Sodium question...

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rachelhaueter
rachelhaueter Posts: 41 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I don't have issues with cholesterol or high blood pressure so I'm wondering how much worry I should be putting into my daily sodium intake. There have been days where I will come in under my calories count, fatc ount, etc but mu sodium will be way over. I I'm not heavy handed with my seasonings and I'm trying to buy healthy foods but lately it seems I run away from anything that has any sodium in it at all. That is going to make cooking very difficult. Any insight?

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  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Processed foods (boxed, canned, frozen, restaurant) have sodium. If you want to reduce it, you can start to buy one new fresh item a week to add to your repertoire.
    Not everyone is sensitive to salt.
  • Sobus76
    Sobus76 Posts: 242 Member
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    im over on my sodium almost every day. no way around it really unless you stay away from boxes, cans, and bags.. I've found I will more retain water of course on days i have a lot of sodium and try to drink more those days to help get it out.
  • OhhNiff
    OhhNiff Posts: 1,397 Member
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    ^ What he said.

    If you really don't have to worry about the health risks of sodium and it's more about just bloating, drink more water.
  • rachelhaueter
    rachelhaueter Posts: 41 Member
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    Ok I will remember that. Thanks gang. I drink at least 5 or 6 cups of water a day and I will try to drink more as well as try to find lower sodium alternatives.
  • BEquality
    BEquality Posts: 58 Member
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    Great post, @rachelhaueter! :happy:

    I'm new to all of this and still trying to figure things out, and I've had a lot of anxiety over foods with high sodium content. It stresses me out a lot, especially when I have limited options at hand. However I have also been working to increase my daily water intake, so that's a start I guess. :) (I need to get health insurance figured out and talk to my doctor, though, to see if I have any concerns re: cholesterol, etc.!)
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 175 Member
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    NHS advice is not more than 6 gms salt daily for adults, but so many commercial products have salt added that it's hard. Best advice is to look at nutrition labels on food and choose home-cooked over ready meals where possible. The sodium/potassium balance is also important, that's why you shouldn't eat too many bananas, as they are quite high in potassium.
  • cinmorrowlvn
    cinmorrowlvn Posts: 16 Member
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    I have serious issues with sodium! I also have high blood pressure so I take a blood pressure pill and a "water" pill for water retention. I found that the packaged/premade foods are the worst. I've started cooking my meals in bulk and freezing them in sections. WAY lower on sodium and preservatives that I don't want in my body.

    Even if you don't have any health conditions you should really consider cutting down your sodium if you're constantly going over... for your overall health.

    :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/42/6/1087.full.pdf

    People especially sensitive to sodium:
    ~women,
    ~people 55 years or older,
    ~certain ethnic groups, and
    ~people with renal disease, obesity, or hypertension.

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