Sodium vs. Calories

I for one enjoyed a good frozen meal. But the sodium is a killer and to be honest, they aren't as good for you as a good meal cooked from scratch. From everyhing I've read, it's best to eat everything that's fresh. When you shop for groceries, shop the perimeter.

Stay away if you can, lots of health problems associated with sodium, retains water etc.

I try to avoid any processed food.

I find the best thing to do is make up large batches of food. Make 1 dish, multiple portions. Use the recipe feature here to calculate your nutrition stats. Wrap up the leftovers and either freeze them for immediate use or wrap single serving portions in the freezer with quick lunches and dinners. Now I NEVER buy lean cuisine lunches, cans of soups, 100 cal snacks (same theory, big box portioned into snack bags for the week), ETC

Sodium = fluid retention = weight gain

Also, sodium is not good for your heart and will increase your blood pressure. My body is VERY sensitive to sodium and I find it harder keeping my sodium down than cals. Also remember to drink a lot of water to help keep your system cleansed. I try and drink 1/2 my weight in ounces of water per day.

I would try to stay away from the extra Sodium if possible!! High sodium intake increases the risk of Cardiovascular disease. It's sad that things that are labeled "diet" are full of it and mostly processed. Maybe try making a batch of Ground Turkey Breast Chili or Veggie Chili for meals this upcoming week! You can portion it out by serving. Then you can just grab and go Good luck!

Too much sodium is a very bad thing in your diet. Why? Because excess sodium requires your body to absorb/retain more water, which increases your blood volume. The increased blood volume puts stress on your cardiovascular system over time and contributes to high blood pressure.

Here's a good site about sodium from a reputable source: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sodium-eng.php

They state:"A diet high in sodium is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease"

I would ditch the processed, pre-portioned food as much as you can and start making more at home. It really doesn't take long once you figure out what you like and get into the routine. Ex - cook up a batch of chicken breasts on the weekend to take with lunches during the week instead of high-sodium lunchmeat; pre-cut veggies and portion into ready-to-go bags/containers so you can just grab one for a meal.

Watch out for "raw" foods like almonds that have sodium added - I'm careful to buy almonds and beans and things like that with no salt added.

Short answer is to do away with the frozen/canned/packaged stuff that high in sodium.

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20100122/cutting-salt-as-good-as-quitting-smoking

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/5-easy-ways-to-cut-back-on-salt


That said, I'm new to this counting calories thing (again... i used to do this about 6 years ago) and right now I am having frozen dinners for lunch. I just try to watch the total calories, the sodium content (to get it lower) and the ingredients. Will I keep this up forever? Absolutely not. So why am I doing it? Because it's an easy way to learn portion control and it's encourages healthier eating if you use it in the right way (esp if you were eating tons of fast food before). So as a short term solution to point you in the right direction? Absolutely! As a long term solution, well refer to the top article.

This is the way I understand it:
Liver metabolizes fat. Kidneys remove waste/excess salt from the body.
If you're eating too much sodium/not drinking enough water your kidneys
can not keep up. So they need the liver to help them out. If your liver is busy
trying to keep your salt balanced, it's not burning fat as efficiently. It might
be counter productive to eat less calories and still weigh more from water
retention.

As for me, when I dont drink enough water, even when my cals are under,
i weigh more. So if I have to have one high sodium meal, I watch that i'm
low on the rest of my meals for the day so in the end it balances out

I want to read this later

I guess I'll share this. About 8 months ago I was eating frozen foods, alot of Mexican food, and Japanese/Chinese food. All while doing Crossfit training. My Blood Pressure was high. So I cut out frozen foods. About 2 months later we checked it, it was a little high.

I went to the doctor yesterday. I'm not eating anything processed and following a diet where I shop the perimeter.. My blood pressure was excellent. Take that for what it's worth.

There is a lot of good advice from those that have replied already. Tracking sodium is a GREAT idea. Most people have no idea how much sodium they are taking in. Once I began tracking it, I was very surprised how much sodium was in the foods I eat. I really had no idea!!

I have learned from past experience that sodium intake holds me back from loosing unwanted weight. I do not stress over it, but I do make better choices because of knowing where I stand on a day to day basis. Sure I go over my goal hear and there, but I strive to make better choices the next day.

I do use pre-packaged foods, but not for every meal. I only use them when I am working and haven't had time to pre-pack homemade or whole foods. Also, be careful with condiments ... they are filled with sodium and it only takes a small amount to put you over the top.

Good Luck

I want to encourage you to start by just being aware of your current sodium intake (log it all for a day or two) to making better choices. Even if you only cut back a little at a time.

Suggestions: Purchase a full scale from Target or maybe Wal-mart and weigh your food. Get a nice pack of skinless chicken breast seasoning them with Mrs. Dash (no sodium) and let them sit in the frig for 30 mins to marinate. Cook them uncovered at 400 degrees for around 20 to 30 mins. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't over cook. Once they are done and cooled off weigh them and put them according to how much you will eat per meal in an individual bag. Leave some in the frig put the others in the freezer.

You can do this with all your fresh meats and fresh veggies. This way you can save time.

This is an excellent suggestion :drinker: I have been doing that for a while now, and its been helpful not only in weight-loss, but in getting me to cook more interesting and varried things.

If you are totally new to MFP/calorie-watching, i would concentrate FIRST on weighing and measuring everything that you consume and writing down EVERYTHING. Read nutrition labels on everything and get familiar with serving sizes.... Do this for several days with your normal diet... Go ahead and have that "light bulb moment" ... the "OMG, i eat WHAT!?!??!!?" .... Now, armed with that knowledge, you can start working on portion control and eliminating or switching out the worst of your diet offenders for healthier versions of the same thing or something new all-together. When you are getting in the routine of eating less, you will naturally (i believe) run up against the idea of not just eating LESS but eating SMARTER. Eating HEALTHIER. And this is when you will be ready to dive into things like sodium. Not that you should ignore sodium at the outset: don't. Take a good look at those preliminary days to see what you USED TO EAT for sodium! Eeeks!

Now, once you are in the routine of eating smarter, you can really delve into getting away from processed foods and making more things from scratch. Our bodies are not set up to eat industrialized food. We are all works in progress, so jump in where you are and make constant tweaks. And know that you have a whole army of MFP folks right here beside you to keep you going

Good luck!