Getting too much sodium while trying to increase protein intake

Eleniala
Eleniala Posts: 87 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hi everybody. I'm trying to increase my protein intake, but it seems that on the days I meet my protein goal I by far exceed my sodium max. My problem is that I can't stand any type of seafood or eggs, and I rarely bother with meat. I'm not a vegetarian, but just don't care much for meat (except hamburgers, lol). I love canned vegetable soups like lentils and beans. Those are my main source of protein for the day, but they are loaded with sodium.

So my question is if I should worry about the sodium, or just keep eating the protein-rich soups? Does the excess sodium outweigh the benefit of the protein? And what are some alternatives? Should I go with protein shakes/bars instead of the soup?

Thanks everybody.

Replies

  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    Go for low or no sodium added soups. Switch to frozen vegetables, they have no salt and are flash frozen so they have a lot more nutrition maintained. For beans, I soak overnight and just make a big batch the next day that lasts several days. They also freeze well. If you want salt, which I love, just add it at the end when you can really taste it, instead of it being used as a preservative canned things.

    Not a hige problem without hypertension, but its fine thing thats pretty easy to do better so why not.
  • ashleyShades
    ashleyShades Posts: 375 Member
    I would try to stick to the recommended sodium intake and drink a lot of water. Try shakes. I'm trying to increase my protein intake to 140g myself and having a problem doing so =/
  • Ben_there_done_that
    Ben_there_done_that Posts: 732 Member
    I'm having the same trouble. Curious to see if anyone has any helpful tips.
  • one1fast68
    one1fast68 Posts: 51 Member
    You will get several opinions on this. I battle high BP so I try to watch my sodium. I also try to prepare a lot of my own food so I can control the amount of sodium that goes in my food. Lately I've been eating canned beans and really need to start preparing my own so I can lower the sodium. Soups are easy to make and you can get low sodium broth to make them with. Also, Ms. Dash seasoning either has no or low sodium. If you don't have a problem with high BP then you might not have to worry to much but I think it still has long term effects if you don't keep it in check.
  • cronus70
    cronus70 Posts: 191 Member
    Low/fat free Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, fantastic sources of protein.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you eat a lot of processed food (like canned soups) you're going to be consuming a lot of sodium...there are lower sodium options, but processed food goods tend to be high in sodium which is why they can sit on the shelves for all of eternity.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    There is very little evidence to support decreasing dietary sodium for people without high blood pressure. I wouldn't worry about it.
  • teetertatertango
    teetertatertango Posts: 229 Member
    I would learn how to make some bean/lentil soups that do not contain as much sodium. You could make a huge batch and portion out/individually package/freeze the soups so that at meal time they would be as easy as the canned soups, without the excess sodium.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    Soups can be very salty. Try eating some tofu or tempeh. You don't have to be vegetarian to eat it, just have to know how to cook it. Or make your own soups or chili and freeze it so you know the salt content of them.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    go to the vegan zombie's youtube channel and the video "how to make tofu right". That's really the best recipe.
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