How do I eat less sodium

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  • Teliooo
    Teliooo Posts: 725 Member
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    I manage to stay under every day. I barely ever reach 1500 (that is my limit) and I occasionally eat ready meals. I do however cook most of my own food. I stay clear or any drinks apart from water and tea and I barely drink alcohol. I do however eat a lot of crisps ( packet a day) so I make sure that most of my other food is either low or has no sodium.

    Oh and also barely eat any dairy as I am lactose intolerant.
  • Teliooo
    Teliooo Posts: 725 Member
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    It's a tough one. For some folks sodium is a killer, and for others it is not. I have cut my sodium on average from 3500 to 2000 and the blood pressure meds are almost not needed. For others it makes them retain water, and seemingly for others it doesn't matter.

    There are lots of low sodium products available. IE: Tomato products, canned foods, and stuff like cottage cheese. Some of them taste like crap, and others it is hard to notice. You can try them. As already noted, fast food, and processed meats are really bad. Some cheeses are loaded, read the labels!

    2000-2500 is what my nutritionist recommended, and it seems to have a positive effect.

    You'll find that it is the same for carbs, and protein, each person responds differently. Carbs are a killer for me - even the good ones.

    Good luck.

    Exactly. I cut my sodium to 1500 and saw a massive difference, where as carbs do not seem to affect me that much at all. I do work out a lot though.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Don't totally discount frozen veggies - just be careful of the ones with sauces (cheese, butter) on them. For instance, Green Giant - their broccoli wtih cheese sauce has 520mg of sodium per serving but the broccoli florets only have 20mg.

    Rule #1 with sodium is to check labels. I know it can be time consuming and tough when you've got even some of those kids with you at the store. Maybe try doing your research online ahead of time so you know which brands to go for?

    Also, don't trust everything on MFP's food database. I saw that you logged a homemade grilled cheese (or something like that) and that was fairly high in sodium. Maybe it's right but. unless you added that one yourself, there's no way to know what kind of bread, cheese or fat (butter, margarine, oil) was used. Better to log your homemade stuff piece by piece so you get a more accurate listing.
  • SheriG9
    SheriG9 Posts: 62
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    My calorie goal is set this high per Drs orders because I weigh 277 pounds, and am breastfeeding my 8 month old. I had been eating 1500-1600 calories, but baby was not happy at all with my milk supply, and he was concerned I was not eating enough calories. He wanted me to eat 2000, and I balked at that.

    Not all of my frozen veggies have cheese sauce, only the ones I ate at lunch this week. I made my own breakfast burritos for the freezer, using 96% fat free Wheat tortillas,turkey sausage, and light cheese in an effort to combat drive thru breakfasts. Didn't realize the tortillas had so much sodium.

    I am an emotional eater,especially when under stress, and as such, some days I comfort myself by going thru the drivethru. I am trying to stop this, as I know it is a problem. Thanks for understanding, and thanks for the supportive information and ideas.

    Sheri
  • pfeiferfit
    pfeiferfit Posts: 138 Member
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    Good call on the above poster - post it on your own as a recipe using your brand of cheese etc. A TON of these foods in the tool are off (because I'm tracking carbs, and if someone isn't they may skip it!!!!!) Similarly I saw an overage of sodium in Fresca the other day and corrected it. Hooray!

    Also, sodium and water directly link - so if you want to drink MORE WATER (or even if you don't WANT TO) it'll help with effects from sodium. I know LA Weightloss plans were CRAZY about sodium. Any microwave meal with them had to be max 300 cals and max 700 sodium, with about 12 protein.

    Good luck figuring it out. I try to look at the sodium in my salad dressings, (and everything else) because THAT can be HUGE!!
  • ummommyme
    ummommyme Posts: 362 Member
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    I think the turkey sausage may have more sodium than regular does. Not sure though, and use unsalted butter when you use it. I don't do butter substitutes the real stuff is better for me imo! And yes tortillas have some. Cheese has a lot so i only use a little. I use the steam bags of frozen veggies, no sauce added. For lunch today i had a yellow potato, small, baked in the microwave, with a tiny bit of butter salt and pepper. I add salt and pepper and a tiny bit of butter to the steamed broccoli i topped it with. I diced up two slices of hormel 100 natural deli ham and add to the potato and broccoli. Top with an 1/8 cup of cheddar cheese then melt and enjoy. Low cal and delicious, quick and easy too.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,224 Member
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    I try not to eat anything from a box, and I eat all my veggies completely fresh, no cans or bagged veggie for me, unless its salad or fresh baby spinach ;)

    At least around here the frozen veggies in the bag have no added sodium. They are picked, cleaned, chopped and frozen which often means they are fresher nutrient wise than the stuff on the grocery store shelves since they are frozen so close to the time they are harvested.

    To the OP, look at your diary and see what foods have a lot of sodium and look for alternatives. You cannot and shouldn't avoid sodium completely as it is naturally found in most foods, but you can minimize it and get it under control.
  • LuciaLongIsland
    LuciaLongIsland Posts: 815 Member
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    I know it is had but stay away from pre packaged food. Try and eat fresh veggies and fruit. They say an apple before meals help curbs your appetite. Use all white eggs, I just tried them, pretty good. Forget the cheese, I love it but it is loaded with sodium. Try chicken burgers, soy burgers, fresh chicken cutlets. Make smoothies if you can, Also drink only water or tea.
  • zephyr0318
    zephyr0318 Posts: 4 Member
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    I am also watching my sodium due to high blood pressure. I only recently started trying to keep my sodium intake around 1500 mg. One thing I learned (to my dismay) is that you even have to watch what you buy in the meat department. Most family pack boneless, skinless chicken breasts will have added sodium. Pork tenderloin that's already packaged has a ton of sodium. So you think you're doing a good thing by eating lean meats, but then come to find out that it's loaded with sodium because it's been packaged.

    The solution is buying all natural chicken and pork. Again, you have to read the labels, but all natural chicken breasts have about 50 mg per serving as opposed to 300+mg per serving for the ones that are prepackaged by the grocery stores and not labeled "all natural". This makes a HUGE difference.

    As others have said - read labels, read labels, read labels. It doesn't take that long to get the hang of it and it becomes relatively easy if you cook everything from scratch.

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