Sodium

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robynrstiles
robynrstiles Posts: 41 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Am I the only one that has trouble staying below the daily recommendation for sodium? That's the only thing I'm struggling with and seems impossible. Some days I only go over a couple hundred, but a couple days it's been over a thousand over.

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  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
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    Oh yes absolutely, especially if I eat anything that is not home made from scratch. Basically any processed food has a bunch of it. What we do in our house is cook things without any salt and add it after if we feel the need, and most of the time we end up not adding any.
  • noahramos
    noahramos Posts: 1 Member
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    What I do is I type in what I eat before I eat it and check all of the stuff on it to make sure I don't go over.
  • TheRambler
    TheRambler Posts: 387 Member
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    I cook with sea salt. Not a lot, yet I always go over. You're not alone!!
  • thielke2015
    thielke2015 Posts: 212 Member
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    I never go over. If anything I am always under by 1 gram at least. A lot of processed foods are high in salt. It's just about making healthier lifestyle choices
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    I regularly aim for 5000mg a day. I train hard and need to ensure adequate electrolyte balance. I also try to incorporate foods high in potassium and magnesium to help eliminate any water weight fluctuations caused by sodium.
  • asa256
    asa256 Posts: 1 Member
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    Yes, I agree especially when the content sodium is high not just in process foods but also when you're going out to eat. I find eating light in the morning and in the afternoon and then when you go out you won't feel too bad about going over the sodium intake. Also it's good to purchase a heart monitor so this way you can keep track of your pressure. do both arms I was told by my doctor that everything runs on different arteries and u will get a different reading.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    robynrstiles wrote: »
    Am I the only one that has trouble staying below the daily recommendation for sodium? That's the only thing I'm struggling with and seems impossible. Some days I only go over a couple hundred, but a couple days it's been over a thousand over.

    On a diet of 1600 calories you have to limit bread to 1 portion per day, eliminate cheese, and use only fresh, frozen, or canned "no salt" veg with no savory sauces anywhere ever. You have to use expensive natural chicken and turkey to avoid injected saline. You can live, but it's no fun.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I'm usually under. But on the days i have:

    Bread, cheese, bacon, salad dressing and cottage cheese i go way over. These 5 things are sodium bombs! I very rarely have packet foods/take away or go out to eat, which makes it easy to keep sodium in check.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    If you're healthy (no conditions affected by sodium like high blood pressure) then it's not a huge concern. Drink enough water and don't worry about it too much.

    I put hot sauce on everything so I'm always over too, but my doctor says it's probably a good thing since I have hypotension and run a lot as well as drink a lot of water.
  • strshllw84
    strshllw84 Posts: 256 Member
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    I use to eat a lot of high sodium food. I now have learned to look at the labels. So far in the last week I have been under the recommended amount. A huge part of it was my dad having a heart attack and I suddenly became very aware of the over abundance of sodium in processed foods.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    peleroja wrote: »
    If you're healthy (no conditions affected by sodium like high blood pressure) then it's not a huge concern. Drink enough water and don't worry about it too much.

    I put hot sauce on everything so I'm always over too, but my doctor says it's probably a good thing since I have hypotension and run a lot as well as drink a lot of water.

    This sums it up. Also, doesn't matter if it is sea salt or table salt. Salt is salt, comes from the same place end of the day and has the same chemical composition.

  • robynrstiles
    robynrstiles Posts: 41 Member
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    peleroja wrote: »
    If you're healthy (no conditions affected by sodium like high blood pressure) then it's not a huge concern. Drink enough water and don't worry about it too much.

    I put hot sauce on everything so I'm always over too, but my doctor says it's probably a good thing since I have hypotension and run a lot as well as drink a lot of water.

    So drinking water helps? Because I drink over a gallon of water every day.

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