Sodium

MrsGreen1985
MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
edited October 6 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

Replies

  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
    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
    I've read that your body only needs about 500mg daily but I think that 2000-2500 is good :)
  • naner61
    naner61 Posts: 85
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    oops... just checked and mine never even reaches 1000mg per day.can it stop the weight from coming off?
  • mjenkins059
    mjenkins059 Posts: 2
    Low sodium can cause cramping if you exercise.
  • MrsRadder
    MrsRadder Posts: 207 Member
    I use Jillian's program and it says 1000. I shoot for that but end up at 1000-1500
  • MrsRadder
    MrsRadder Posts: 207 Member
    I use Jillian's program and it says 1000. I shoot for that but end up at 1000-1500
  • BarbiNay
    BarbiNay Posts: 65 Member
    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
    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: 270 Member
    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
    That sucks! x
  • MrsGreen1985
    MrsGreen1985 Posts: 53 Member
    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: 270 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • Chrans
    Chrans Posts: 8
    I did notice a couple problems with your Diary. The first one is that you are drinking SlimFast Shakes for two of your meals. This is what is causing you to have a low sodium intake. I would really try to stick around 1,000 mg of Sodium, minimum, especially if you work out. In addition the Slim Fast diets do work to promote weight loss; however, as I have read on a lot of sites they don't really help promote a routine lifestyle. I would also recommend you to eat some small snacks during the day that you actually burn calories with such as: Celery, Oranges, Strawberries, Tangerines, Grapefruit, Carrots, Apricots, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Watermelon, Cauliflower, Apples, Hot Chili Peppers, and Zucchini. Eating several of these snacks during the day can help speed up your metabolism.
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
    Read an article stressing the importance of sodium and specifically running. Sorry I can't remember it to pass it on, but I would do some further research. If you're bouncing around 1000mg I would think you're okay. If not I'll give you some of mine xp
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    try to aim for less than 1500 mg a day
  • AngelaeLebron1
    AngelaeLebron1 Posts: 171 Member
    try to aim for less than 1500 mg a day

    This is what I aim for
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    You'll know you're getting too little sodium if your blood pressure is low. You feel woozy and your vision gets dark if you stand up suddenly, especially if you're squatting down for a while or if it's hot. Some people's bodies are very efficient at saving salt from one day to the next, and others will dump it all in their urine by next day (which is convenient since you can eat as much as you want without high blood pressure, but if you're ever lost in the desert, you'll be the first to die).

    You have to know your own body.
  • ElPumaMex
    ElPumaMex Posts: 367 Member
    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.

    Definitively agree.
    You seem to be depending on Slim-Fast shakes too much.

    Also I have noticed many days with 1000 calories or less (not logged?)
    You don't want your body to go into starvation mode; if your target is too high (2000 cals) for your body, change it, but if it is correct then don't consume much less than it.
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    And even if you go over 2500 mg/day, the impact may be of little consequence.

    Sodium, like so many other substances in our food, is another one of the substances where the early studies have been shown to be flawed. The biggest issue is that sodium has been shown to increase BP for folks who already have elevated BP. That's of concern for overweight and obese folks because that cohort tends to have elevated BP.

    I stopped taking BP meds this year because I lost weight and started running. My take on it - eat healthy foods, drop the weight, drop the BP.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    If you eat a lot of high sodium foods, you will retain about 5 pounds of water, other than that, there probably is no reason to worry about it unless you have some other health problems.
    Some people have cardio or blood pressure issues.
    Some people have headache issues from high sodium.
    Some people(like me) make kidney stones partly from high sodium levels.
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