Sodium Settings and Question

daisydieter
daisydieter Posts: 118
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
Just saw a report on Today Show about just how much hidden sodium is in our foods. If you or your family has a history of heart disease, high sodium diet is dangerous. For us watching the scale, it affects water retention. According to this report, the maximum amount should be 2,300mg per day but the default setting on this site is 2,500.

I decided to make my sodium visible on my food journal and saw that I usually don't go over but have a few times since using MFP gotten close.

I'm curious as to how many people track their sodium and if they notice when they are on the low side for a few days, they lose water weight and when the intake is up, the scale goes up accordingly.

How many folks are hitting the maximum or going over the maximum and still losing weight consistently?

Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I don't track sodium, mainly because I make 95% of what I eat. When you generally avoid prepared foods, boxed/frozen foods, and restaurant foods, sodium isn't really an issue. However, if I go out to dinner or lunch at a restaurant, I get the sodium bloat for DAYS. Generally I will be up 2-3 pounds for 2-3 days following the sodium laden meal. Chain restaurants tend to be the worst offenders...just look at their nutritional info. One meal generally has a whole day's worth of sodium plus some. When I eat normally (meaning mostly foods I cook), my weight is pretty consistent even day to day.
  • daisydieter
    daisydieter Posts: 118
    I cook most of my meals as well. I enjoy it and can control the calories and other nutritional aspects. I was surprised to notice the amount of sodium in various canned beans and soy products (morningstar)... my main protein source!
  • daisydieter
    daisydieter Posts: 118
    Wow. I just looked up how much sodium is in salt. One teaspoon has 2300mg... and I'm not tracking how much salt I add to the foods I cook. I need to watch that too. I, easily, add a 1/4 teaspoon to my morning eggs.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    my blood pressure is fine, and I make most of my own food, so I don't track it at all. There is no reason to worry about sodium unless your blood pressure is sensitive to sodium.
  • cydonian
    cydonian Posts: 361 Member
    I keep an eye on mine for bloating and general health reasons. I rarely ever go over or anywhere close to the limit and I have a Lean Cuisine or whatever for lunch most days. But I usually eat a self-prepared breakfast and dinner, so it's generally not an issue. Mine stays at less than 1,400 most days.
  • daisydieter
    daisydieter Posts: 118
    I'm not worried per se about my overall health... I just have this feeling that there are times that I'm confusing water retention with weight gain (or then loss of the bloat with actual fat).

    That number on the scale has such power... trying to take away from it and be realistic.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I track my sodium. I think it is one of the most important things to track, Not only for weight loss but for over all health. Many people have blood pressure problems and don't even know it. My Son and Nephew have had high blood pressure since their teens. There is really no signs.
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
    My sodium scares me...it gets to the point where I don't meet all my calories because I am afraid of going over on soidum. I work full-time and have two kids who are very active in sports so I rely on a lot of pre-packaged foods. I know I should plan better but it is a lot easier for some people than others....I need to work on my time management. LOL! I think it is impossible to gain 2lbs in one day so if my scale shows a 2lb gain I would say it was just water retention and drink a lot of water that day. Sodium is everywhere and I think if I let it get to me like it is it will ruin my motivation. I use the No Salt brand to season my food. It has the flavor but without all the sodium. I also use Mrs. Dash's seasonings to season my food to avoid salt also. I like putting hot sauce on my foods and it is PILED with sodium but I have heard it is good for your metabolism. I do not have any problems with BP or anything else so I am just trying to do the best I can. :)
  • CheleLynn44
    CheleLynn44 Posts: 339 Member
    I have recently added sodium to my food diary. One because of my family history and two because I don't eat a lot (or like) of vegetables. I'm not obsessed with tracking it, but it does help me organize my days and how I put my meals together.

    I have to say since I have been tracking sodium I have been surprised MANY times at the amount of sodium in things!
  • daisydieter
    daisydieter Posts: 118
    Today, as I work from home, I'm going to measure out a teaspoon of salt and see how much I use in my cooking.... for all I know I've been unknowingly doubling my sodium every day.
  • marsellient
    marsellient Posts: 591 Member
    The recommendation for older people and anyone with higher BP is 1500 mg/day. It is very easy to go over if any kind of processed food is used. Soy sauce, even the low sodium kind has 770 mg in 1 Tbsp.!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I track mine.

    However, some foods on the database either do not have sodium input into the ingredients and so does not appear on the total or the sodium in some foods is so low that it fails to register and comes up as nought.

    Mine today, for instance is below the minimum needed - 500mg. It is not because I am deliberately eating foods that contain no sodium, but because the sodium has not been registered on the ingredients and is so coming up as zero.

    On average, I am around the 1200mg per day mark.
  • AndiJ2011
    AndiJ2011 Posts: 82 Member
    I track sodium because during my pregnancies I get hypertension and it takes about 2-3 months postpartum for it to get back under control. It's not preclamsia either. Just hypertension.. Weird.

    So I figure this may mean I may be prone to get the disease as I get older so I keep track of sodium, stress, alcohol intake, and make sure I am getting enough potassium and magnesium throughout the day.

    My doc advised me that oftentimes, it's not the sodium that's the problem (now for some it really is), but the lack of other nutrients (potassium, magnesium, vitamin e) to offset it.

    Sodium def causes water retention. I've noticed that with my own body.
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