Sodium Nightmare!

palau_sam
palau_sam Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This app is everything. I was proud of my calories until I saw my nutritional intake. Didn't know I was killing myself with so much sodium!!!

Replies

  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    edited May 2016
    Unless you have a preexisting medical condition, I wouldn't worry a whole lot about excess sodium. There's some water weight, but that's it really.
  • AllSUMLIFE
    AllSUMLIFE Posts: 27 Member
    I totally agree! I see a huge difference when I'm mindful of my sodium and I'm not eating too much of it!
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
    I know a lot of people don't pay attention to sodium, but I pay attention to it as if it were a macro. Not only do I plan my meals around calories, but also sodium. I don't like hopping on the scale to see 1-2 lbs water weight gain even when I know it'll go away in a day or two. I also hate the bloated appearance too much sodium gives me, especially around my ankles.
  • SugarySweetheart
    SugarySweetheart Posts: 154 Member
    Sodium is bad for us all, especially those prone to high blood pressure. Water weight is another reason sodium is not good for us. Honestly sodium IS something we should be concerned with and eating fresh produce and home cooked meals instead of processed food, take out or prepackaged foods helps us eliminate this concern.
  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,105 Member
    Always can reverse it.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    People who are interested in lowering salt start cooking from scratch a few meals from home each week :)
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    edited May 2016
    SugarySweetheart wrote: »
    Sodium is bad for us all, especially those prone to high blood pressure. Water weight is another reason sodium is not good for us. Honestly sodium IS something we should be concerned with and eating fresh produce and home cooked meals instead of processed food, take out or prepackaged foods helps us eliminate this concern.
    I agree! I don't understand the comment made on it being 'reversible'

    1500mg is now the recommended daily allotment for women... it's been lowered whether a person has health concerns or not. @palau_sam Men are allowed a bit more.
  • ajndave
    ajndave Posts: 2 Member
    My sodium is always between 600 and 1100 - but I home cook all my meals, and I almost never add salt to my cooking. I use pepper, spices and herbs (fresh and dried) for flavour.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    Are you adding foods from the database? I notice a lot of foods added to the database either miss out sodium altogether or add the incorrect amount as they don't convert grams to milligrams. For example I added a food saying sodium was 0.3 mg but it was actually 300mg so messed up tracking sodium. I'd double check as you could be eating even more sodium than you thought.
  • Ramlupa
    Ramlupa Posts: 111 Member
    I have kidney issues and I have to watch my sodium but it never fails I find it sooooo hard to control
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    Unless you have a preexisting medical condition, I wouldn't worry a whole lot about excess sodium. There's some water weight, but that's it really.

    The problem with this statement is that unless you get a medical check regularly you don't know if you have a pre-existing medical condition, so maybe keep track anyway so you don't make any conditions worse or develop a medical condition.
  • bellabonbons
    bellabonbons Posts: 705 Member
    I do not even own a saltshaker. It can easily become an unhealthy habit. Our bodies do not need added salt there's more than enough salt in the food that we eat. sodium can play havoc with our health if we have too much. How do I know? My late husband was a physician. He was brilliant. And we lost him much too young.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    edited May 2016
    Hearts_2015 wrote: »
    SugarySweetheart wrote: »
    Sodium is bad for us all, especially those prone to high blood pressure. Water weight is another reason sodium is not good for us. Honestly sodium IS something we should be concerned with and eating fresh produce and home cooked meals instead of processed food, take out or prepackaged foods helps us eliminate this concern.
    I agree! I don't understand the comment made on it being 'reversible'

    1500mg is now the recommended daily allotment for women... it's been lowered whether a person has health concerns or not. @palau_sam Men are allowed a bit more.

    1500mg is recommend for sedentary women, 2300mg for sedentary men. What many people don't realize is that sodium is one of the key electrolytes in your body (potassium, magnesium, calcium and chloride are the others). Too little can lead to an electrolyte imbalance which can disrupt cardiac functions, cause muscle cramping, etc... When you exercise, your body will burn through electrolytes which should be replenished.

    OP, with that said, one should have adequate balance in their diet. That means eating foods high in potassium, magnesium, and calcium. This will balance the effects of sodium and ensure your body runs. But I wouldn't stress out too much over sodium, especially if you are exercising.


    @sugarysweetheart sodium is not bad for all of us. In fact, there is a subset of people who require very high sodium diets, especially with this with POTS or other active individuals. My wife needs to get 7000-10000mg of sodium a day. If not, she can go into tachycardia arrest.


  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    Hearts_2015 wrote: »
    SugarySweetheart wrote: »
    Sodium is bad for us all, especially those prone to high blood pressure. Water weight is another reason sodium is not good for us. Honestly sodium IS something we should be concerned with and eating fresh produce and home cooked meals instead of processed food, take out or prepackaged foods helps us eliminate this concern.
    I agree! I don't understand the comment made on it being 'reversible'

    1500mg is now the recommended daily allotment for women... it's been lowered whether a person has health concerns or not. @palau_sam Men are allowed a bit more.

    1500mg is recommend for sedentary women, 2300mg for sedentary men. What many people don't realize is that sodium is one of the key electrolytes in your body (potassium, magnesium, calcium and chloride are the others). Too little can lead to an electrolyte imbalance which can disrupt cardiac functions, cause muscle cramping, etc... When you exercise, your body will burn through electrolytes which should be replenished.

    With that said, one should have adequate balance in their diet. That means eating foods high in potassium, magnesium, and calcium. This will balance the effects of sodium and ensure your body runs.


    @sugarysweetheart sodium is not bad for all of us. In fact, there is a subset of people who require very high sodium diets, especially with this with POTS or other active individuals. My wife needs to get 7000-10000mg of sodium a day. If not, she can go into tachycardia arrest.

    I completely agree. Many endurance athletes track sodium to ensure they are getting enough of it rather than too much.

    Yes some people consume to much sodium. Becoming more physically active (lick your skin after sweating for proof) can help alleviate excess consumption.

  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
    sodium is NOT bad. your body requires it(see: hyponatremia). Excess is not good, as it can cause water weight gain, and affect medical conditions you may have, but again....sodium is NOT bad!
  • cariduttry
    cariduttry Posts: 210 Member
    i'm with you OP, i honestly had no idea how sodium-laden pretty much any restaurant/takeaway food is. i have family history of high blood pressure, so for me, sodium is a concern. it's not a concern for everyone though.
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
    I don't even bother to log my salt intake as I know I need a higher sodium diet (Dr's orders) and I know what it feels like when I don't have enough.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    If you want to reduce sodium look at what you are eating. I have medical conditions that make it my way of life. Most canned and processed foods contain added sodium, look for low-sodium or no added salt. Deli meats are typically loaded, some have low-sodium depends what is available in your area. Soups are the same, for the last year we make our own as I have the time. Fast food and restaurants are typically loaded as well.

    By just removing some of these you can drastically reduce your sodium intake. When you do I can tell you it's great your food will taste great!
  • palau_sam
    palau_sam Posts: 10 Member
    I understand it is a check and balancing act with food. I do cook a lot but my sodium intake comes from foods that are quick to eat. This app really allows me to check my daily dose.

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