Is it normal not to meet the suggested nutrition needs, eg sodium?

actually, if you truly are under on sodium (unlikely, probably errors in the entries you're using) there's a chance that you're under on iodine. So if you truly aren't getting enough sodium (like, say under 1000 mg per day) consider adding some iodized salt to a couple things. You don't need a lot to get the iodine you need. **It is highly unlikely you're not getting enough sodium and iodine**

MFP shows the upper limit for sodium at 2300 milligrams. Most people (Americans) go way over that on a regular basis, not by adding salt to their cooking or dinner plates, but through processed foods. Food manufacturers sell food by making stuff that tastes good and most of us want three things when it comes to taste: sugar, fat, and salt. When food manufacturers cut back on one ingredient, sometimes because it's getting a lot of bad press like fat or sugar, they increase another ingredient to compensate. If you haven't already done so, check the nutrition labels on virtually any processed, packaged food. You'll find most of them are very high in sodium for a single serving.

Sodium is not bad though. Your body needs about 1500 milligrams daily. Trying to fit a whole day's worth of food in between 1500 and 2300 milligrams is a pretty tight window. The only way I've found to make it work is to eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods. Fruits, vegetables, and meat all have sodium naturally and will get you close to 1500 milligrams. Add a (processed) snack or a little table salt and you've hit your minimum.

Most days I'm right around 1500 to 2000 milligrams because I eat mostly whole foods. If I go to Chipotle or cook a frozen pizza, I'll probably finish the day around 3500 to 4500 milligrams. One day isn't going to hurt me, but I definitely notice it the following day when I weigh in 2 or 3 pounds heavier with extra water weight.

Few people pay attention to it, but potassium is another one to keep an eye on. You should be getting about twice as much potassium as sodium. While it can be a struggle trying to keep sodium down, it can also be a challenge getting enough potassium, over 3500 milligrams. Like sodium, most whole foods have some potassium. Potassium isn't listed on most nutrition labels though, so it's hard to tell exactly how much you're getting on a daily basis. About a year ago I switched to a salt substitute, potassium chloride, to both keep my sodium down and my potassium up. It tastes a lot like salt and isn't bad once you get used to it.

hartland45 wrote: »

Very useful information, thank you. I've been diagnosed with low sodium levels but yet to discover why.

Your diary is locked so we're not going to get any clues there. How is your daily or average sodium consumption?

lc355 wrote: »

jim180155 wrote: »

Sodium is not bad though. Your body needs about 1500 milligrams daily. Trying to fit a whole day's worth of food in between 1500 and 2300 milligrams is a pretty tight window. The only way I've found to make it work is to eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods. Fruits, vegetables, and meat all have sodium naturally and will get you close to 1500 milligrams. Add a (processed) snack or a little table salt and you've hit your minimum.

Thanks for all the info, my diary is unlocked if you'd be willing to take a peek and offer any tips.

LC, my first thought after looking at your diary is that I'm surprised you're still alive. You seem to be getting very little sodium, except with the processed food that you don't seem to eat much of. Looking a little closer I noticed that you're getting some bad info on your entries. Almost all foods contain at least some sodium. Broccoli, for instance, has sodium. Not a lot, but it would add to your daily total. White bread has sodium too. If you're concerned that you're not getting enough, I'd start with the assumption that anything you eat has some sodium, and double check any MFP entries that claim zero sodium since some of the MFP database is incorrect. (The "MFP verified" entries should be good.)

If that doesn't fix it, you're going to have to take more drastic measures. I know it's going to be painful, but you're just going to have to get more junk food in your diet.

LC, I'm mostly kidding about eating junk food, although not altogether. You seem to be "eating clean." I'm surprised that it results in so little sodium at the end of the day.

I don't know much about hyperthyroidism, so any comment of mine wouldn't be worth much. You might want to share your sodium levels with your doctor though. I don't know if there's a possible connection there or not.

I have a history of high blood pressure in my family, and used to be borderline myself until I lost weight. In conversation with my doctors, I regard the 2300 mg of sodium a day as a ceiling as opposed to a target. The other macros for me are a target. I don't have any issue getting at least 1200+ mg/day.

During my long weight-lifting workouts (2+ hours) I drink a protein shake with sodium and potassium to replenish.

Blood work from your doc can determine if you're truly deficient in sodium and in the other areas (Iron, B-Vitamins, D, etc.) and might be a good idea to get done.

I don't use iodized salt and normally don't eat processed foods, and was having what I thought were salt cravings until I started supplementing with kelp. What my body wanted was iodine. You and I need 150 mcg per day: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-Consumer/
I take this.
Iodine deficiency can cause fatigue, and a host of other issues.

Iron deficiency can also cause fatigue. I'm anemic and get my levels tested yearly. I experimented with several different forms of iron and take this now.