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Low sodium foods

superman0tohero
superman0tohero Posts: 4 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So I'm new to this fitness pal and I'm hitting all of my calorie, carbs, sugars and fat goals... My major problem is finding food that has lower sodium. It seems like most foods have lots of sodium. I want to still find foods that hit all the calorie, carbs, low fat and low sugar goals for the day. Any advice is much appreciated, Thank you.

Replies

  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    is there a reason you feel the need to lower your sodium intake?
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Only a small group of people living in the U.S. are sensitive to salt.
    If want to cut down, cook more at home. The package stuff from the grocery stores and stuff from the restaurants are loaded with sodium.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    The easiest way to limit your salt is to cook from scratch. Like RodaRose said, most prepackaged and prepared foods are filled with salt.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    edited February 2015
    Unless you have a medical reason to, I wouldn't worry too much about sodium intake.

    *Edited for spelling
  • peter56765
    peter56765 Posts: 352 Member
    edited February 2015
    RodaRose wrote: »
    Only a small group of people living in the U.S. are sensitive to salt.

    I've seen numbers anywhere from 10% to 30% of the US population is salt sensitive so it's actually quite a large group compared to something like celiac patients who comprise less than 0.5% of the population. Those with high blood pressure are also more sensitive to salt as a group. And even if you have no problem with it today, age seems to be another factor in being more apt to be salt sensitive. So I think there is an argument to be made that we shouldn't get in the habit of consuming too much salt.

    The main problem with salt sensitivity of course is high blood pressure. But unlike other food sensitivity issues, high blood pressure is notoriously asymptomatic and many Americans with high blood pressure go a long time without seeing a doctor since they don't feel any ill effects from it. When they do go because of some other illness, the high blood pressure reading is usually blamed on that. Hypertension and salt sensitivity therefore tend to be under diagnosed despite being a major factor in heart disease and stroke. And despite all our medical advances over the decades, heart disease remains the #1 killer in America, responsible for more death than all forms of cancer combined. It's ironic that people get all in a tizzy over GMOs or artificial sweeteners or gluten when salt is more likely to play a much bigger role in their health.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    It's easier to list the foods that are high sodium. Avoid the processed food in the middle aisles of the store, and processed meats. If you don't believe me, check the nutrition labels.

    When you make your own sauces, soups and stews you can control the salt.

    You remind me of what made me a nutrition label guru. My son suffered terrible migraines and to try and get on top of them, he came home from the doctor with a long list of forbidden foods. Included on the list were old cheese, MSG, and tomatoes. Just try and find a prepackaged soup or stew without one of those things in it. So I learned to make such things from scratch.

    My son learned his lesson. When he got a list of forbidden foods from the orthodontist, he "lost" the list on the way home.
  • callie006
    callie006 Posts: 151 Member
    Essentially, whole foods are lower in sodium. Anything packaged or preprepared is going to have huge amounts of sodium unless you buy special low-sodium products.

    I have a family history of blood pressure issues and want to avoid meds, so I've been trying to keep my sodium intake to a rational level. Most days, I cook myself and don't eat much sodium. Some days, like today, I have two meals out and have a ton, so it balances out. I don't go crazy, but it's something I keep an eye on.
  • superman0tohero
    superman0tohero Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you for all of your great input, I appreciate very much. :)
  • superman0tohero
    superman0tohero Posts: 4 Member
    I notice that there is a lot of sodium in low fat milk as well... I drink a lot of milk with Whey protein powder. Is there a good milk substitute other than water I could take with the Whey protein?
  • tekkiechikk
    tekkiechikk Posts: 375 Member
    Agreed, the best way to limit your salt is to prepare your own food and stay away from anything that comes in a package or can.

    Funny you should mention about low fat milk.. I don't do dairy milk, but I just noticed the sodium content in a serving of unsweetened almond milk and was surprised with the sodium content... it's not horrible, but more than I expected. Having said that, you might want to compare low fat milk with some of the milk alternatives, like soy, almond, or coconut milk.
  • superman0tohero
    superman0tohero Posts: 4 Member
    That is great advice thank you very much!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Drink regular fat milk -- just drink less of it if you have to worry about fitting the calories into your day.
This discussion has been closed.

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