Sodium daily goal is 2,300?

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MarcJLV
MarcJLV Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I just signed up on Myfitnesspal. I am 56 and I have about 30 lbs to lose. I lam enjoying the program so far, so easy to enter info, and love that it sets goals and gives feedback. So many of you are engaged as well, which is terrific!

One question: my sodium daily goal is 2,300. Does anyone else have this high goal? Wondering if this is an error, or if I'm supposed to eat more salt to drink more water.

Thanks for any feedback, and good luck to you all!
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Replies

  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,483 Member
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    2,300 Sodium is meant to be a maximum I believe. Not that it will kill you to go over, but under is better.
  • MisterZ33
    MisterZ33 Posts: 567 Member
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    i think that is a generic platform, considering that an adult should not intake more that 2300 mg of sodium per day.

    truthfully, i have a very difficult time staying under 2300 mg of sodium. it almost never happens.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    The American Heart Association recommends 1500mg or less.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    The American Heart Association recommends 1500mg or less.

    I find it quite easy to stay under 1500mg but I don't typically eat many processed foods. Eating a processed diet likely would put a person well over 3000mg + easily.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It's the max, it's better to be under...but you can also go too low, particularly if you are also very active and sweat a lot and drink a lot of water.
  • Joannesmith2818
    Joannesmith2818 Posts: 438 Member
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    i think that is a generic platform, considering that an adult should not intake more that 2300 grams of sodium per day.

    truthfully, i have a very difficult time staying under 2300 grams of sodium. it almost never happens.

    Really? Are you sure?
  • julie2000anne
    julie2000anne Posts: 14 Member
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    It's just the maximum amount that is recommended.

    The Institute of Medicine recommends 1500 mg of sodium per day as the Adequate Intake level for most Americans and advises everyone to limit sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day, the Tolerable Upper Limit. Current dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.

    http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/
  • svsl0928
    svsl0928 Posts: 205 Member
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    One of my health issues is high blood pressure. So sodium intake is important to me. I have researched and try to watch my intake. The guidelines were changed several years ago. This is what I found. If you are age 51 or older, an African American or have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, your maximum sodium intake should be 1500 or less. Some say this is hard to achieve. I have set mine to 1500. Some days I make; it some days I don't. For more details, check out choosemyplate.gov

    PS: When I start MFP I was taking two pills. Now, I take one and the mgs were reduced.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    The American Heart Association recommends 1500mg or less.

    I find it quite easy to stay under 1500mg but I don't typically eat many processed foods. Eating a processed diet likely would put a person well over 3000mg + easily.

    Quite true. It's been a little rough giving up canned soup, but I lived.
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
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    Meh. Really, it depends. If you work out (and sweat), you probably can consume and need much more sodium. I drink 2-3 bottles of energy drinks during a long bike ride, that's more than 1,000 mg of sodium.

    Seriously, I only think you should care about this if you are suffering hypertension or under medical advice. Most people can manage sodium excesses in their diet with reasonable hydration.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    dssodium_270px.jpg
    Source: http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/

    We all need a small amount (e.g., between about 180 mg and 500 mg per day) of sodium to keep our bodies working properly.

    The Institute of Medicine recommends 1500 mg of sodium per day as the Adequate Intake level for most Americans and advises everyone to limit sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day, the Tolerable Upper Limit. Current dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. However, if you are in the following population groups, you should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day and meet the potassium recommendation (4,700 mg/day) with food.
    •You are 51 years of age or older.
    •You are African American.
    •You have high blood pressure.
    •You have diabetes.
    •You have chronic kidney disease.
  • MisterZ33
    MisterZ33 Posts: 567 Member
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    i think that is a generic platform, considering that an adult should not intake more that 2300 grams of sodium per day.

    truthfully, i have a very difficult time staying under 2300 grams of sodium. it almost never happens.

    Really? Are you sure?

    sorry, i meant to say mg, not grams.

    yes, often times i have a hard time staying under 2300 mg of sodium, which is odd because i eat very little processed foods.
  • mnwalkingqueen
    mnwalkingqueen Posts: 1,299 Member
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    My doctor said for me that 2300mg is fine unless you have heart issues or high blood pressure than he would give me a specific amount to stay under. I consult my doctor before a message boards because they know your health the people on here do not.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    The American Heart Association recommends 1500mg or less.

    I find it quite easy to stay under 1500mg but I don't typically eat many processed foods. Eating a processed diet likely would put a person well over 3000mg + easily.

    Agreed. It's very easy to stay under 1500mg when you eliminate processed foods from your diet!
  • MarcJLV
    MarcJLV Posts: 2
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    Wow, thanks for all the info! I am finding it easy to stay under 1500mg -- except for those days when I have sausages!
  • janatarnhem
    janatarnhem Posts: 669 Member
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    The British Heart Association ( I am in the UK) recommends a sodium intake of no more than 6 gms a day = 6000mgs.
    UNLESS you have high BP or associated poblems.
    E.g I have renal problems, take anti hypertensive drugs to protect my kidneys and am SPECIFICALLy advised to aim for 1.5 gms to a maximum 2.5 gms.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
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    Hi, I just signed up on Myfitnesspal. I am 56 and I have about 30 lbs to lose. I lam enjoying the program so far, so easy to enter info, and love that it sets goals and gives feedback. So many of you are engaged as well, which is terrific!

    One question: my sodium daily goal is 2,300. Does anyone else have this high goal? Wondering if this is an error, or if I'm supposed to eat more salt to drink more water.

    Thanks for any feedback, and good luck to you all!

    I can't stay under that goal no matter how hard I try. I discussed it with my Dr. and he looked at my history and blood pressure and blood work and stated that if I could keep it under 3000mg per day not to worry about it. So I don't.
  • Kari121869
    Kari121869 Posts: 180 Member
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    I actually have the OPPOSITE problem - my dr has told me numerous times that my body is LOW in sodium (my mom has this problem too) and he actually ENCOURAGES me to put salt on my food - which I don't usually because I find there's enough salt in food as it is to be honest lol
    Having said that - I have a hard time staying under 2300mg a day as well - and I try to eat as much 'real' food as possible (feel free to look at my diary - it's open).. if anyone sees things in there I should change I'm always open to suggestions.
    I had dizzy spells and he attributed that partly to low sodium in my body.. at one time he even had me using a SALT LICK when I was heavy into working out. (I've taken a break during my holidays lol)

    I try to watch my sodium - but when I'm light headed I eat something salty - like a dill pickle, etc..

    any suggestions?
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    The American Heart Association recommends 1500mg or less.

    I think that is just the number for those over 50. The amount of sodium should be adjusted to the activity level (sweating excretes a lot of sodium). You naturally get the right amount of sodium if you salt your food to taste--provided you haven't distorted your taste for salt by eating too much consistently. But the more important minerals are magnesium and potassium as most people don't get enough of either on our standard diet that is heavily weighted toward calcium and sodium. Calcium stands in opposition to magnesium and sodium stands in opposition to potassium. Sweating also greatly increases our need for both of them. Hypomagnesemia tends to be a real problem for athletes who are often not careful of their diet.

    Fortunately, nature usually packages high potassium foods with plenty of magnesium. Vegetables and fruits are the best source for both. That is one of the main reasons why our high starch/high sugar diets are unhealthy. Both starch and sugar (sucrose) have been "denatured"--that is they represent a fraction of what is available in the food source that they are taken from. Natural foods are designed to nourish our bodies in the best way.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I actually have the OPPOSITE problem - my dr has told me numerous times that my body is LOW in sodium (my mom has this problem too) and he actually ENCOURAGES me to put salt on my food - which I don't usually because I find there's enough salt in food as it is to be honest lol
    Having said that - I have a hard time staying under 2300mg a day as well - and I try to eat as much 'real' food as possible (feel free to look at my diary - it's open).. if anyone sees things in there I should change I'm always open to suggestions.
    I had dizzy spells and he attributed that partly to low sodium in my body.. at one time he even had me using a SALT LICK when I was heavy into working out. (I've taken a break during my holidays lol)

    I try to watch my sodium - but when I'm light headed I eat something salty - like a dill pickle, etc..

    any suggestions?

    I took a peek at your food diary for one day and assumed that was a typical day. Your diet looks reasonably healthy. But, you are under-eating by a bit and are inadequate in your fat intake (which will do bad things to you hormonally--you need AT LEAST 45 grams of "good" fats, nuts, organic butter, avocado, etc. to stay healthy). I notice that your carb intake is on the low side and that may be the difficulty in holding onto sodium (carbs will preserve sodium in the body). Some people need more carbs to keep their sodium levels where they should be.

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