Sodium Question

good question!!! cant wait for an answer! lol :huh:

I would change that to you need to consume more lean protein, good fats and whole grain carbs. The answer is your calorie requirements will change. As a whole we consume enormous amounts of salt as it is. The only time you would need to replace the loss of electrolytes is if you are really sweating for an extended period of time. Do beware of getting sucked into the trap of overeating what you are expending.

Copy pasted:


Why salt is bad
The amount of salt you eat has a direct effect on your blood pressure.

Salt makes your body hold on to water. If you eat too much salt, the extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure. So, the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure.

The higher your blood pressure, the greater the strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, dementia and kidney disease.

Also, eating too much salt may mean that blood pressure medicines (such as diuretics) don't work as well as they could.

For more on how salt affects your body, brain, heart and kidneys,

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

Very concise explanation.

The only thing that exercise affects regarding sodium is, if you sweat a lot, you should replenish your sodium along with the other electrolytes. This is not something you or MFP can track, though. It has to be done on your own based on how you feel.

An otherwise healthy person can spend a day walking around in the sun and not have to replenish anything.

Drinking water will suffice. The body knows how to regulate electrolytes on it's own and doesn't really need Gatorade just because you went for a run in the sunshine or were swimming all afternoon.

The very old and young tend to have a harder time with electrolytes, especially when dehydrated or through repeated vomiting, but for the vast and overwhelming majority of people, water will do...despite what the folks at Gatorade will tell you.

As always, though, ask your doctor if he thinks it's required.

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

Very concise explanation.

The only thing that exercise affects regarding sodium is, if you sweat a lot, you should replenish your sodium along with the other electrolytes. This is not something you or MFP can track, though. It has to be done on your own based on how you feel.

As the sweat (and I think a small tear) rolled down my face this morning during an intense workout with a personal trainer I thought the same thing. I also know I sweated a good amount of sodium out of my body during 30 minutes of circuit training, an hour of Pilates, and an hour of yoga yesterday. It was WAY more than "a day of walking around in the sun"...

I hope it was only a little tear....

Marathon runners and other endurance athletes need to watch their electrolyte intakes during long training sessions and races. Marathon runners have been known to succumb to hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood) if they are only drinking water during their races. Also, I live in Tucson where a "day of walking in the sun" -- or playing in a soccer tournament or other physical activity in the excessive heat -- will make you very sick without some kind of electrolyte intake during the day. Living in a very hot and dry environment makes you very sensitive to your body's water and electrolyte needs.

An otherwise healthy person can spend a day walking around in the sun and not have to replenish anything.

Drinking water will suffice. The body knows how to regulate electrolytes on it's own and doesn't really need Gatorade just because you went for a run in the sunshine or were swimming all afternoon.

The very old and young tend to have a harder time with electrolytes, especially when dehydrated or through repeated vomiting, but for the vast and overwhelming majority of people, water will do...despite what the folks at Gatorade will tell you.

As always, though, ask your doctor if he thinks it's required.

If I sweat a lot I just eat something salty. I can't stand Gatorade or any of those other things and don't want to waste my money on them.