Is there such thing as too little sodium??

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_Jessica_
_Jessica_ Posts: 216 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I was looking back to my sodium intake for the last few weeks, and I am not even close to my sodium goal. I am allowed 2500sodium and I am lucky if I come close to 1100 sodium. Is this a bad thing??

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  • SarahLovesCheesecake
    SarahLovesCheesecake Posts: 520
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    Yes. Im not an expert but I have been studying this. Your body needs a certain amount, I guess just dont add it to your food in huge amounts like me lol
  • Kirstie_C26
    Kirstie_C26 Posts: 490 Member
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    i wudnt say so, as ive heard ppl say the sodium goal for MFP is too high and we should only be aiming for 1500 so ur all good lol, im usually under sodium too as i dont like salt hahahaha
  • 13hirteen
    13hirteen Posts: 94 Member
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    It's possible to get too little salt, particularly if you're training really hard, as a certain level is required to rehydrate successfully. For instance, I'm somewhat prone to muscle cramps. On the advice of the nutritionist at the martial arts school I was training at, I raised the overall level of salt in my diet and made a point of eating either table salt or using rehydration salts whenever I got cramp.

    Overall result: I no longer cramp during training and, as a nice bonus, I no longer wake up in the middle of the night with scream-inducing cramps in my calf muscles or feet.

    This is very much a Your Mileage May Vary situation, though. Some people really do need to have very little salt in their diet and will experience serious negative health effects (most notably high blood pressure) if they over-do it. Meanwhile a handful of people require inordinately high levels to maintain both their physical and mental well-being (salt deficiency has been linked to depression, among other things).

    Most people just need to eat an amount that's proportionate to the activity they're doing and that satisfies their body's needs, but it can take some trial and error and is subject to a fair bit of variance from person to person.

    (Note: I have no training in medicine or nutrition, don't take my advice over that of trained professionals, etc., etc.).
  • Ladywindchaser
    Ladywindchaser Posts: 44 Member
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    I am certainly no expert or even a Doctor. However, my best friend is a Cardologist. He just attended a Conference on this very issue What was discussed was how high sodium levels are killing people. High rates of heart, high blood pressure, blood vessel diseases, etc. His advice to both me and his wife is to have no more than 1 teaspoon per day.

    So that is what I am living by now. What a difference it has made. I had stage 3 high blood pressure. Not any more thanks to limiting my sodium. I also have bleeding blood vessels in the back of my eyes. Time will tell if they heal naturally. I have been treated with many types of drugs and even shots in the eye for this condition for more than a year now. Nothing has worked and there are no options left for me except to get sodium and all chemicals out of my food per the Cardologist. So proof will be in my eyes but it has already worked on my high blood pressure. So you be the judge.

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