should I just ignore the sodium counter?
imsquizzy
Posts: 8
I noticed that when tracking my foods it seems insanely hard to keep the sodium levels down unless youre eating meat without anything special on them I guess. I did a little bit of research. Everything I bring up seems to be the same about preventing high blood pressure and what not. This seems like an issue to struggle with when youre older. Basically I guess what Im looking for is an ELI5 version of why I should worry about the sodium levels are just not be too worried about it all together
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I don't worry about sodium too much since I don't have any medical reason for me to worry about it. I drink enough water/fluid to combat the intake
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I mostly ignore it because I'm consistently so far under the RDAs for sodium that it's not a concern for me.
If you're consistently going over the RDAs, on the other hand, you may want to keep an eye on it. Even if you don't have any medical issues with sodium today, it doesn't mean you won't in the future.
High sodium levels probably indicate that you're eating a lot of fast food or pre-packaged sauces, soups, etc. Try looking at your diary to see what's driving those big sodium numbers, and then look for alternatives or ways you can make the recipes from scratch with lower sodium.0 -
Actually, the American Heart Association now recommends 1500 mg or less of sodium for everyone, regardless of age. Their thinking is that everyone seems to eventually develop high blood pressure as they age. They believe that lower sodium during the younger years of your life will help prevent it.
The best thing to do is look at which items are full of sodium in your diet. I can already tell you that deli meats, cottage cheese, bottled salsa, chicken injected with "flavoring", packaged/processed foods and canned soups are some of the biggest offenders. Many food manufacturers use salt as a preservative and for flavoring. Avoiding these heavy hitters will help. Making more of your meals yourself, from scratch, will help even more.0 -
lol nope not a lot of packaged for me... just like my seasonings and I can go over easily as I am sure I will do tonight once I marinate my steaks lol 0
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Yes
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What seasonings are you using that have so much sodium? Store bought seasoning blends? Those do usually have a lot of salt. Why not make some yourself and avoid the sodium overload? I usually make a rub of granulated garlic (not garlic salt), granulated onion (again, not salt), various herbs and a little salt and pepper. Marinades can be made with vinegar, oil and those same granulated or crushed spices.0
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I think you can ignore it, just keep in mind (if you weigh yourself frequently) that a little sodium goes a long way towards water retention. That's the only immediate/negative effect I know of.0
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prattiger65 wrote: »Yes
lol0 -
Just looked at your diary. I see you're new to logging and that you're eating a lot of fast food, deli meats, store-bought chilis, etc.
Change things incrementally. For the first few weeks, don't worry about the sodium counter and just focus on getting your portion control right and sticking to your daily calorie allowance. Don't worry so much about *what* you eat -- just eat less of it.
Once you're comfortable doing that, you can start focusing on your macros and micros, and changing up some of your foods to incorporate some lower-sodium, healthier options.
But trying to change too much, too fast is one of those newbie pitfalls that you should try to avoid.0 -
I don't have sodium set as one of the things I even track.0
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What seasonings are you using that have so much sodium? Store bought seasoning blends? Those do usually have a lot of salt. Why not make some yourself and avoid the sodium overload? I usually make a rub of granulated garlic (not garlic salt), granulated onion (again, not salt), various herbs and a little salt and pepper. Marinades can be made with vinegar, oil and those same granulated or crushed spices.
I like my garlic salt ... Like I said, it isn't something I personally track or worry about it.. when I am forced to - I will. 0 -
What seasonings are you using that have so much sodium? Store bought seasoning blends? Those do usually have a lot of salt. Why not make some yourself and avoid the sodium overload? I usually make a rub of granulated garlic (not garlic salt), granulated onion (again, not salt), various herbs and a little salt and pepper. Marinades can be made with vinegar, oil and those same granulated or crushed spices.
Well its just like, I want to eat TWO slices of pizza, its like 800 calories and 2000mg of sodium....Like damn, I was also thinking of having a few buffalo wings at some point. Pretty low calorie count which was cool but the sodium levels are insane. From what people are saying though, it just seems if you REAAAAALY want to make sure youre healthy in the long term, be careful of the sodium levels. Which isnt really too much of a concern to me. Both my dad and grandad have insane genes they passed down to me. Those guys have been smoking without any serious side effects except a messed up grill. My grandpa is more healthy then most older people I see and he still smokes cigars everyday....im kind of rambling about family genetics and I'll stop now0 -
Most people would be better off with less sodium, but at the same time, if you are exercising, you might actually need some extra sodium in your diet. Recent research indicates that if your potassium intake is enough to properly balance it out (2 potassium to 1 sodium) excessive sodium isn't a problem anyway.
Processed foods all have added sodium to keep them from spoiling. To avoid sodium, fresh meat, and fresh or frozen vegetables is the way to go. Even if you add some salt, it is likely less than you would get if it came from a can.0 -
yea, Im slowly transitioning into this diet. I havent even gone shopping yet for new food to eat so im just tryin to make due with what I currently have. One BIG issue I had that I didnt even realize, was that milk was insanely fattening and that was a huge thing was just eating cereal all day >.< im also just not midnight snacking AT ALL anymoreJust looked at your diary. I see you're new to logging and that you're eating a lot of fast food, deli meats, store-bought chilis, etc.
Change things incrementally. For the first few weeks, don't worry about the sodium counter and just focus on getting your portion control right and sticking to your daily calorie allowance. Don't worry so much about *what* you eat -- just eat less of it.
Once you're comfortable doing that, you can start focusing on your macros and micros, and changing up some of your foods to incorporate some lower-sodium, healthier options.
But trying to change too much, too fast is one of those newbie pitfalls that you should try to avoid.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »Most people would be better off with less sodium, but at the same time, if you are exercising, you might actually need some extra sodium in your diet. Recent research indicates that if your potassium intake is enough to properly balance it out (2 potassium to 1 sodium) excessive sodium isn't a problem anyway.
Processed foods all have added sodium to keep them from spoiling. To avoid sodium, fresh meat, and fresh or frozen vegetables is the way to go. Even if you add some salt, it is likely less than you would get if it came from a can.
hey on the subject of potassium. What foods would be good to eat for that? I have a minor banana allergy so eating bananas actually physically hurts me
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yea, Im slowly transitioning into this diet. I havent even gone shopping yet for new food to eat so im just tryin to make due with what I currently have. One BIG issue I had that I didnt even realize, was that milk was insanely fattening and that was a huge thing was just eating cereal all day >.< im also just not midnight snacking AT ALL anymoreJust looked at your diary. I see you're new to logging and that you're eating a lot of fast food, deli meats, store-bought chilis, etc.
Change things incrementally. For the first few weeks, don't worry about the sodium counter and just focus on getting your portion control right and sticking to your daily calorie allowance. Don't worry so much about *what* you eat -- just eat less of it.
Once you're comfortable doing that, you can start focusing on your macros and micros, and changing up some of your foods to incorporate some lower-sodium, healthier options.
But trying to change too much, too fast is one of those newbie pitfalls that you should try to avoid.
fats won't kill you... I like whole milk 0 -
We all need sodium for our body to function, but too much can cause health issues.
If you do have a medical reason, then you should limit it to about 1500 mg a day. Medical reasons may include high blood pressure, anything heart or vascular related, kidney disease, diabetes, and cancers. Additionally, sodium can cause other ailments such as tinnitus, bloating, circulation issues in the extremities (hands/feet).
Most people do fine between 1500 and 2400 mg.
I got this information from doctors that specialize in Cardiology and Oncology.
I found a statement very helpful and it makes sense based on my own research and information gathered from my Cardiologist and a family Oncologist:
"... because the kidneys are responsible for eliminating salt from the body, and if there is too much salt, the kidneys cannot eliminate it fast enough and you will get fluid retention. The fluid retention is also capable of building around the heart. This will cause the heart to not be able to beat and function properly, which can cause high blood pressure, congestive heart failure or even strokes and heart attacks."
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I track my sodium pretty closely due to medical reasons. I probably wouldn't have been in this situation if I had watched my sodium intake when I was younger.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »Most people would be better off with less sodium, but at the same time, if you are exercising, you might actually need some extra sodium in your diet. Recent research indicates that if your potassium intake is enough to properly balance it out (2 potassium to 1 sodium) excessive sodium isn't a problem anyway.
Processed foods all have added sodium to keep them from spoiling. To avoid sodium, fresh meat, and fresh or frozen vegetables is the way to go. Even if you add some salt, it is likely less than you would get if it came from a can.
hey on the subject of potassium. What foods would be good to eat for that? I have a minor banana allergy so eating bananas actually physically hurts me
All meat has some potassium, the white meats tend to have more. Root vegetables, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes are very high in potassium, even more so than bananas. Dried fruit is typically high in potassium. Squash is high in potassium. Mushrooms are high in potassium. Dark leafy greens like spinach and chard are high in potassium. Pretty much, anything people call a healthy food is also high in potassium.
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On potassium: Most food labelling doesn't require its inclusion, so the values in the MFP database are mostly wrong. If your potassium looks low based on your food diary, don't worry -- it's probably fine, it's just that lots of foods are entered into the database as having 0 potassium.
Go to the doc for annual checkups, get your blood work done and levels checked regularly, and most people will be just fine on micronutrients. If your doctor highlights a problem, deal with it then.0
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