Is 2800 mg of Sodium per day unhealthy for someone who is not very active?

Geocitiesuser
Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
in Food and Nutrition
RDA is 2300mg, and the internet claims the "average american" consumes 3400mg per day.

I'm pretty sure if I were more active, 2800mg would be no issue, but I'm not and will not be for a while. I don't know why, but I'm stuck on this, is it too much? This is the average sodium content for 3 factor75 meals that come to about 1800-2100 calories. I assume I'm over thinking it.

In the past, when I was very active and actively meal prepping, I had the opposite problem and was not getting enough salt, so I understand the importance of it.

Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Do you have hypertension or a family history of same?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,489 Member
    Sodium is a issue if you have a family history of hypertension or high BP. If you're drinking enough water and balancing potassium with it, it almost doesn't matter at all if there's no family history of health issues with it.

    I KNOW that I consume at least 4000mgs a day. Lol, I like soy sauce.

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  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    Do you have hypertension or a family history of same?

    Yes. My blood pressure creeps into "pre-hypertension" often, but is for the most part behaved.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,489 Member
    Geocitiesuser wrote: »
    concordancia wrote: »
    Do you have hypertension or a family history of same?

    Yes. My blood pressure creeps into "pre-hypertension" often, but is for the most part behaved.
    If you have family history, you may need to cut back and be more aware of how much you're consuming.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    I'm way older than you, but I can tell you when my weight creeps to 20 lbs overweight or more, my BP creeps up with it. When I consume 2500mg of sodium a day, my BP goes up to unhealthy levels. When I asked my doctor how to get off BP pills, she said her "hard core" patients keep their sodium at 1500mg a day. When I do that, I feel better, I retain way less water, and my BP stays manageable without BP pills. Hypertension & diabetes runs in my family as does obesity, so aging into my 70's without insulin or BP pills is my goal. MFP is invaluable for tracking sodium intake for me.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    edited March 2021
    [quote="I'm pretty sure if I were more active, 2800mg would be no issue, but I'm not and will not be for a while. "[/quote]

    High activity levels do make a difference. I can tolerate close to 2000mg of sodium if I'm out biking or hiking that day. High activity isn't my norm either but I do take in more if I've been out sweating. On the other hand, my spouse has never had high BP and can tolerate way more sodium daily than myself. It seems to be a personal thing for each person. I just keep an eye on my sodium and know when I'm feeling drained or weak, I add a little more sodium --and water-- to my daily intake. Generally I find around 1500mg a day is a good fit for me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Geocitiesuser wrote: »
    RDA is 2300mg, and the internet claims the "average american" consumes 3400mg per day.

    I'm pretty sure if I were more active, 2800mg would be no issue, but I'm not and will not be for a while. I don't know why, but I'm stuck on this, is it too much? This is the average sodium content for 3 factor75 meals that come to about 1800-2100 calories. I assume I'm over thinking it.

    In the past, when I was very active and actively meal prepping, I had the opposite problem and was not getting enough salt, so I understand the importance of it.

    Probably just something you need to watch and see how you react. I have hypertension and watch mine to an extent, but I'm not overly zealous about it. I was at one time, but it really made no difference in my numbers and all I ended up with was constant cramping from low sodium levels. That said, I'm also very active...especially in the warmer months, so I will sweat a ton being outdoors doing stuff in 100+ degree temps. For myself personally, 2800 Mg isn't too much at all.

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