Is it possible to go low Sodium?

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superstitious
superstitious Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
If so how low can i go?
Edit to add... whats best to eat to avoid sodium?

Replies

  • mangirl
    mangirl Posts: 93
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    impossible.
  • ☆ShawnsMom08☆
    ☆ShawnsMom08☆ Posts: 74 Member
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    Bump! Sodium is an issue for me!
  • Runnermadre
    Runnermadre Posts: 267 Member
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    It is actually possible to get too little sodium. One of my family members was hospitalized and almost died from her sodium getting too low. I honestly don't know what the number is though.
  • Marcieb21
    Marcieb21 Posts: 127 Member
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    You need to have some sodium, sodium carries oxygen in your blood...so don't cut it completely out of your diet. But you are not supposed to have more than 2500 mg of sodium a day.
  • woja9640
    woja9640 Posts: 450 Member
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    It's impossible to completely go without sodium. However you CAN go low sodium. When eating nuts, get the unsalted versions. Don't add extra salt to food your cooking if you can help it. That will go a long way.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    I did low sodium for a year (staying at 1500 or below). My blood pressure got TOO healthy/low and I passed out without warning. It was not fun. Doctor demanded I eat more salt.
  • carolynmittens
    carolynmittens Posts: 344
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    the average person needs around 500 mg of sodium per day to function properly, maintaining the fluid in our blood cells and transmitting info to our nerves and muscles and all that. it's easy to avoid, just cook from scratch, then you control the amount of salt that goes into your food :)
  • atd81
    atd81 Posts: 225 Member
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    I'd say stay at or just below the RDA and you should be fine. Processed foods contain a lot of sodium generally, and even some low fat, low cal meals, so you have to really be vigilant and watch it. If you cook foods at home, you can really ensure that you don't get too much sodium. I personally like to keep my daily count at 1500-2000 or so.
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
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    I do not know what is too low either. There have been days I have only gotten 500mg of sodium a day and wondered if that was too little. I eat tons of veggies, lean protien, and no pre-made, prepackaged food aside from some canned tuna that I usually rinse before prepping.
  • auntie_missy
    auntie_missy Posts: 113 Member
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    The USDA has min & max recommendations on their website. In general, for most adults the min is 1500; max is 2300. I hover around the minimum without a problem except anytime I eat out. The easiest way to drastically reduce your sodium is to avoid cans and boxes, don't add table salt to anything, and read labels. Did you know one serving of Campbells Chicken noodle has 890 mg of sodium? Did you know lemon pepper seasoning has both salt and sugar? I didn't. I assumed it only had, you know... lemon and pepper. If you must eat something packaged, look for products labeled Low Sodium, No Salt Added, or Heart Smart. The Live Strong website has good info both about how to maintain a low sodium diet and what happens if you don't get enough.
    http://www.livestrong.com/low-sodium-diet/
  • AdrienneinTO
    AdrienneinTO Posts: 111 Member
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    To eat less sodium: Avoid fast food. Avoid processed food (even the "healthy" processed foods can have a lot of sodium). Eat more whole foods, i.e. fresh/from scratch. Start gradually reducing the amount of salt that you add to food when cooking. In time, you no longer notice that it is missing.

    I don't think you need to worry about having too little sodium. I find that with canned tomatoes, canned beans, tomato sauce, the occasional rotisserie chicken, etc., I end up getting an acceptable amount of sodium into me.
  • Shyloh1
    Shyloh1 Posts: 422 Member
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    The USDA has min & max recommendations on their website. In general, for most adults the min is 1500; max is 2300. I hover around the minimum without a problem except anytime I eat out. The easiest way to drastically reduce your sodium is to avoid cans and boxes, don't add table salt to anything, and read labels. Did you know one serving of Campbells Chicken noodle has 890 mg of sodium? Did you know lemon pepper seasoning has both salt and sugar? I didn't. I assumed it only had, you know... lemon and pepper. If you must eat something packaged, look for products labeled Low Sodium, No Salt Added, or Heart Smart. The Live Strong website has good info both about how to maintain a low sodium diet and what happens if you don't get enough.
    http://www.livestrong.com/low-sodium-diet/

    Great advice!
    I just discovered that my sodium intake is way over. I am going to do,just as you said and pay more attention to what I consume per day. I know we all need sodium,just not as much as I was consuming.

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