having hard time with sodium

Options
tarak75103
tarak75103 Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I can stay under all my goals but sodium. Its driving me crazy.
I dont use salt in anything I cook.
I use mainly veggies to season with.

Replies

  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
    Options
    It's difficult to stay under your sodium goal if you eat a lot of packaged foods and fast food. If you're concerned about sodium, work on getting more fresh foods into your diet. I avoid fast food, but even just a few packaged foods can put me over my sodium for the day. It's something I'm trying to work on.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    Options
    I looked at a few days of your diary and spotted some high sodium culprits -- like the Betty Crocker salad mix. That miight be your first line of attack. Go through your diary and identify the things that are high in sodium per serving. That salad was 600mg/serving. What if you made a similar pasta salad from scratch? I bet you could cut the sodium a good deal.

    Don't let the "low sodium" versions of processed foods lead you astray. Look at the actual numbers. We recently found that the regular version of another brand of soy sauce had less sodium that the Kikkoman low sodium. Go figure.

    And feel free to message me with specific questions for how to adjust recipes, etc. I'm a retired librarian and a foodie and love to look up and find the answers about food. I also generally try to make many things from scratch, staying as much as possible out of the center aisles of the supermarket.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Options
    I can stay under all my goals but sodium. Its driving me crazy.
    I dont use salt in anything I cook.
    I use mainly veggies to season with.


    From looking at your diary, the foods chosen are very high in sodium, for example:

    7-11 - Nachos With Chili & Cheese , 1 container, 2oz chili, 2oz cheese - and this is not to shame you, but something like this will push you well over 3,000 mg sodium for the day.

    My suggestion would be to have a couple, but not the whole packet. This will take some will power on your part. Or treat yourself to some every day, at least that will give you something to munch on in your down time.

    Take at look at some of the meats which are very high in sodium, also bread. Before buying any food read the label to check on the sodium content.

    This is a lifestyle change. I love pizza, I make my own to reduce the sodium by using: 1 wrap, tomato, red onions, salsa, cheese, tuna, pineapple and anything else that I fancy from the fridge. You could even use baked cut up chicken etc. The foods we love can still be eaten, but its how they are cooked.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
    Options
    I quickly skimmed your diary.
    Your Special K breakfast sandwich has 700+ mg of sodium.
    The 7-11 nachos had 1,300mg.
    And the Stouffer's stuffed bell peppers had 800mg of sodium.

    Prepackaged foods/meats/ect can have a lot of sodium in them, and it adds up quickly. You can try to make these things on your own, and probably cut the sodium by a lot. Stuffed bell peppers, and nachos even, can be "slimmed down" in the sodium department, to help you meet your goals.

    But going over a little on sodium each day isn't that big of a deal. Unless you have a medical reason for doing so, don't panic if you go over by little.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
    Options
    Typically anything processed or take out is going to be high sodium. Watch what you are eating and pay attention to what is high sodium and look for healthier alternatives to these items. Some people don't really worry too much about sodium but if it's a concern to you, change what you are eating to lower sodium alternatives. Cheese slices have more sodium than regular cheddar cheese, etc. It's all about paying attention to what you eat.
  • haildodger
    haildodger Posts: 181 Member
    Options
    Anytime you eat out (subway or jack in the box for example) or eat processed foods (like Stouffers - Stuffed Bell Peppers or Nachos With Chili & Cheese ) you're going to get high levels of sodium. If you look at that bell pepper, it was only 180 Calories, but had 800mg of sodium. Same could be said for your breakfast this morning. You had half of your sodium total for the day in just your breakfast. That's what's nice about the diary. The numbers are there so you can see where the bulk of it is coming from.

    That being said, don't let it bother you. I don't think it's a big deal unless you have health issues. If you average it out over the week, it really wasn't that bad.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Options
    My sodium is always over but I don't worry about it because I drink tons of water to flush and balance it out. In fact, I changed my sodium and sugar to calcium and fiber because those are more important to me. Just make sure you get that water in.
  • tarak75103
    tarak75103 Posts: 23 Member
    Options
    my family is not dieting with me so its been hard cause we have been doing a lot of traveling. They eat everything and anything and never gain weight. They always stop at gas station or fast food. It is hard to find things that I can eat to stay under. I know when summer is over it will be easier cause we stop doing so much traveling. I make them food and then me food at dinner time when we are home.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Options
    Consider taking a back pack or cooler with you when you travel or eat at your maintenance calorie level on some days.

Categories