My sodium & fat daily intake are extremely high

I struggle everyday with balancing my fat and sodium intake. I'm 75 and I don't really enjoy cooking anymore, unless it is something easy. I ditched the salt shaker years ago. I have noticed it is the convenience foods that raise my levels. Most everything bought already made or canned or packaged has lots of sodium. They say fresh is the best but it's a struggle. I try to choose low sodium when I can. Wishing you good luck in your journey.

Frozen vegetables (not the ones with sauce) usually have no added salt or fat and are convenient. To reduce sodium I avoid processed lunchmeat and try to cook meat I like that slices well for sandwiches. Read the labels before buying! London broil for beef and pork loin or tenderloin are fairly low in fat and sodium, braise or slow-cook well, and slice beautifully if you let them cool. Eye of round is another good beef choice. You can slice off what you need for a few days and slice the rest to freeze in small packets for the future. We also eat a lot of boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast. Look for meat that calls itself natural. It may not mean much but usually has less added salt. Pre-seasoned meats have more sodium than I am usually comfortable with.

Cooking from scratch is always the easiest way to control salt and fat. Restaurant meals are just wicked for sodium, even most salads. We control what we can.

Watch your spices. Blends like chili powder are high in sodium, but individual chile powders (Ancho, Chipotle) are not. Also watch the serving sizes -- 35 mg of sodium doesn't sound like much, but maybe that's for 1/4 teaspoon. If you're adding two tablespoons that's 840 mg.

But I obsess.

It's great that you're noticing your sodium and fat levels and wanting to do something about it before there are serious health consequences. Sodium, saturated fat and added sugars are huge factors in coronary artery disease and heart health. As a recent heart patient who found this out the hard way (blocked coronary arteries requiring stints), If you greatly minimize those three things your cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels and weight should dramatically improve.
As others have said, convenience foods and processed foods are loaded with all three. Aiming for eating mostly whole unprocessed foods (mainly plant based) not only lets you control them but provides your body with great nutrition that helps not only with weight but helps you avoid heart disease, diabetes and other health issues. I've had to drastically change the types of foods I eat but it has worked wonders on my cholesterol lab results, my A1C has improved and I'm steadily losing weight.
One thing to keep in mind is there are healthy fats (for instance avocados, nuts and seeds) but saturated fats from animal products are the ones that contribute so much to the buildup of plaque in our arteries. Also we need some sodium but it's in so many things that most Americans take in way more than we should. Lastly although fruits contain sugar they're great (along with vegetables) for your health because they have lots of beneficial nutrients plus fiber that makes them have less impact on your insulin levels. It's the "added sugars" that we need to avoid and that are in most processed foods.
Good luck with losing weight and improving your health.

There is a difference between naturally occurring sodium in food and added sodium to prepackaged foods.

One of the easiest way to reduce sodium is to "cook from scratch" rather than from a box.

If time is a consideration, invest in a "pressure cooker" that will save you time and allow to to cook healthier foods.

Also, look for "low sodium" canned goods if needed. Frozen vegetables (with no added sauces) have zero added sodium. Same with packaged meats (like deli meats) - look for those that have lower sodium.

Some fats and oils are your friend. Look for extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, eggs, wild caught fatty fish...

Stay away from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (typically in frozen breaded meats, box meals, packaged bakery products).

Oddly, bread has a lot of sodium.

I've greatly reduced salt. Once you get used to it it becomes second nature. And, all the salty foods you like now will start to taste too salty. (I promise.) The same goes for sugar.

We are blessed that food labels come right out and tell you the salt content (at least in the US, thanks to the US FDA), so learning about it is incredibly easy. And, with so many people on low sodium diets, you can find low sodium versions of everything. For example, I buy low-sodium sliced turkey at the deli every week and eat it for lunch almost every day. I also eat a lot of unsalted nuts. I couldn't find a cold breakfast cereal that was low in both sugar and salt, so now I just eat a half cup of instant oats with some fruit, nuts, and milk.

Note that if you get out in the heat in the summer, you need a little more sodium and maybe some other electrolytes.

Now, about fats: don't fear them, they do not make you fat or raise your cholesterol, and healthy fats are really good for you. Even butter (the scourge of the 70s) is fine, so long as you keep tabs on it. I let my macros vary around day-to-day and am perfectly happy to eat as much as 50% of my daily calories as fats.

Best of luck!

I am concerned about the amount of sodium I’m consuming as well. It’s especially present in many meats. It’s a work in process to find the right balance.

tomdelia1 wrote: »

Oddly, bread has a lot of sodium.

Not odd at all when you consider that common ingredients in bread are baking powder and baking soda; both forms and mixtures of Sodium bicarbonate...in addition to salt added for taste.

Haven't been terribly over sodium wise for the week, but usually 1-2K over the daily recommended amount. Mine tends to be from drink additives ontop of food. (Crystal Light, Gatorade Zero, etc) Can't stand the taste of plain water, and the flavoring is slightly healthier-ish than all the Soda I used to drink.

PaymanLux wrote: »

FitnessPal says my sodium consumption is double the limit at an average 4000mg/day, should be about 2000 tops. I am also struggling to find a solution because almost everything that isnt produce has salt added. Suppose I should pick the salt off my crackers before eating them.

You could use a hand vac, would be a little faster X'D

There is an ongoing debate as to whether the general public has to worry about sodium or whether it's just certain sensitive individuals (like me) that need to worry about it.

Amy’s brand has very good low sodium refried beans. And my husband likes their low sodium chili too.

If you like ramen, look for Happy Pho. Zero sodium. As easy to make as ramen. A single box makes two servings. It’s a lunchtime staple at our house. Add some kippers or anything else you like. Delicious.

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

@JeffMatchett suggests taking potassium supplements. This could certainly be done safely, but it is widely advised to be careful with potassium supplements.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-i-take-a-potassium-supplement

@Jthanmyfitnesspal I don't suggest taking potassium supplements. I suggest putting potassium salt in your food and eating more potassium foods like bananas, broccoli, beans and potatoes. Potassium supplements are dosed such that they're basically negligible because even small amounts of potassium can be unhealthy for people with pre-existing serious issues. They only contain 80-100mg of potassium when you need 3500-4700mg daily. So supplementation yes but actual potassium supplements - don't waste your money, they're useless.

But yes even with salt substitutes like potassium salt there are risks associated with people on certain medications mostly due to their already existing manipulation of potassium levels as well as for people with kidney issues as they regulate potassium. But for the average person without preexisting heart or kidney conditions potassium supplementation is a great way to increase overall health. The interesting note being that some blood pressure medications actually work by increasing levels of potassium in the blood.

I'm sensitive to salt so I eat very little of it. I mean I eat salad right out of the bag. I also can't stand animal fat so I eat very little animal based proteins; I prefer tofu, lentils, and beans ( I do lightly season these; and pretty much always marinate the tofu). I wasn't always this way but the more raw veggies and fruit I ate, the less I wanted to add anything to them.

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