My favorite resturants are high in sodium :(

Rollermacka
Rollermacka Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've used this site for around a week now and one of the things I'm realizing is that my favorite fast food places to go eat at are full of sodium (I don't exceed my calorie count when I eat there but it's more sodium than I'm suppose to have in a day)

Replies

  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    As you get more experienced logging food here, you'll start to see that restaurant (prepared) food generally is going to have a LOT more sodium than what you might expect. True of fast food, chain restaurants, boutiques as well.

    There is some question on sodium's effects though - if you have a condition that requires you to limit sodium, OK. But absent a pre-existing condition, some recent research suggests that a lower OR a higher sodium diet (outside the RDA recs here in the US) may actually have positive overall health benefits.

    If you're only tracking your sodium because MFP defaults to showing you that number, and you don't have a health condition causing you to limit yourself, maybe don't sweat it too much. If you do have a condition requiring you to limit it, then it looks like tracking your food and using MFP has helped you understand where you may be going wrong. All in all, win either way!
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I've used this site for around a week now and one of the things I'm realizing is that my favorite fast food places to go eat at are full of sodium (I don't exceed my calorie count when I eat there but it's more sodium than I'm suppose to have in a day)

    If you have no medical reasons for trying to keep sodium low, you will most likely be fine.....
    Just drink a lot of water.

    Changes in your sodium levels will result in your body holding water over the next couple days, till your body has adapted to the new level of sodium intake......

    But again, drink a lot of water
  • Rollermacka
    Rollermacka Posts: 6 Member
    I think it was more of just kind of a "shock" to me than if it would actually hurt me (if that makes any sense). I love Chinese Food, but when I plugged in my servings the amount of sodium in the fried rice was completely unbelievable (and I usually put a couple of soy sauce packets on top of that).
  • chadya07
    chadya07 Posts: 627 Member
    i took off sodium as one of my tracked macros because there is a limit to what i will let myself stress over. i dont track my water either.

    frozen food, prepared food, so much sodium is everywhere unless i wanted to make everything from scratch it would just drive me crazy...

    thats me.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Do you have hypertension?
  • Rollermacka
    Rollermacka Posts: 6 Member
    i took off sodium as one of my tracked macros because there is a limit to what i will let myself stress over. i dont track my water either.

    frozen food, prepared food, so much sodium is everywhere unless i wanted to make everything from scratch it would just drive me crazy...

    thats me.

    I'm still getting use to this site, I just realized my protein and sodium intake is much higher than the amounts "recommended" by this site.

    Side note, no I do not have hypertension.
  • yc4king
    yc4king Posts: 117 Member
    Yep, almost all prepared food is loaded with sodium. Low fat? Lets make up the flavour with sodium. Less sugar? SODIUM!!! You get the point...

    My wife cooks most of our meals at home with fresh ingredients, and we can't even eat at most restaurants now, or at least have to be very careful what we order. Now that i'm not used to all the sodium, I can't eat most prepared food that's loaded with it now. Tastes like i'm eating a salt-lick.

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