Sodium v. Calories
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fraiseroja
Posts: 215 Member
I eat lower calorie foods that are prepackaged and are high in sodium. What is better to have higher sodium and lower calories or higher calories and lower sodium. I know sodium can make you retain water, but does it make you fat? Can't you flush that water retention out by drinking more water?
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I would like to know this too. I lived on those prepackaged meals for about a year and lost a good amount of weight, but now am confused b/c everyone is saying sodium is the reason that i cant lose belly fat..any truth?0
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technically, no, sodium doesn't normally contribute to weight gain. But it's not great to have an excess of sodium in the body. With that said, ideally you should try to eat foods that are low in sodium AND have the right amount of calories for your needs (notice I didn't say low calorie, because that's a relative term). Things like fresh veggies and most fruits, unprocessed complex carbs, olive oils, and lean proteins that aren't pre-packaged are best. This takes a little more prep work, but with a little weekly pre-planning, and a lot of those glad storage containers and plastic baggies, you can do it (I do, bout an hour a week on sundays and all my lunches and snacks for the week are made).0
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technically, no, sodium doesn't normally contribute to weight gain. But it's not great to have an excess of sodium in the body. With that said, ideally you should try to eat foods that are low in sodium AND have the right amount of calories for your needs (notice I didn't say low calorie, because that's a relative term). Things like fresh veggies and most fruits, unprocessed complex carbs, olive oils, and lean proteins that aren't pre-packaged are best. This takes a little more prep work, but with a little weekly pre-planning, and a lot of those glad storage containers and plastic baggies, you can do it (I do, bout an hour a week on sundays and all my lunches and snacks for the week are made).
I agree with him. I was able to lose weight with a high sodium diet (I drink a TON of water because it delicious) but I found it was easier to lose weight and make healthier choices when I cleaned up my diet. It was cheaper too.
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I had to cut out a lot of pre-packaged foods because of the sodium. As soon as I did (literally within two days) my weight loss doubled. I was losing a llb a week (good right there) and now I'm losing about three pounds a week. I have a lot to lose and we're all different- so your mileage may vary.
I don't worry about calories as much as I worry about sodium. I worry about sodium (1-10 scale) at a 9, Calories I worry about a six or seven. So they're close, but sodium wins for me.
Give me ten extra minutes on the treadmill and I'll have the calories taken care of- sodium I have no way to 'speed' up the burning besides drinking water and taking potassium.
I found sodium hiding in TONS of my food. I was averaging about 4000 mg daily! :noway: Now I run around 1300-1500 and feel a lot better. I found sodium free bread (lots of sodium in most breads), sodium free canned veggies- just taking those two things out of the equation lowered my sodium almost 800 mg a day.
Sometimes just changing one or two things works better than trying to change everything to get a 'perfect diet'. Just figure out moderation that works for you.0 -
I agree with SHBoss...try to limit the packaged food intake. Not only is it better for you to eat fresher and less processed food, but it's also easier on the wallet when you really crunch the numbers. It does take a little more planning, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. For example, I spent about $1 on a pound of whole organic carrots, $2.50 on a bunch of organic celery, and $1 on organic garbanzo beans (those were packaged, not dried) and made hummus to go with my veggies as a snack. Granted I had already bought the tahini and olive oil, which are the expensive part, but when you look at the price breakdown, it's much cheaper. AND, I know what's going into my body.
Sodium may not be a big deal if you don't have any history of blood pressure issues in your family, but as with everything, I always try to stick with everything in moderation.
Good luck! I'm interested to hear if anyone knows a more specific answer to your question! I struggle with belly fat as well....
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I had to cut out a lot of pre-packaged foods because of the sodium. As soon as I did (literally within two days) my weight loss doubled. I was losing a llb a week (good right there) and now I'm losing about three pounds a week. I have a lot to lose and we're all different- so your mileage may vary.
I don't worry about calories as much as I worry about sodium. I worry about sodium (1-10 scale) at a 9, Calories I worry about a six or seven. So they're close, but sodium wins for me.
Give me ten extra minutes on the treadmill and I'll have the calories taken care of- sodium I have no way to 'speed' up the burning besides drinking water and taking potassium.
I found sodium hiding in TONS of my food. I was averaging about 4000 mg daily! :noway: Now I run around 1300-1500 and feel a lot better. I found sodium free bread (lots of sodium in most breads), sodium free canned veggies- just taking those two things out of the equation lowered my sodium almost 800 mg a day.
Sometimes just changing one or two things works better than trying to change everything to get a 'perfect diet'. Just figure out moderation that works for you.
Hi Gemiwing,
What is the name of the bread you found? I'm working on reducing my sodium intake and I LOVE whole wheat bread but they contain too much sodium per slice. Thanks!0 -
Hi Gemiwing,
What is the name of the bread you found? I'm working on reducing my sodium intake and I LOVE whole wheat bread but they contain too much sodium per slice. Thanks!
I buy Ezekiel Low Sodium bread- it's very dense and whole grain. It's flourless and has NO sodium. I love it! It can be a little dry at first- but adding some moisture to your sandwich works fine. It makes the best toast I've ever had in my life- honestly! It's the best sodium-free/ low-sodium bread I've tried yet.
It's in the frozen 'healthy food' section at Krogers and they also have it at Whole Foods.0 -
Hi Gemiwing,
What is the name of the bread you found? I'm working on reducing my sodium intake and I LOVE whole wheat bread but they contain too much sodium per slice. Thanks!
I buy Ezekiel Low Sodium bread- it's very dense and whole grain. It's flourless and has NO sodium. I love it! It can be a little dry at first- but adding some moisture to your sandwich works fine. It makes the best toast I've ever had in my life- honestly! It's the best sodium-free/ low-sodium bread I've tried yet.
It's in the frozen 'healthy food' section at Krogers and they also have it at Whole Foods.
Thank you sooooo much. I'm heading to Whole Foods this evening. I'll let you know how I like it. Thanks again!0 -
Sorry but ust a side-note question - there is much speak of sodium at times on the site and Im wondering what a hig intake of sodium would be considered to be? MFP gives me allowance of 2500 a day but i average between 1500 - 2000 a day and am wondering if somehow ive missed something?? because it is easy for me to stay within this range.
xxPINK0 -
I do want to say one thing in favor of sodium- you need it to replenish your body when you sweat. So a very very low sodium diet isn't for most 'healthy' people.
On days when I really sweat a lot- I up my sodium intake by a few hundred mg's. I'm not a big sweater (haha) so I don't usually need a lot of sodium. Plus heart issues are starting to crop up and I'm trying to nip them in the bud.
Ok I'll stop yammering on lol :blushing:0 -
I found it. - "Jame's Eat to save your life"
Here is part of the broadcast on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srUZwQf76Xs&feature=PlayList&p=7E90A9036FBF9C58&index=0
Part 1 of 8.
I think each person concerned about their health should watch these episodes.
He shows you how they hide sodium in our foods. I think it might be part 3or4 of 80 -
This takes a little more prep work, but with a little weekly pre-planning, and a lot of those glad storage containers and plastic baggies, you can do it (I do, bout an hour a week on sundays and all my lunches and snacks for the week are made).
Would you mind horribly giving me an example? I need to do this to cut down on cost and calories, but my dorm fridge is SO friggin' tiny that any ideas on how to plan ahead effectively would be greatly appreciated. :flowerforyou:0 -
This takes a little more prep work, but with a little weekly pre-planning, and a lot of those glad storage containers and plastic baggies, you can do it (I do, bout an hour a week on sundays and all my lunches and snacks for the week are made).
Would you mind horribly giving me an example? I need to do this to cut down on cost and calories, but my dorm fridge is SO friggin' tiny that any ideas on how to plan ahead effectively would be greatly appreciated. :flowerforyou:
dorm fridge huh? that might take a little more spacial planning, or maybe buying in smaller quantities and only making up 2 or 3 days worth at a time, but it's still possible. I buy carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli and green beans. I take about 1/2 a serving each and throw them in baggies, I take 2 of those baggies per day for lunch. another good one is almonds, buy them in bulk, and measure out single servings into baggies. As for meals, you can measure out 3 or 4 oz of chicken breast meat (you can buy precooked roasters at almost any supermarket, and they usually have about 12 to 16 oz of actual meat on them. Another good choice is a lean ground turkey meatloaf, you make it up on the weekend with turkey, onions, some garlic powder, an egg white, and some bread crumbs (panko crums work for this), cook for 45 minutes to an hour at 350, then slice into about 1 inch wide secitons, they are a good meal. All you do is measure out a couple of oz in a baggie, add a 1/2 serving of cheese, and a few of those veggie bags and a bag of almonds and you have about 700 calories worth of food, perfect for the ladies (I need about double that amount, but I also need 3100 cals per day so...)
These are a few quick examples, I'm sure others have plenty more.0 -
Sorry but ust a side-note question - there is much speak of sodium at times on the site and Im wondering what a hig intake of sodium would be considered to be? MFP gives me allowance of 2500 a day but i average between 1500 - 2000 a day and am wondering if somehow ive missed something?? because it is easy for me to stay within this range.
xxPINK
The sodium problem is more prevalent when people are eating a lot of processed or prepackaged foods, especially low calorie ones, because companies tend to add a lot of sodium to enhance flavor. If you are eating primarily, unprocessed foods you don’t generally have to worry about sodium unless you like to put salt on your food. Then you may want to cut back.0 -
I found it. - "Jame's Eat to save your life"
Here is part of the broadcast on Youtube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srUZwQf76Xs&feature=PlayList&p=7E90A9036FBF9C58&index=0
Part 1 of 8.
I think each person concerned about their health should watch these episodes.
He shows you how they hide sodium in our foods. I think it might be part 3or4 of 8
I just watched the whole thing- wow, just wow. It was moving and will definitely stick with me from here on out. Thanks for posting that.0 -
After I posted that link I thought it wasn't the appropriate spot.
I have created a new thread.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/59247-jamie-oliver-eat-to-save-your-life
"I couldn't edit my previous message from yesterday"0
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