SODIUM

lisa28115
lisa28115 Posts: 17,271 Member
edited December 18 in Food and Nutrition
HOW CAN I REDUCE MY SODIUM LEVELS ???

Replies

  • Larry0445
    Larry0445 Posts: 204 Member
    Processed and fast foods are really high in sodium. Better to eat healthier,home cooked meals,to lower the sodium intake.
    :happy:
  • LinsenNRoses
    LinsenNRoses Posts: 284 Member
    I have the same problem Lisa!!! Either I'm over in sodium or I'm over in sugar!!!
  • lisa28115
    lisa28115 Posts: 17,271 Member
    I have the same problem Lisa!!! Either I'm over in sodium or I'm over in sugar!!!

    THATS ME

    :bigsmile:
  • Nu_Mel
    Nu_Mel Posts: 48
    Processed and fast foods are really high in sodium. Better to eat healthier,home cooked meals,to lower the sodium intake.
    :happy:

    ^^^^ This


    I don't eat packaged foods. I am always under. Big things to stay away from is the sachet sauces and meal builders eg. Apricot chicken sachet. Good old home cooking is best way.
  • PHLLLY
    PHLLLY Posts: 160 Member
    Processed and fast foods are really high in sodium. Better to eat healthier,home cooked meals,to lower the sodium intake.
    :happy:

    ^^^^ This


    I don't eat packaged foods. I am always under. Big things to stay away from is the sachet sauces and meal builders eg. Apricot chicken sachet. Good old home cooking is best way.

    All of this ^^^^^ Any restaurant chain, fine dining, and anything that you haven't prepared from scratch will be high in sodium. I looked for I'd say about 20 minutes for peanut butter with no salt. I found 1 natural brand that had it! Same with pasta sauces. You have to put in the time and effort to shop through your grocery store looking and comparing the labels. I spent 4 hours once because I wanted to make a fine dining meal with 400 mg of salt. Talk about bland!

    There's some research on the psychology of why people salt and pepper their foods at the table. If you are going to salt it at the table, don't salt it when you cook. People subconsciously season their foods even when they shouldn't! I'm a victim of that as well. I ALWAYS add soy sauce to my food at Benihana's that they've already doused a TON of soy sauce on. Try salt free herb blends instead of salting completely. Look for Low sodium/Lower sodium marked labels. The difference between them is the regulations the FDA sets. Like 1/2 of the original amount of sodium and a specific number which I can't remember that the food contains. Be aware because food companies are very crafty with their wording and it's sad that a lot of people don't catch it.

    If you are cooking vegetables like bell peppers and onions, saute them in a little bit of olive oil and carmelize them to release their naturally sweet sugar. Add that to some rice and chicken and you got yourself a low sodium meal. (rice and chicken has a little bit of sodium in it)
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Looking at your diary, maybe try to cook more from scratch. Use fresh rather than canned vegetables.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    Processed and fast foods are really high in sodium. Better to eat healthier,home cooked meals,to lower the sodium intake.
    :happy:

    my wife was diagnosed with HBP and we had to change a bunch of things we used to eat. avoid canned soups/veggies/stocks/sauces. buy no salt added veggies or fresh. No chicken stocks(make your own), processed anything is super high. no soy sauce and even ketchup is really high. So many things will get you. Good luck let us know how you progress.
  • peprmintpt
    peprmintpt Posts: 10 Member
    hey lisa, thanks for adding me as a friend. I started the DASH diet, basically you are supposed to eat 6-8 grains (bread,ceral, rice or pasta--ex: whole wheat bread, dry ceral, cooked ceral, rice or pasta), 4-5 vegetables (tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes or greens), 4-5 fruits,(all expect for avocados or coconuts-fresh or low sodium canned) 2-3 dairy( milk, yogurt, cheese-skim or 1%, or low sodium yogurts and cheeses), less then 6 meats (poulty, seafood, lean meat, egg , no salt tuna, nuts such as almonds, sunflower, kindney beans peas and lentils) and fat/oilsis (margarine, low fat mayo, light dressing) avoid: lard, shortenings, palm and coconut oils, trans fat (cracker, baked goods or fried items). and sweets-less then 5 a week. ex sugar, jelly or jam 1/2 sorbet or 1 cup lemonade. Eat fat free, low fat, sorbets, fruit ices, jelly beans, sugar free hard candy, graham crackers or low fat cookies.. also have discovered ghirardelli carries cacao chocoletes for those cravings.
    A lot a cooking for yourself and not eating fast food, and with working night shift it takes alot of preplanning menus and cooking supper in the morning before I go to bed so it's ready when you get up. I do a weekly menu each saturday, counting up the categories to make sure I have each valve for each catergory, still having issues getting enough grains, but i am trying. No sodas at all, changed to sparkling ice water with flavor, it has a fiss to it so it still gives you the sensation of drinking a soda.
    Also, this program has the option to track sodium levels and if you put in menu before the day comes and stick strickly to the menu then your good to go. With night shift, I eat breakfeast in the morning, usually sleep thru lunch hrs, eat dinner when I get up before going to work and take snacks to work, consisting of mostly fruits, vegatables and dairy. Hope this helps!
  • mathteacher2010
    mathteacher2010 Posts: 85 Member
    As everyone here has already said, home cooking is the way to go. I'm doing the Petite Advantage diet, and the focus is on proportion of protein, fat, and carbs. Almost everything I eat is fresh, and the canned foods I use are all low-sodium. I'm using Mrs. Dash seasonings on a lot of dishes, and that helps. The food summaries on MFP are really helping me to plan my days with the proper proportions of nutrients. My sodium totals are way below the goal given; I am usually over on sugars, but those are mostly from fruits, so I'm hoping that's ok. In the 3 weeks I have been on this plan, I have lost 7 lbs. Not a tremendous amount, but a better start than I've had the past few tries.

    Hope this helps.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Sodium should pretty much be the last thing in your diet that you worry about. No RTC has ever shown that it decreases life. At worst it's associated with a minor increase in blood pressure. While even a minor increase in blood pressure is bad, it's much easier to control and fix than obesity and diabetes.

    So go for the salt now and decease sugar. Once you have your diet perfected, you can attempt to reduce salt but good luck.
  • peprmintpt
    peprmintpt Posts: 10 Member
    Philly, I had a two hr grocery trip my first time lookin for low sodium products. Never read ingredients on products so much.
  • PHLLLY
    PHLLLY Posts: 160 Member
    peprmintpt, It's a pain but at least you'll know which to choose ones for the future!
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    Processed and fast foods are really high in sodium. Better to eat healthier,home cooked meals,to lower the sodium intake.
    :happy:

    ^^^^ This


    I don't eat packaged foods. I am always under. Big things to stay away from is the sachet sauces and meal builders eg. Apricot chicken sachet. Good old home cooking is best way.

    I aim for no more than 1500 mg at the most. Packaged food such as tortillas & crackers are now generally off the list. Other sneaky high sodum food is salsa, canned tomatoes, canned beans any soup, & cheese. I am eating primarily whole foods meaning whole fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, limited grains, and even limited-er animal products. Usually my high sodium days includes a home made stir fry with a dab of low sodum soy. I don't use table salt any more. Sodium is added to so many things in such large quantities! I've adjusted to not adding salt to my food now so now anything tastes over salty to me!
  • lifeskittles
    lifeskittles Posts: 438 Member
    I feel like sodium is that last thing I am concerned about...If everything else looks good then I will consider sodium reduction as a last finishing touch. Or if I buy V8 Ill buy the low sodium version because its right next to it...haha. The more cardio you do or the hotter it is, the more sodium you should intake too.. Noone ever seems to think about that.
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    Sodium should pretty much be the last thing in your diet that you worry about. No RTC has ever shown that it decreases life. At worst it's associated with a minor increase in blood pressure. While even a minor increase in blood pressure is bad, it's much easier to control and fix than obesity and diabetes.

    So go for the salt now and decease sugar. Once you have your diet perfected, you can attempt to reduce salt but good luck.

    Not sure what RTC is but studies show it does most certainly decrease life through hardening of the arteries which leads to high blood pressure aka "the silent killer". I guess those undecided can choose which side of the argument to stand on. I prefer to err on the side of caution, not just "better taste". Check out www.drfurhman.com.
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