Confessions of a salt fiend.

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  • a5sk1ck
    a5sk1ck Posts: 21
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    Salt addict here. I've done a tremendous amount of change to my diet but not reaching for that sea salt tub is still harder than an hour of workout.
  • amanda8o
    amanda8o Posts: 352 Member
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    I was so bad with my salt before I started here I had gotten into the habit of salting everything before even tasting it,it still amazes me how much sodium simple foods have in them,I love olives but man I really gotta watch how many I eat now I couldn't believe how much salt was in them,I can only imagine how much salt I was eating before MFP!!
  • c3js80
    c3js80 Posts: 82 Member
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    And another salt field. I managed to lose 50 pounds without giving it up. I know I should, but haven't yet. I'm one of those people who salt their food before I even taste it. Bad, bad, bad.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    Sodium is also tracked by Default on the Printable Version of your Food Diary (click the orange button at the bottom of your food diary.) So you could track something else on the main page, sodium will always be on that printable page.

    Somehow I never noticed the printable version of the diary! Not that I would print it, but it is nice that you can run a report and see all those details on one page!
  • OcchiBluToo
    OcchiBluToo Posts: 5
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    I just updated my food diary and didn't notice that it tracked sodium.

    Am I not looking in the right place? I ate a lot of convenience foods this past week and I'm concerned.

    Thanks.

    It's under your settings. Then select Update Diary Settings and choose which nutrients to track.

    THANK YOU! That's a big help!
  • OcchiBluToo
    OcchiBluToo Posts: 5
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    Sodium is also tracked by Default on the Printable Version of your Food Diary (click the orange button at the bottom of your food diary.) So you could track something else on the main page, sodium will always be on that printable page.

    Thank you very much for your help.
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
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    Happy to hear i'm not alone in the battle against salt! Any other tips or tricks, I'd love to hear them. Lately I've been dousing everything in SPICY SPICE to make up for lack of salt. And pepper. A lot of pepper.
  • Tajdancer
    Tajdancer Posts: 82 Member
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    I've (finally!) learned to cook dried beans, opt for low-sodium versions of canned tomatoes, and use fresh or frozen vegetables. Seldom add salt to my cooking, use Salt Sense on the table. Herb-Ox makes a sodium-free broth powder.

    Rinse all your canned stuff, including tuna. Here's an article about how much salt you can eliminate by doing so:

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/chat-leftovers/chat-leftovers-salt-down-the-d.html
  • moonsforeyes
    moonsforeyes Posts: 228
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    Avoid processed foods, especially things frozen! They are loaded with sodium. Soup as delicious as it is is also loaded with sodium. Frozen waffles, lean pockets, etc.

    Great snacks low in sodium: nuts, fruits, vegetables, nut butters, whole grains, dark chocolate
  • newve
    newve Posts: 82 Member
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    bump
  • briyowes
    briyowes Posts: 757 Member
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    I used to salt almost everything. Since I started my journey in January, I cut out adding salt and started watching sodium intake. I try to stay below 1500 mg, some days I do go over. I use different varieties of Mrs. Dash on my food along with garlic or onion powder. I thought I would never be able to eat vegetables without adding salt, but I don't miss it. Also, like most people have said, I can really taste the salt in foods now. I try to by low/lower sodium items.
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
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    Rinse all your canned stuff, including tuna. Here's an article about how much salt you can eliminate by doing so:

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/chat-leftovers/chat-leftovers-salt-down-the-d.html

    THIS IS AWESOME NEWS!!! Ok I do rinse my canned stuff very thoroughly (like chickpeas / beans) - great study, thank you for posting!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Sodium isn't an issue if you balance out potassium in the right ratio and you are consuming enough water. If you have high blood pressure, then you should check with your physician to ensure you're taking in the right amount based on blood tests.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
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    Sodium isn't an issue if you balance out potassium in the right ratio and you are consuming enough water. If you have high blood pressure, then you should check with your physician to ensure you're taking in the right amount based on blood tests.

    personally, i have low blood pressure - but i'm interested as to how the ratio thing works. what should we be aiming for?
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    Sodium isn't an issue if you balance out potassium in the right ratio and you are consuming enough water. If you have high blood pressure, then you should check with your physician to ensure you're taking in the right amount based on blood tests.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition



    how do you find if you are balanced is there some form of math for this? Edit to say Figured it out need more potassium and less sodium still !!!!!!!! watching this stuff gets trickier the more you know
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
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    Just wanted to say I got my "Spike" in the mail today and am excited to give it a try! I'll report back, fellow salt fiends!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Sodium isn't an issue if you balance out potassium in the right ratio and you are consuming enough water. If you have high blood pressure, then you should check with your physician to ensure you're taking in the right amount based on blood tests.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition



    how do you find if you are balanced is there some form of math for this? Edit to say Figured it out need more potassium and less sodium still !!!!!!!! watching this stuff gets trickier the more you know
    A normal sodium/potassium ratio is between 2.5:1 and 4:1.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    I don't even check my sodium. I have low blood pressure and the doctor told me to eat more salt. ...I don't think it's physically possible for someone to eat more salt than I do. Still, I'm going to try and cut back for a couple of days to see if I lose some water weight.
  • newve
    newve Posts: 82 Member
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    Bump
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
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    I don't even check my sodium. I have low blood pressure and the doctor told me to eat more salt. ...I don't think it's physically possible for someone to eat more salt than I do. Still, I'm going to try and cut back for a couple of days to see if I lose some water weight.

    that seems crazy to me that a doctor said "eat more salt!" i have low blood pressure also - dropping down the salt has certainly helped my weight loss! i think because it also curbs my craving for processed food, which is usually high in salt, and which obviously is not usually the best choice from a caloric perspective!
    let me know how low sodium works out for you!

    by the way, to the previous poster who recommended Spike - i bought it and have been enjoying it! it's not salt, but it is flavor, which is nice! i like their garlic spike, too!

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