!
  • stutba
    stutba Posts: 152 Member
    Agree with other posts about lower sodium intake. I also have high blood pressure. About 2 months a go I started tracking my sodium intake. I aim for under 1500 mg a day. Most days I am near or below with the exception of eating out once a month or an occasional chip (my weakness). I make most of my food from scratch as the processed food and canned food is really high in sodium.
    I used to add salt to everything ate. Now I don't cook with salt and I don't add salt. I don't miss it all.
    The up side is my blood pressure is continuing to drop and hopefully with another 10 or 15 lbs lost, and keeping my sodium low, I will soon be off the meds.
    About 4 years ago, I dropped 30 pounds and still had to be on meds (I didn't lower my sodium intake). I think keeping sodium low has had the biggest impact for me too.
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