Sodium

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MrsGreen1985
MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm pretty good at looking at the labels of the food i eat however,

Sodium is the one I don't normally pay attention to. so I was wondering does anybody know what would the right amount to eat would be?
when looking at labels concerning sodium what is it that i'm looking for to tell me if its high or low in sodium?
Does it depend on weight and height of a person like calories do?

I would really appreciate input on the subject
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Replies

  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
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    2500 mg per day is the suggested amount. The AHA recently suggested decreasing that to somewhere around 1300-1500 (I cannot remember the exact #).
  • JennyZD
    JennyZD Posts: 176 Member
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    I've read that your body only needs about 500mg daily but I think that 2000-2500 is good :)
  • naner61
    naner61 Posts: 85
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    Yes according to the Canadian standards they say more than 2300 mg is too much but say for 9 - 50 year olds is should be 1500 mg and that we Canadians consume closer to 3400 due to processed foods...YIKES! I really like that MFP tracks salt.
  • mewdds
    mewdds Posts: 22
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    I am over 40 and was told to keep to 1400 or under. I do not have blood pressure issues or anything like that, but I did notice a considerable water weight loss after I started watching it. It is amazing the amount of sodium in packaged foods!! Lunch meats are loaded with it and I love them. I have found some lower sodium alternatives to almost everything, but it is still a struggle to stay under many days. Best of luck!
  • Chrans
    Chrans Posts: 8
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    Powerbar.com suggests that an individual will lose between 460 to 1,840mg of sodium per liter of sweat. I would try to keep with the 2500 mg of sodium; however, I eat very healthy and find it hard to keep below that goal. Keep in mind when you exercise you are loosing sodium in your sweat just like calories. As long as you are exercising and maintaining around the 2500mg of sodium it shouldn't affect your weight retention.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/445772-how-much-sodium-is-lost-during-exercise/#ixzz1fguTdBsG
  • MrsGreen1985
    MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
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    Is there such a thing as too low amout of sodium? its 8pm here and my sodium count is less than 300mg?
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    My husband has low sodium due to some of the medication he takes. So he doesn't pay attention to it at all. Normally, you're supposed to keep it under 2500mg a day I guess but I try to keep my as low as possible.
  • MrsGreen1985
    MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
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    oops... just checked and mine never even reaches 1000mg per day.can it stop the weight from coming off?
  • mjenkins059
    mjenkins059 Posts: 2
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    Low sodium can cause cramping if you exercise.
  • MrsRadder
    MrsRadder Posts: 207 Member
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    I use Jillian's program and it says 1000. I shoot for that but end up at 1000-1500
  • MrsRadder
    MrsRadder Posts: 207 Member
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    I use Jillian's program and it says 1000. I shoot for that but end up at 1000-1500
  • BarbiNay
    BarbiNay Posts: 65 Member
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    Sodium kills me. I have it marked on here so I know how much I am getting a day. I buy a lot of Fat Free things which is going to end. To bring the taste up they hike up the Sodium. I don't even own a salt shaker. I know it is killing me losing weight. Today due to all the FF items I ate yesterday I really felt the Sodium retention today. :(
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
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    your body needs 500mg of sodium to function properly- just like it needs fat and protien and carbs ect.. try and not go over 2500mg but if you do supplement with water. More sodium=more water. If you exercise alot you can take in more if you rarely sweat try and stay under 1500mg is my reccommended amount. What are you eating that you stay so low in sodium. Must be a ton of fruit and veg cause even most meats have natural sodium in it... 1000 is fine but make sure you are balancing protein and fat and everything for that is much more likely to hinder weightloss.. too much sodium makes you retain water so seems to hinder weighloss.. you sound like you take in a healthy amount of sodium to me.
    Kimmy
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 276
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    I haven't read anywhere that having a low sodium diet is a bad thing. Sodium is in everything especially processed foods. I watch mine very closely because of hypertension problems on both sides of my family, and at my largest weight I was on medication for it.
    But if you don't have family history and are not on medication for it...your current intake should be sufficient. If you feel you need some, eat a pickle :wink:
  • MrsGreen1985
    MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
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    That sucks! x
  • MrsGreen1985
    MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
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    Iv just opened my diet to the public so feel free to take a look to see if you can see where I'm going wrong.
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 276
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    I didn't see anything that should cause you any concern as far as your sodium intake, your sugars went over a couple times but I have the hardest time keeping mine under MFP recommedations as well. Keep up the good work!!
  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
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    I wouldn't worry about your sodium. Just don't go over 2500mg a day.
    I didn't see anything that should cause you any concern as far as your sodium intake, your sugars went over a couple times but I have the hardest time keeping mine under MFP recommedations as well. Keep up the good work!!

    I don't worry about natural sugars. Added sugars is what you look out for.

    There is no definitive answer to the question, but 40 grams is the recommended amount for non-diabetic people. If you're diabetic or borderline diabetic, please see the note at the bottom. 40 grams of sugar refers mainly to added sugar, which is anything that is put into foods rather that which is naturally occurring such as in fruit. By this logic, for instance, ALL sugar in soda would be considered "added," since the beverage itself is constructed rather than harvested.

    Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_grams_of_sugar_are_appropriate_per_day_for_the_average_adult#ixzz1fh60U5cm
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Iv just opened my diet to the public so feel free to take a look to see if you can see where I'm going wrong.

    You're going wrong by not eating nearly enough! You won't go over in sodium when you're only eating 300-500 calories some days. You could do some damage to your metabolism eating such a low-calorie diet.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Although still being debated by Doctors. The current "Normal" is around 2500 mg per day.
    For anyone,like me, with high blood pressure. That number should be in the 1000 - 1200 mg range.
    I would advise against going below 1000mg per day unless you review with your Doctor first.
    To give you and idea of how much sodium there is in processed foods. A Big Mac (not including any fries) has over 700 mg.
    A can of soup can have up to 900mg (depending on the brand and size of the can)
    Whole Wheat bread has around 400mg per slice
    Most "healthy" breakfast cereals like Corn Flakes have over 200mg per serving.
    And frozen prepared foods will blow your mind!!

    To off set sodium. Drink lots of water!!! Also, keep on training. Lots of chemicals, including sodium, are lost through sweat.

    And, remember to every now and then add a little table salt to recipes when you cook. Table salt in Canada and I think in the USA have added iodine. We need this for our thyroids.

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