Sodium stuck at 2.5 grams

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Hufanae
Hufanae Posts: 41 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just wondering why the sodium level does not increase slightly when one works out (earn bonus extra calories).

When I workout hard on some days, I tend to go over the sodium intake. I find it hard to take in the extra (Bonus) calories without taking in the extra sodium. I love my parents fried rice, eating simple sandwiches (no mayo of course), little bit of candy here and there, but damn didn't realize so much sodium i'm taking in.

I realize now that my old diet consisted of mostly sodium, sugar & protein. I tried so to eat healthy, but thanks to MFP, I can really see what I'm putting into my body.

Going shopping tonight and to start looking for food without as much sodium and sugar as i tend to always go over most of the time.

Replies

  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
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    I'd have to imagine you don't get any back because there's no standard way to calculate how much sodium is lost during exercise. It would be highly dependent on the individual.

    2.5g is really the upper limit, actually OVER the upper limit if you ask the FDA (2.3g is actually the max recommended). If you ask the American Heart Association, you should only consume 1.5g. So that's quite a range. Overall, the lower, the better.

    In general, the more you cook at home the better you will do in terms of sodium intake. Always look for low sodium alternatives and only add salt if needed. I was shocked to see the difference between low sodium and regular chicken broth. There are even low sodium canned beans now.

    http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm181577.htm

    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Shaking-the-Salt-Habit_UCM_303241_Article.jsp
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Too much sodium is bad for you, no matter how many exercise calories you've earned. Your calories are made up of protein, fat, and carbs (well, and technically alcohol, too) - therefore, as your allowed calories go up, your allowed protein/fat/carbs have to go up, or you could not increase your calories. Sodium, on the other hand, is something added to food - it does not contain any calories by itself. Same things as vitamins - you have a set recommended daily value, which doesn't go up if you eat more food.

    No matter how many calories you eat, you should be keeping sodium at a healthy level (depends on the source, but most top out at 2300-2500mg/day IF you have no exacerbating health problems or risk factors). If you eat few restaurant/processed foods it is relatively easy to stick to a reasonable number of calories even if you have a higher calorie target some days.
  • akshayam29
    akshayam29 Posts: 44
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    if you feel your sodium intake is high......try to up your potassium levels (a banana or coconut water or a glass of water with two table spoons of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (BRAGG) or any other good potassium food source). Potassium flushes out the excess sodium. Secondly replace refined table salt with unfiltered celtic salt(French) which is low in sodium and a good source of lot of other minerals.
  • Hufanae
    Hufanae Posts: 41 Member
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    if you feel your sodium intake is high......try to up your potassium levels (a banana or coconut water or a glass of water with two table spoons of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (BRAGG) or any other good potassium food source). Potassium flushes out the excess sodium. Secondly replace refined table salt with unfiltered celtic salt(French) which is low in sodium and a good source of lot of other minerals.

    Great, I'll add more potassium to my diet when I see my sodium levels exceed the 2.5 grams. Is there an approx/ratio to this potassium to sodium flush? Just Curious. And damn the sugar level is a bit high. Give and take kind of thing. loL.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    if you feel your sodium intake is high......try to up your potassium levels (a banana or coconut water or a glass of water with two table spoons of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (BRAGG) or any other good potassium food source). Potassium flushes out the excess sodium. Secondly replace refined table salt with unfiltered celtic salt(French) which is low in sodium and a good source of lot of other minerals.

    Great, I'll add more potassium to my diet when I see my sodium levels exceed the 2.5 grams. Is there an approx/ratio to this potassium to sodium flush? Just Curious. And damn the sugar level is a bit high. Give and take kind of thing. loL.

    Just a heads up - I would recommend that you get your additional potassium from food rather than supplements if at all possible. If you do want to take supplements, make sure you see your doctor about it first. You CAN overdose on potassium (particuarly if taking by supplement) and it is dangerous to do so. In general, it is not recommended to take potassium supplements unless directed to by your doctor. This is why the supplements you'll see in the stores are very low-dose compared to what our recommended daily intake is.

    Really you'd be better off working to reduce your sodium intake. It IS very do-able, even with higher calorie goals. It just takes some planning and effort to avoid processed foods.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    This has been one of my peeves for a long time, and I've never found a good answer. As you point out, the required sodium intake level for a human being should be a function of how much one loses in sweat. I've always thought that it also should some how correlate to body size or food intake. I can't believe that a 300 pound man will have problems from too much sodium at the same intake level as a 100 pound woman.

    Yet the recommendations (1500 mg, 2300 mg, 2500 mg, depending on who you listen to) don't take any of those things into account. Does someone weighing 300 lbs eating 3600 calories a day really need to eat food that is on the average one third as salty as someone weighing 100 lbs and eating 1200 calories? That is what the numbers imply, and it makes zero sense to me.
  • akshayam29
    akshayam29 Posts: 44
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    Great, I'll add more potassium to my diet when I see my sodium levels exceed the 2.5 grams. Is there an approx/ratio to this potassium to sodium flush? Just Curious. And damn the sugar level is a bit high. Give and take kind of thing. loL.



    I am not sure about the exact ratio but the recommended potassium ratio for an adult is 4.7grams/day. So make sure your sodium intake does not exceed than recommended and reach your patassium level to 4 to 4.5 grams. I think should be fine.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    This has been one of my peeves for a long time, and I've never found a good answer. As you point out, the required sodium intake level for a human being should be a function of how much one loses in sweat. I've always thought that it also should some how correlate to body size or food intake. I can't believe that a 300 pound man will have problems from too much sodium at the same intake level as a 100 pound woman.

    Yet the recommendations (1500 mg, 2300 mg, 2500 mg, depending on who you listen to) don't take any of those things into account. Does someone weighing 300 lbs eating 3600 calories a day really need to eat food that is on the average one third as salty as someone weighing 100 lbs and eating 1200 calories? That is what the numbers imply, and it makes zero sense to me.

    I can't explain it because I'm not a scientist, but I've NEVER seen sodium recommendations based on weight. Some things (like sodium, vitamins, etc.) do not vary based on weight, and given the harm of a high-sodium diet, it is much better to play it safe.

    Regarding working out - your body actually adjusts so that you do not lose much sodium even when sweating, except under severe circumstances (extreme heat or excessive sweating). Here are reputable sources for that information:
    http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2394/T-3142.pdf
    http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/H/HE-0426/
  • claudublin
    claudublin Posts: 13 Member
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    that's exactly why I would like to see calcium, iron and vitamins noted in mg, rather than %DV. It's based on a 2000ckal diet, and most people would eat less or more, but still need a certain amount of vitamins and minerals.
    Too much sodium is bad for you, no matter how many exercise calories you've earned. Your calories are made up of protein, fat, and carbs (well, and technically alcohol, too) - therefore, as your allowed calories go up, your allowed protein/fat/carbs have to go up, or you could not increase your calories. Sodium, on the other hand, is something added to food - it does not contain any calories by itself. Same things as vitamins - you have a set recommended daily value, which doesn't go up if you eat more food.

    No matter how many calories you eat, you should be keeping sodium at a healthy level (depends on the source, but most top out at 2300-2500mg/day IF you have no exacerbating health problems or risk factors). If you eat few restaurant/processed foods it is relatively easy to stick to a reasonable number of calories even if you have a higher calorie target some days.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I am not sure about the exact ratio but the recommended potassium ratio for an adult is 4.7grams/day. So make sure your sodium intake does not exceed than recommended and reach your patassium level to 4 to 4.5 grams. I think should be fine.

    But be forewarned: Because US labeling laws don't require manufacturers to include potassium levels, most of the entries in the MFP database have zero or NA . . . even if the food is rich in potassium. That means that MFP is pretty much useless for tracking potassium. It will likely tell you you're getting a fraction of the potassium you should, even if you are doing just fine.

    Garbage in, garbage out.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    that's exactly why I would like to see calcium, iron and vitamins noted in mg, rather than %DV. It's based on a 2000ckal diet, and most people would eat less or more, but still need a certain amount of vitamins and minerals.

    Not sure exactly what you mean, but neither the RDAs nor MFP adjust micronutrients based on calories in the diet.

    For example:

    ucm063353.gif

    Notice at the bottom that cholesterol and sodium are the same for 2000 calories and 2500 calories. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron aren't listed in the table at the bottom, but the RDAs for those don't change with daily caloric intake either.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    Thanks for the links, accountant_boi! I'll take a look.
  • Hufanae
    Hufanae Posts: 41 Member
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    I rarely/never take supplements/vitamins (i.e. the one a day vitamin for men) since I've been tracking via MFP. Thanks to MFP I can actually see what I'm lacking (and exceeding: sugar) and I do take a vitamin if I'm below one of my nutrients.

    I do sweat, esp. during an insane workout, I tend to swallow some sweat at times and boy it sure tastes salty. loL. So at least by sweating I knew I was ridding myself the salts in my body (as well as the water and potassium). I found it odd that it was easier for me to sweat more during the normal insane workout. Maybe I overworked my body that day, and maybe it was due to the extra salt and extra water I consumed. I do know that today I feel real good and know my body is changing a lot faster before tracking my calories.
  • necolong1014
    necolong1014 Posts: 25
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    I am wondering about this too because I workout 1-2 hrs a day if possible 5-7 days a week I sweat a ton so wouldn't I require more salt in my diet to replace what I lost? I mean that is why the created gator aid for sports players right? To replenish lost salt. I eat a ton of raw veggies and mostly vegan meals and it is hard for me to eat enough veggies (plain raw veggies like carrots and celery) without going over my salt content. I am wondering if the ones I am choosing are wrong on the salt content or what? I cook at home and rarely eat out but it's hard to even eat as much as they want me too. I have to exercise to keep my MS in check, I also need it to keep my muscle tone otherwise I am wasting my time trying to lose weight. I do have days where I am no where close to my salt intake normally on rest days. This week is hard I have six brothers and all of them in town for super bowl so I am eating meat and cheese which I normally don't.

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