Sodium - not getting enough rather than too much?

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Hi all,

I know most people struggle with high sodium diets on here but I seem to have the opposite problem - there is hardly any sodium in my diet. Probably due to being vegetarian but I'm worried such low levels may be detrimental to my health rather than beneficial.

Looking back through my food diaries (MFP suggests a level of 2300 per day as normal for me), I rarely get over half that amount. Sometimes only into the 200-300's. Plus my potassium level is pretty much zero most days too.

Does anyone know what these very low levels will do to my body and my weight loss???

Is it ok to not have much of these minerals or should I be taking supplements to sort them out?

Educate me please! :)

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    2300 mg is the maximum sodium that is considered safe to consume, less (1500) for older adults. If you are getting half that, you are likely fine. You don't need much. If you are concerned have your doctor run a blood panel to see if your blood sodium levels are low.
  • jiggs31
    jiggs31 Posts: 117
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    Example so you can see what my levels are - diet in the last week:

    Maximum MFP says I should have = 2500 per day

    Actual:
    Thurs = 295
    Wed = 1350
    Tues = 1170
    Mon = 843
    Sun = 265
    Sat = 1200
    Fri = 1025
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Example so you can see what my levels are - diet in the last week:

    Maximum MFP says I should have = 2500 per day

    Actual:
    Thurs = 295
    Wed = 1350
    Tues = 1170
    Mon = 843
    Sun = 265
    Sat = 1200
    Fri = 1025

    Unless you are on a diuretic or have a medical problem you're likely fine. I don't track sodium, but just ran the report and those look a lot like my daily levels (except for those in the 200's, I've never been that low). And since I'm 50, I get regular blood work and my blood sodium levels are always right in the middle of the healthy range. If you sweat a lot on the days you are < 300 it might be good to add a little salt to your meal, but as long as that's not every day I doubt it's hurting you.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,188 Member
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    You are fine. I believe if I recall correctly that the amount you need in a day is about 500mg, but that would be averaged out so one low day is not a big deal. I can't imagine only having 200mg in a day I had 238mg in my breakfast and that was mostly from the Almond Milk and the All Bran Cereal.

    Following potassium on MFP is pretty much a waste of time since I don't believe it is required on nutrition labels, so often even when it is present it is not reported. If you are really concerned add a banana, orange, lima beans, pinto beans, avocado, or lentil to your diet as they are all pretty high in potassium.

    BTW, being low in sodium won't affect your weight loss except to maybe make it less likely you will retain water. It can, just like being low in potassium, cause feelings of muscle weakness and various other things as they are needed for the body to function properly. I am guessing you are getting plenty though as someone said if you are concerned your doctor can run a blood test to check your levels.
  • vlc1979
    vlc1979 Posts: 227
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    Most likely you will average out w/ the high days. The new rec. are a max of 1500 mg a day. I would think the only problem you might run into is you are sweating tons from frequent heavy work outs.
    Possible signs of hyponatremia: (low salt)
    - Headache
    - Restless
    - Muscle spasms

    Personally I would be more worried about the potassium
    - Muscle weakness
    - Muscle Aches
    - Muscle Cramps

    If you are worried about it a simple blood test will give you the answers.

    GL
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Following potassium on MFP is pretty much a waste of time since I don't believe it is required on nutrition labels, so often even when it is present it is not reported. If you are really concerned add a banana, orange, lima beans, pinto beans, avocado, or lentil to your diet as they are all pretty high in potassium.

    I agree completely!! I was tracking potassium at first and thought OMG!! I was so low! Then I began to really watch it and realized that hardly any entries have it and packaged foods rarely list it. So I started looking it up in nutrition databases and found that I was never under the RDA. Now I don't track it.

    But if you are worried, you can always chug a can of low sodium V8 which has over 1500 mg of potassium. Or in your case I guess you don't need to get low sodium. :wink:
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I think the same is true about sodium content, especially anything you've got logged that has only calories. Hope you don't mind but I checked your food diary and found one GLARING inaccuracy with sodium. Those Jacob's Rosemary and Sea Salt thins would obviously have sodium in them. According to another website (calorie count), there is 600mg per serving.

    If you're really concerned, check the labels or brand name websites for nutritional info or other websites (calorieking, livestrong, etc) to make sure. And PLEASE update the info here on MFP when you know you have the correct data.

    To answer your question, as someone else posted, 500mg per day is the minimum. 1500mg is what's recommended for max by the American Heart Association, 2500mg is still the current standard though. Definitely watch for those warning signs if you're being active and sweating.

    Take care!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I'm pretty sure you're getting more sodium than you think, since a number of the items on your food list don't have sodium listed. There's no way something called, "Rosemary & Sea Salt Thins" has 0 sodium.

    Same goes for breads and even milks. They have SOME sodium.
  • jiggs31
    jiggs31 Posts: 117
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    Thanks for the tips everyone, I'll let you know how I get on!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    The signs and symptoms of hyponatremia (low sodium) vary. The only way a doctor can confirm whether you have hyponatremia is by a blood test. Signs and symptoms of hyponatremia may include:

    Drowsiness or fatigue
    Nausea
    Headache
    Confusion
    Restlessness
    Loss of consciousness or coma
    Hyponatremia treatments may include changing the amount of water you drink, or changing the amount of salt in your diet.

    References; mayoclinic.com
  • vincenz541
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    I've also been struggling with reaching the 3500 mg mark for potassium and have been eating pounds of spinach, as well as bananas twice a day and potatoes. What did you do instead? What do you mean by 'started to really watch it'?
  • MikeLAdams
    MikeLAdams Posts: 40
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    I've also been struggling with reaching the 3500 mg mark for potassium and have been eating pounds of spinach, as well as bananas twice a day and potatoes. What did you do instead? What do you mean by 'started to really watch it'?

    You could try a multivitamin or potassium supplement
  • dedflwrs
    dedflwrs Posts: 251 Member
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    I find that when I have very little sodium I tend to get foot cramps. Coincidence? Who knows but it is something that happens to me.

    For potassium I do avocado and coconut. Two things I love.
  • randombro2222
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    Sodium is actually a very important part of your daily diet, to go as low as 300mg a day is dangerous. Your vital organs can start to fail with out the proper amount of sodium, no they are not going to fail over night, but in time all you are doing is damaging yourself.

    I would achieve at-least 1,000mg a day and make that a must, if you can try to get 1,200-1,500mg a day. As for what salt you should be achieving this with, always go for sea-salt or himalayan salt. Never table salt, that stuff is literally as beneficial as going in your front lawn and using the dirt you have laying around as seasoning(I'm not joking).
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
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    I am a vegan and it is VERY difficult for me to get enough sodium. I hate to become dehydrated from too little sodium. Pickles and sauerkraut and soy sauce are good sodium sources. The gruesome symptoms of dehydration due to too little sodium:

    Eyelids bug out
    Tissues in face shrink, face looks hollow
    Nose thins, looks sharp
    Lips shrink and thin out and droop
    Breasts shrink
    Tissues all over the body shrink, resulting in a less-firm sppearance
    You will look about 50 years older than your age, even if you're very young