Consistently consume too little sodium is this a problem

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walbro
walbro Posts: 33 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Looking at my food summary I appear to consume regularly too little sodium to that recommended and also find I am way over my vitamin A allowance. Is either a problem? I find it difficult to eat the perfect diet!

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  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    It's good to have as little sodium as possible.
    The recommended goal of 2500 is actually heaps, a long time ago it was actually only 500 or so we were supposed to aim for.
    I try to aim for under 1000.
    A lot of sodium means your body will retain water.
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    Some sodium is okay...I shoot for the 800-1200 a day range. Vitamin A is is a fat-soluable vitamin so your body stores it in the liver and fatty tissues increasing risks for toxicity. High end of consumption is 3,000 mcg per day which is pretty hard to do through normal food consumption. If you are getting more of this, then you may want to re-evalutate the foods you are eating.
  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
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    I wish I had your problem with too little sodium. Some sodium is necessary for your diet, but chances are you get more than enough as is.

    How much Vitamin A do you consume? Do a Google search for the Upper Limit for Vitamin A, and it will tell you what the acceptable level of intake is for a day.
  • zoominzozo
    zoominzozo Posts: 92 Member
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    I have an issue with most of the nutritional information apart from calories and have discovered that the calorie and fat information tends to be right (or even present in most cases). Alot of people who submit to the database don't add the full information as they only care about the calories that are in the products.

    You may be consuming more sodium/protein/ vit A than what's showing.

    I remember having a glass of pure (not from concentrate) orange juice- entering it- and yet apparently had no vitamin C that day :-/
  • charlotte66
    charlotte66 Posts: 248 Member
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    to little sodium for long periods can have negitave side effects your blood pressure can drop you can become sick feeling and dizzy, you can also suffer from muscle craps or at worst you can suffer from a stroke

    i used to eat far to little sodium untill someone pointed it out.

    your body only needs at minimum 500mg to function properly

    i still struggle at getting the rite amount, but i know some foods MFP does log not having any when they do
  • walbro
    walbro Posts: 33 Member
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    Thanks for all the helpful comments. I dont add salt to anything and am not a fan of crisps. I tend to eat unsalted nuts. I will try to watch it doesn't drop below the 500 mark which it has done. I see my vitamin A goes through the roof when I consume sweet potato. So most days probably don't need to worry about overdosing on vitamin A!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    Thanks for all the helpful comments. I dont add salt to anything and am not a fan of crisps. I tend to eat unsalted nuts. I will try to watch it doesn't drop below the 500 mark which it has done. I see my vitamin A goes through the roof when I consume sweet potato. So most days probably don't need to worry about overdosing on vitamin A!
    500mg of sodium per day is the absolute MINIMUM for the body.

    Hyponatremia is very dangerous and can occur when there is too little sodium in the body, water enters the cells and causes them to swell, this includes the brain.

    Therefore, don't just try to watch it does not drop below 500 per day, ensure it does not, because Hyponatremia is a life-threatening condition.

    Too little sodium is as dangerous as continually taking too much of it.
  • walbro
    walbro Posts: 33 Member
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    Thanks for the head up I didn't realise too little sodium could be so risky. Hopefully as Zoominzozo says I am perhaps taking more than I realise though I don't drink fruit juice much either. I do drink lots of water and doesn't that contain traces of sodium? But thanks anyway for the heads up.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    Thanks for the head up I didn't realise too little sodium could be so risky. Hopefully as Zoominzozo says I am perhaps taking more than I realise though I don't drink fruit juice much either. I do drink lots of water and doesn't that contain traces of sodium? But thanks anyway for the heads up.
    More than welcome. I am a bit of a worrier and get concerned when it comes to certain subject lol :flowerforyou:
  • Fatbuster205
    Fatbuster205 Posts: 333 Member
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    I don't even look! LOL! I work on the principle of balance and fresh food. I use little salt!
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    My dad and his sister both have very low blood pressure (hope I got THOSE genes) and their doctors told them both to add a little salt to their food. It's important to keep your sodium and potassium balanced out, especially if you're exercising and drinking more water than you used to. Everything is about balance. :smile:

    Edit: I know there is an upper limit for vitamin A I just don't know what it is. I know there is an upper limit for everything I just know that you're more likely to exceed the vitamin A limit than other vitamins, and it's one of those that isn't water soluble so it can build up in your body and become toxic.
  • walbro
    walbro Posts: 33 Member
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    Balance is the key I think. Yeah I have low blood pressure too but had never made the connection. Sometimes it can be as low as 98 over 60. I had heard low blood pressure is as bad as high blood pressure. But you can't spend your life worrying. I feel fitter and healthier than I ever have so must be doing something right!
  • jfarnha
    jfarnha Posts: 3
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    You don't say where your sodium level is, but 1500-2000mg is the cardiology recommendation for sodium intake. The Amereican diet is typically much higher.
  • jfarnha
    jfarnha Posts: 3
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    Current recommendations are for blood pressures to be lower. Important part is are you having symptoms of low blood pressure---lightheadedness, dizziness when rising from seated or lying postion. Good kidney function requires blood pressure of at least 90/60.
    So your OK>
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
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    If you're exercising and sweating a lot, you are losing sodium, so you may want to keep that in mind.
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
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    sodium was a huge bad habit i had to work hard on kicking..i believe ive accomplished that. i do not add sodium to my food either by cooking or when i eat it but alot of foods naturally have sodium in it..its good for you but not in large amounts..being under by that amount isnt going to be hurtful to you. it may even be a bit more because ive found that the nutritional information isnt a 100% accurate. i just use it as a guideline

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