Sodium??

justkrissy
justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
edited December 17 in Food and Nutrition
Okay, so I've been doing really good with staying under my Calorie intake for the day each day, but I've noticed almost everday I've been over in Sodium. I don't know much about Sodium, so I don't know. Is watching my Sodium intake a big deal? And what about Sugar? I've noticed my sugar has been over a few times too from fruits and vetables. I do drink one cup of coffee in the morning with one teaspoon of Sugar and that almost puts me right over the limit right there. Any advice?

Replies

  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    I don't track sugar at all. doesn't matter. I'm eating better and less, so my sugar is just fine. don't worry about it in the least, unless you have some kind of medical condition that relates to sugar.

    sodium, I go over most every day, too. try to keep it reasonable, but it isn't going to probably hurt anything, either. it will help in the whole water retention thing, but drink enough water and it will flush out anyway.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Waaay to much sodium can be very bad. It's important to keep your sodium:potassium balance in check.

    Don't sweat natural sugar from whole foods unless you have special dietary needs.

    it's never a bad idea to reduce refined sugar.
  • sherim71
    sherim71 Posts: 130 Member
    I track my sodium because my hands have tendency to swell and I believe I have noticed a link since I've started paying attention :) It's really hard to stay under because I still eat processed foods. But I try.
  • nicolynn33
    nicolynn33 Posts: 17 Member
    Too much sodium makes you retain water weight. Those packaged dinners in the frozen food aisle (like the "Eating Right") are packed with preservatives and sodium. So if you are eating those a lot, your sodium intake will be a lot higher without you realizing it.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Waaay to much sodium can be very bad. It's important to keep your sodium:potassium balance in check.

    Don't sweat natural sugar from whole foods unless you have special dietary needs.

    it's never a bad idea to reduce refined sugar.

    This. My first two months I developed edema because my sodium was always over and potassium was always defecient. I almost went toxic. Drinking water really doesn't help much to even out the balance of electrolytes which is ultimately what causes water retention.
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    Yah, I think I only went WAY over once, and that was because I added too much seasoning salt to my supper. I just looked at the calories and thought, WOW there are none! And added a bunch, then realized the next day how far I had gone over my Sodium! But usually its just a little over.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I track my sodium because my hands have tendency to swell and I believe I have noticed a link since I've started paying attention :) It's really hard to stay under because I still eat processed foods. But I try.

    Check your potassium levels. You might have edema.
  • VeroBerry
    VeroBerry Posts: 15 Member
    From what I've read, too much sodium can lead to water retention and high blood pressure. But I think that's if you go over your limit by a lot.
  • MsFitn2012
    MsFitn2012 Posts: 14 Member
    I track my sodium as well as calories....I eat alot of lean cuisine and they are high in sodium so i eat half the lean cuisine and eat a salad...I dont want high blood pressure so im making sure i dont go over in the soduim dpt. I maybe go over 1 a week if that many.....
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    I track my sodium as well as calories....I eat alot of lean cuisine and they are high in sodium so i eat half the lean cuisine and eat a salad...I dont want high blood pressure so im making sure i dont go over in the soduim dpt. I maybe go over 1 a week if that many.....

    Yah I think I should try tracking it. Because if I'm being honest, I think Sodium is my weakness. I love salty and processed foods. I just took a quick glance back at my Sodium for the week and it was usually anywhere from 400-1400 over!
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Okay, so I've been doing really good with staying under my Calorie intake for the day each day, but I've noticed almost everday I've been over in Sodium. I don't know much about Sodium, so I don't know. Is watching my Sodium intake a big deal? And what about Sugar? I've noticed my sugar has been over a few times too from fruits and vetables. I do drink one cup of coffee in the morning with one teaspoon of Sugar and that almost puts me right over the limit right there. Any advice?

    There's NO way to stay "under" with sugar and eat fruit. A lot of my nutrition comes from fruit, and fruit sugars are far less harmful than refined sugars. So I don't sweat that.

    Now as to sodium - how much "over" are we talking about? 100mg? 1000mg? If you're over by a small amount (say, less than 10% or so) daily, add an extra glass of water and fuhgeddaboudit unless you have high blood pressure problems or other indications from your doctor that you should be watching your sodium intake. If you're over by a massive amount daily, then you should probably get that under control pretty quickly.

    Especially, as others have mentioned, if your potassium is routinely low.
  • prettyprpro
    prettyprpro Posts: 128 Member
    Please watch your sodium intake!!! I have hypertension and my doctor always tells me to watch the sodium. Honestly, I always watch my sodium over my fat intake because most of the time if a food product has low sodium, it's not going to be very fattening.
  • BreakingOath
    BreakingOath Posts: 193 Member
    I don't track sugar at all. doesn't matter. I'm eating better and less, so my sugar is just fine. don't worry about it in the least, unless you have some kind of medical condition that relates to sugar.

    sodium, I go over most every day, too. try to keep it reasonable, but it isn't going to probably hurt anything, either. it will help in the whole water retention thing, but drink enough water and it will flush out anyway.

    Water follows salt therefore you can drink all the water you want but it won't flush out the sodium since your kidney's like to retain sodium.
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    Thanks everyone! I guess I'll start being a little *cough*alot*cough* more careful with my Sodium. This will be a true callange for me considering I'm a huge Salt fiend! But I'm going to do it. :)
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    I don't track sugar at all. doesn't matter. I'm eating better and less, so my sugar is just fine. don't worry about it in the least, unless you have some kind of medical condition that relates to sugar.

    sodium, I go over most every day, too. try to keep it reasonable, but it isn't going to probably hurt anything, either. it will help in the whole water retention thing, but drink enough water and it will flush out anyway.

    Water follows salt therefore you can drink all the water you want but it won't flush out the sodium since your kidney's like to retain sodium.

    you flush between 90 and 95 percent of the sodium in your body through taking a 10-100. increased water intake = increased number of bathroom breaks, which leads to more sodium leaving your body.

    you also lose a bit of sodium through perspiration. so regular trips to the gym will also aid in dumping excess sodium.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I don't track sugar at all. doesn't matter. I'm eating better and less, so my sugar is just fine. don't worry about it in the least, unless you have some kind of medical condition that relates to sugar.

    sodium, I go over most every day, too. try to keep it reasonable, but it isn't going to probably hurt anything, either. it will help in the whole water retention thing, but drink enough water and it will flush out anyway.

    Water follows salt therefore you can drink all the water you want but it won't flush out the sodium since your kidney's like to retain sodium.

    you flush between 90 and 95 percent of the sodium in your body through taking a 10-100. increased water intake = increased number of bathroom breaks, which leads to more sodium leaving your body.

    you also lose a bit of sodium through perspiration. so regular trips to the gym will also aid in dumping excess sodium.

    It also dumps the other electrolytes. Water retention is caused by the imbalance of electrolytes and not just the presence of excess sodium.
  • mfoster1019
    mfoster1019 Posts: 152 Member
    i don't pay attention to my sugars. most of mine come from fruit or yogurt so whatever. i do watch my sodium but i am over at least 3-5 days a week. sometimes it is just slightly over, other days i am like 1.5 times my daily allotment of 2500mg. i mean, if i can find a way to reduce it down then i will but sometimes i just can't. it obviously doesn't seem to affect me too much...i've been on here for 13.5 weeks and have lost 29lbs. i say do what works for you.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    oh, you're right, whit. definitely eat potassium-containing foods to help balance. but in the instance of a one day of going super high for whatever reason, a big water flush can help get things back closer to being balanced.
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    Sodium is the devil. Lol!
  • bleumanchu
    bleumanchu Posts: 23 Member
    Current recommendations for optimal sodium intake in the U.S. for a perfectly healthy Caucasian* adult under the age of 51 years is 2300mg of sodium/day (as an upper limit). This has been linked to a statistically significant reduction in blood pressure (anywhere from 2.7-5 mmHg in systolic blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure; 1-2 mmHg in people with normal blood pressure). There are those who advocate for an optimal sodium intake of less than 1500 mg daily. Both of these goals are exceeding difficult to reach if you eat essentially anything other than fresh, unsalted foods. According to the CDC, the average sodium intake for people in the U.S. ages 2 years and older is 3,436 mg/day.

    As for the mention of potassium, when blood pressure management is concerned, aiming for 4,700 mg of potassium (if you don't have any issues with your kidneys; if you do, talk to your doctor) is recommended. At least maintaining a 1:1 sodium:potassium ratio has been linked to significant reduction in blood pressure. As mentioned, fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of potassium.

    As hypertension is one of the most significant modifiable risk factors for heart disease and stroke (the #1 and #3 killers in the U.S.), anything you can do to ensure your blood pressure is/remains normal is definitely to your benefit.

    *Per guidelines at CDC.gov, individuals age 51 or older, people who have hypertension, African Americans, people with chronic kidney disease or diabetes should aim for 1,500 mg/day.

    http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsSodium/
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    oh, you're right, whit. definitely eat potassium-containing foods to help balance. but in the instance of a one day of going super high for whatever reason, a big water flush can help get things back closer to being balanced.

    So why is it important to have a Sodium/potassium balance?
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    oh, you're right, whit. definitely eat potassium-containing foods to help balance. but in the instance of a one day of going super high for whatever reason, a big water flush can help get things back closer to being balanced.

    So why is it important to have a Sodium/potassium balance?

    as I understand it, if your body is low on potassium your body will try to hold onto every bit it can get. as a result, it will also hang onto sodium and water in the process. so if you are getting enough potassium, you prevent that from happening. I believe the recommended amount of potassium needed for most adults is somewhere around 4,700 mg.
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    oh, you're right, whit. definitely eat potassium-containing foods to help balance. but in the instance of a one day of going super high for whatever reason, a big water flush can help get things back closer to being balanced.

    So why is it important to have a Sodium/potassium balance?

    as I understand it, if your body is low on potassium your body will try to hold onto every bit it can get. as a result, it will also hang onto sodium and water in the process. so if you are getting enough potassium, you prevent that from happening. I believe the recommended amount of potassium needed for most adults is somewhere around 4,700 mg.

    Wow.. okay, no wonder I'm not losing any weight.. Most days my Potassium level is at under, by the full amount 0mg and my Sodium is over what im suppose to have by like 400mg-1400mg
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