sodium intake

rphoppy · January 2012

struggling finding good balance in foods. just started here a month ago, give or take, and have lost 12 lbs, so far, so that is not my issue. i am always over sodium goal, and trying to eat decent foods. such as fiber one cereal, tuna salad, just a tossed salad with dressing, low-fat cottage cheese etc, etc, etc, love stir fry with lots of veggies, but what kind of sauce???? you get the drift. any ideas/help appreciated. also sugars get high, but is mostly( almost solely). from fresh fruit. i see some people say to limit it to one serving per day, but i have read many things where fruits, especially apples and pears are great for weight loss, with the fiber and keep you satisfied longer.
thanks

rphoppy · February 2012

i also forgot to mention that with the exception of my <planned failures> my calorie intake is usually a good bit under my goal number, although my entries are close, i do not weigh everything so i leave a little margin for that.

PirateJohn · February 2012

I get very creative with sauces and dressings. I'm learning a lot about how to mix spices, which are salt-free, with each other to come up with cool combos. If you're a member of Costco, then you can get Kirkland Organic No-Salt Seasoning, which I put on damn near everything these days. It's just that tasty.

For lower-but-not-zero sodium dressings, I used to put a lot of Molly McButter on stir fries and really enjoyed it.

But I hear you about the sodium intake. My blood pressure can use some serious improvement, as it's hovering around 140/95 lately.

1953Judith · February 2012

I attempt to keep my salt at 1500 mg. It has made a huge difference in my blood pressure and my weight loss. We have a really good blood pressure machine at work so I have been able to monitor my successes and failures in this regard. With regard to salt -- low sodium bouillion and corn starch makes excellent sauces for stir fries. Wine and herbs also make a good unsalty sauce. Read labels on all canned and frozen goods if you must buy. Tomato products are particularly insidious. Herbs and spices work wonders on unsalted sauces. I do try to make sure that I get more potassium than salt every day. This is somewhat hard to measure since a lot of companies do not list potassium as a micronutrient. I have read some articles about the importance of balancing sodium and potassium. Most recommend double the potassium to the sodium. I tend to understand the concepts when I read the article but could not explain it to you in a billion years. The reason I focus on potassium and salt is experientially. During chemo several years ago, my blood became seriously depleted in potassium. It was a horrible sensation of exhaustion at the cellular level. Fresh fruits and vegetables seem to keep my body stocked wtih the potassium and I don't worry about the sugar.

rphoppy · February 2012

thanks for responses. i have not tried molly mcbutter yet. i will have to look at nutritional values a little deeper i guess. i quit drinking beer, and really changed eating habits, as far as making sure i eat a breakfast, and to eat less, more often, but its not easy when you like to eat (and drink) like i do!!!!

charlesb22 · February 2012

instead of using sauce on a stir fry, i use lemon/lime juice, ginger, garlic and chilli to flavour it. a tiny (tiny!!!) drizzle of olive oil and honey if you like as well!

eta: fresh herbs/flavours - I don't use packaged pre-minced garlic etc as it's always got extra sodium/preservatives in it. go fresh as much as you can!

celerieaz · February 2012

Salt is one of those things. I think it really depends on how your body reacts to it. It is true that if you eat excess salt, you might get bloated. However, eating more salt won't make you gain fat or anything like that.

I think that if you do not have a family history of high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, and you personally have not regularly recorded high blood pressure, it's okay to incorporate salt into your diet. The Japanese diet is very high in sodium, and they have the longest life-expectancy in the world. You just need to keep in mind moderation. If you eat overly processed foods daily you will go over your sodium allotment quite easily and in excess. But feel free to season with salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, etc.

Personally, I love salty foods and salt things somewhat liberally. My family has no history of heart problems and my blood pressure is regularly 100/50, give or take. Just find out what level is salt is best for your own health

marsellient · February 2012

Many packaged foods contain huge amounts of sodium. Check the label on the cottage cheese, too. The good news is that more salt free products seem to be on the shelves...particularly tomato products.

maryjay51 · February 2012

sodium was always my weakness in life and i got high blood pressure ..i never really realized how much sodium is in sauces and condiments until i went to fitness camp last year for a week and was deprived of condiments all week ... and no salt shaker either .. talk about torture but hey im still young so i decided to see if i could adjust to lower sodium.. i dont eat condiments any more except an occasion splash of franks hot sauce now and then.. i learned to cook with herbs and veggies to flavor food ... i always keep on hand=- italian seasoning, pepper, minced dried onion, red bell pepper , minced garlic in a jar ,cinnamon ,balsamic vinegar and franks hot sauce. i also started using some coconut oil and some olive oil once in awhile most recently at the advice of a nutritionist i started to see. i used to be a soy sauce freak and i dont use it any longer. i cannot believe ive adjusted to no condiments but i did it

sodium intake

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