Sodium
theredcliche
Posts: 233 Member
Wondering if any of you guys know more about sodium-potassium-water balance than I do. I've been tracking my sodium lately and even when trying to avoid processed foods and obvious sodium-bombs, I'm still over a lot. Cheese unfortunately has a lot of sodium... anyway, I drink about 132 oz of water per day (I do that by carrying around a 64 oz bottle of water all day - one at work and one at home)... I've read online that simply increasing your water intake won't "flush" out sodium like we'd think... I actually read that you should increase potassium since 1) most people don't get enough (and I know it's not on a lot of nutrition labels so it's hard to judge how much you actually get) and 2) potassium and sodium are in an equilibrium in your blood so if you increase one, you can't just increase the water without increasing the other electrolyte as well. I guess I need confirmation that when I have a high sodium day, I should increase my water (or try to exercise and sweat it out) and increase potassium.....
Now I'm gonna go search for a list of high potassium foods... apparently bananas are a pretty weak source of potassium although everyone always recommends them.
Now I'm gonna go search for a list of high potassium foods... apparently bananas are a pretty weak source of potassium although everyone always recommends them.
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I would like to know this too, since I can NEVER keep my sodium in check. I'm fortunate to have very low blood pressure, so it isn't having that particular negative effect on my health, but I'm sure its not helping my water weight. I've had a few days when I've hit my potassium goal lately. I'll go back and see if I can figure out which food I was eating that got me there and report back here in a few minutes. I guess there is always potassium supplements as well.0
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Ahah! Its all the beans, soy and lentils I eat. I hit 4600 mg today and my goal is 3500.0
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lol - i just looked at this page: http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/potassium-foods.htm and realized beans have A LOT of potassium. beans and potatoes..... i guess i need to go back to the old days. veggies, beans, potatoes. the end.
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Im no expert but from what ive read and heard from knowledgable people is that sodium in and off itself is not going to cause water weight. It's a sudden increase that does this. So basically if you eat alot of sodium(not saying this is healthy) your body is used to it and it should not contribute to massive water weight. Now if you eat low sodium and suddenly increase it dramatically then you can expect water weight to occur. So if this is true then just trying to maintain a healthy and average sodium level should be fine unless you have some medical condition that would make you keep it really low.
Also if you exercise sweating burns alot of sodium which is why in Iraq the troops took salt tablets. Which means if you are sweating alot I wouldn't worry to much about sodium, unless of course you have medical condition.0 -
Wow~ you bring up an interesting point about the sodium/potassium balance.
I just glanced over your diary and your worst sodium days are when you go out to eat and when you have processed meats like bacon and beef jerky.
About a year ago, I did a "sodium renovation" on my foods. One day when I had some extra time for a longer grocery shopping, I read the label of every single, freakin' thing I bought!
I found what you already know~ cheese, bread, deli meats and ANYTHING in a box were the biggest salt offenders, not to mention canned foods.
SO~I now use FROZEN veggies, NO soup, LOW SODIUM TUNA (in a packet), Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Balsamic Dressing, SWISS CHEESE-the least processed of ALL cheeses!
A note about Sugar Free~ if they take away the SUGAR, they replace it with SALT!!!
If they take away the FAT, they'll replace it with BOTH!!
I think you're doing great, maybe make a couple tweaks, but in general, lookin good!!0 -
well just an example, I ate double my normal limit yesterday so about 5000 mg. today I am half a pound lighter then yesterday, hence no water weight gain. I also ran yesterday so I could of sweated out the extra if I had any extra. Not saying sodium is not important to keep down, but that most people get more excited about it then they need to. and yes I agree we all should up our potassium.0
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I'm very interested in the potassium aspect as well. My potassium is so low everyday......... What's everyone else's potassium average each day?0
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One thing I came across said to be careful about potassium. If you get too much it's toxic... If you eat normally, you will likely get what you need even if it doesn't show on your macros, because most companies don't list it in their nutrition facts (not a requirement). If for some reason you think you need more potassium, I'd speak to your dr. first.0
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One thing I came across said to be careful about potassium. If you get too much it's toxic... If you eat normally, you will likely get what you need even if it doesn't show on your macros, because most companies don't list it in their nutrition facts (not a requirement). If for some reason you think you need more potassium, I'd speak to your dr. first.
This is true, a lot of nutrient lists do not include potassium. If you are eating a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables you are probably getting enough. You can't buy potassium supplements over the counter because too much can cause heart problems. But so can too little. So just get your checkups annually and don't worry too much about potassium unless you are on a diuretic or blood pressure medication.0 -
thanks guys! i don't really seem to have a gain on high sodium days but i think my diet is a little too high in sodium in general... that is solely based on the daily recommended amount though. i haven't had any real trouble with high sodium or high blood pressure, etc... i'm just curious. i'm gonna try to cut out the processed junk like lunch meat (i have been looking for lower sodium lunch meat which has been unsuccessful so far)... but i'm not giving up bacon
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One thing I came across said to be careful about potassium. If you get too much it's toxic... If you eat normally, you will likely get what you need even if it doesn't show on your macros, because most companies don't list it in their nutrition facts (not a requirement). If for some reason you think you need more potassium, I'd speak to your dr. first.
This is true, a lot of nutrient lists do not include potassium. If you are eating a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables you are probably getting enough. You can't buy potassium supplements over the counter because too much can cause heart problems. But so can too little. So just get your checkups annually and don't worry too much about potassium unless you are on a diuretic or blood pressure medication.
I most definitely have bought them over the counter. I used to take them daily because I did have a deficiency, my doctor prescribed them (but I bought them OTC) because the deficiency was aggravating my tachycardia. But now I eat lots of beans, so definitely no need to supplement. I'm getting 3k to 4k mg a day just from the stuff that actually lists it on the labels.0 -
One thing I came across said to be careful about potassium. If you get too much it's toxic... If you eat normally, you will likely get what you need even if it doesn't show on your macros, because most companies don't list it in their nutrition facts (not a requirement). If for some reason you think you need more potassium, I'd speak to your dr. first.
This is true, a lot of nutrient lists do not include potassium. If you are eating a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables you are probably getting enough. You can't buy potassium supplements over the counter because too much can cause heart problems. But so can too little. So just get your checkups annually and don't worry too much about potassium unless you are on a diuretic or blood pressure medication.
Very good to know.....thanks ladies!0
