Sodium

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xTry2Defyx
xTry2Defyx Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone-
I keep hearing people chat about keeping sodium levels down. I'm guessing to not retain water? What's a good amount of sodium to consume in a day??

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  • xTry2Defyx
    xTry2Defyx Posts: 24 Member
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    Just noticed someone else posted this earlier. Oops~
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
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    The American Heart Association used to recommend 2500 mg/day. The new guidelines, however, are 1500 mg/day.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    Your daily goal should be displayed at the bottom of your food tracker. I think it varies based on weight, height, goals, etc. You can change this if you are working to keep your sodium even lower. It's all up to you.
  • littlelol
    littlelol Posts: 539
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    what is sodium?
  • jmcniel
    jmcniel Posts: 65
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    For me, since I have high blood pressure, I try and stay between 1500 and 2100mg a day.
  • richars65
    richars65 Posts: 26 Member
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    Sodium is the primary element in table salt. High levels tend to increase blood pressure (thus increasing risk of heart problems). Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of death for Americans, particularly overweight and obese Americans. General recommendations from my GP:

    1) Keep sodium under 2000mg/day

    2) Increase potassium intake, as it MAY lower blood pressure and counteract the effects of excess sodium.

    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Sodium-Salt-or-Sodium-Chloride_UCM_303290_Article.jsp
  • johnthefatman
    johnthefatman Posts: 205
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    In a a word SALT
    Apart from the link to water retention causing slower weight loss there is also a link to blood pressure if your BP is above normal you need to watch the salt.

    If anyone needs to know, if your food label lists salt then multiply by 0.4 to get the sodium content.
  • Scubasab
    Scubasab Posts: 344 Member
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    I went into my diary and physically changed/reduced my sodium to 1500 mg. Sodium is hidden in everything so it is important to also check your labels as well. Best of luck to you on your journey!!! :flowerforyou:
  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
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    Sodium is my weakness...I didn't really watch it back in December - but since I watched it like a hawk now in the month of January, I have seen a huge difference...and drinkin' 3 bottles of water that hold 1.5L in the past few weeks have been helpin' alot to flush out the excess sodium...
  • xTry2Defyx
    xTry2Defyx Posts: 24 Member
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    I just changed my food diary to show me my daily intake. On a lot of days I've been great with it...but holy crap! I didn't realize the amount in a little bit of cold cuts for lunch! They put me over the top more often than I'd like. Time to make some more changes!
  • jmcniel
    jmcniel Posts: 65
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    I just changed my food diary to show me my daily intake. On a lot of days I've been great with it...but holy crap! I didn't realize the amount in a little bit of cold cuts for lunch! They put me over the top more often than I'd like. Time to make some more changes!


    Completely know what you mean. There are times where I am doing well, but I will have a sandwich or something and then bam, sodium is out the roof.

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