Sodium...?!

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sophs87
sophs87 Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have literally NO IDEA how much my sodium intake should be, or what the adverse effects of eating too much is.... is it something to do with water retention??

Would love some tips/clues? Thanks!

Replies

  • Cam_
    Cam_ Posts: 515 Member
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    Use mfp to track sodium (if you are not already). click "settings" on the very top of your screen. Then "diary settings". Under "nutrients tracked" you can select sodium as one of the things to track. Then click "save changes" at the bottom when you are done.
  • nitamo
    nitamo Posts: 64
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    I have mine set to stay under 2500 but many say that you should stay under 1500. Too much sodium does cause
    water retention and you'll notice it in your puffy fingers, feet and face. You can offset the water retention by keeping yourself
    hydrated. I try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
  • wormzmom
    wormzmom Posts: 11
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    Too much sodium can cause fluid retention, and also high blood pressure! I have high blood pressure, and my doctor recommends having no more than 2 grams of sodium per day. I follow the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension), which promotes eating a lot of fruit, veggies, and whole grains. U would be surprised at how much sodium is in some foods. 2 slices of pizza contains 2 grams of sodium; soups are EXTREMELY high in sodium, unless u get the heart healthy versions. If u search the Internet for DASH diet, it will give u all kinds of information and recipes; the Mayo Clinic has a lot of good stuff on their website about this. This diet has helped me get my blood pressure under control for the first time in 10 years, so I highly recommend it!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    Some people don't have to worry about it.
    Some people have other health concerns, blood pressure, etc.....
    I have to watch it to minimize kidney stone production.

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