Tips for sodium?

travinoriley
travinoriley Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I just started out on here a few days ago, and one thing I've really found out is that my sodium intake is absolutely insane, even when I think I'm eating healthy. Just today, I ate more than double my daily goal, and just form one Subway sandwich, go figure.

Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, how have you gotten it under control? I'm pretty sure that that's one of the reasons I'm overweight, just by sodium alone.

Replies

  • tnqnt
    tnqnt Posts: 397 Member
    YES... totally! Breads are a huge factor, as are anything pre-made...salsa, hummus, jarred and canned items, and my fave...cheese
  • tnqnt
    tnqnt Posts: 397 Member
    I switched to ezekial sodium free bread and I use nusalt instead of salt in cooking. Also check things like salsa --- emerils southwest salsa is much lower than most others...
  • tnqnt
    tnqnt Posts: 397 Member
    I looked at your food diary and your problem appears to be deli meats and cheeses....Also, anything you get at a restaurant is usually LOADED with sodium.
  • miss_lizz
    miss_lizz Posts: 49 Member
    as long as your drinking enough water, sodium really doesnt matter ALL that much for weight loss..
  • miss_lizz
    miss_lizz Posts: 49 Member
    and your not over weight because of the sodium, .. its the foods your eatinggg ;]
  • hwibowo
    hwibowo Posts: 18 Member
    Eat homemade food without salt.

    High sodium intake may/may not be good for you. It depends on your activity level. I'm a triathlete and constantly training, thus I drain my sodium through sweat. I have to replenish my sodium to prevent cramping. But if you don't do anything, sodium is bad for your health in general (high blood pressure, swelling, etc.). I'm not sure it relates to your overweight issue.

    Hope that helps.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    I went through that realization and was struggling with it. Health issues make it necessary for me to watch my sodium. At first if I ate low enough sodium, I was not eating enough. It is an adjustment but it can be done.
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
    You need to keep your potassium and sodium numbers close to the same. The potassium helps the bloating.
  • glamsam8
    glamsam8 Posts: 39 Member
    I've never had real problems with sodium, I've grown up in a household where the cook (my dad) could have very little sodium. So we don't season or foods with salt, usually we use home-made seasonings, and even if we're eating out, ask for foods without their added salt or seasoning, so I hope that some of these tips are helpful for you ^^
  • NCTravellingGirl
    NCTravellingGirl Posts: 717 Member
    It's amazing what we think of as healthy THEN see the sodium content, and Subway was definitely an issue for me! I have really tried focusing on fresh foods, not boxed, etc... It's made a huge difference. I now consciously look for low sodium options like canned tuna, lunch meat, etc... that are ridiculously high. Good Luck!
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
    Lunchmeats are ridiculous, I pretty much given them up. Mostly it's a trial and error thing for me. The fresher the food the better. Some cereals like shredded mini-wheats are super low in sodium and can help balance your day if you plan to eat out later.

    Good luck.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    and your not over weight because of the sodium, .. its the foods your eatinggg ;]
    Agreed. Only worry about sodium if you have a health condition.
  • travinoriley
    travinoriley Posts: 2
    Oh wow, I wasn't expecting such a huge response. Thank you all!

    I agree though, I do enjoy deli meats and cheese a little too much, haha! But more homecooked meals, less deli meats. And even if I might not be overweight because of my sodium intake, it's still kinda scary to see the numbers THAT high, and I worrya bout how it could affect my health later on.

    You're all awesome :)
  • writinwater
    writinwater Posts: 52
    Sodium is my nemesis! Why does it have to taste so good?

    And it's in EVERYTHING!!

    Completely agree with the previous comments - I now check the label on everything and cook using tons of herbs etc. Low sodium/wheat free soy sauce (tamari?) is a godsend!

    Definately still indulge in the occasional bit of salted popcorn though - and the greatest Australian invention of all time: Chicken salt! :)
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Here's a tip about sodium, don't waste your time tracking it! And if you're going to, do some research about it first. You'll probably end up not worrying about it as much.
  • tnqnt
    tnqnt Posts: 397 Member
    Also, in place of salt, try a salt substitute.... I use NuSalt, which is in the spice section of the supermarket .... its Potassium Chloride and has similar (not exact) taste as salt :)
  • bcmlam1001
    bcmlam1001 Posts: 118 Member
    I have totally cut out the deli meat. It has TO much sodium for sure. I have been going for tuna salad sandwiches (I make my own tuna salad) and tomato sandwich, banana sandwich, and when I purchase canned goods, you can pretty much get anything now that is reduced sodium or no salt added. I DO NOT add salt to anything that I eat. If you cut back enough you will eventually be to where you don't have to have salt on everything. Yes, some things need salt but not everything does =)
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
    This is from a blog I wrote a while ago. Hopefully it helps. I no longer suffer from HBP, so I've since increased my sodium allowance to 2,300mg. Some days are better than others, but it's actually pretty easy to keep your numbers down if you need to.
    7 Tips for Keeping your Sodium Down

    1. PLAN YOUR ENTIRE DAY BEFORE YOU EAT ANYTHING. This way you can tweak your food decisions to stay at or near your goal. And watch out for the MFP database. Some foods are missing their sodium numbers. Your numbers could be much higher than MFP says.

    2. ALWAYS CHECK THE NUTRITION FACTS! Salt hides in some of the oddest places, so you have to check everything, even those items that don't taste salty or that you wouldn't think would contain much salt. Meat is the perfect example. Many packaged meats in the stores are injected with salt brine. I saw a whole chicken that had 700mg of sodium per 3 oz. and that's before you even get to season the damn thing yourself!

    3. Cook with whole foods and from scratch as often as possible. The minute a boxed, canned, or highly processed food enters the picture you are screwed. They use SO MUCH SALT! For instance, making your own chicken stock is as easy as covering some chicken, carrots, celery, onion, parsley, and thyme with water and letting it simmer for a few hours. If you buy Swanson Stock you are looking at 800mg of sodium per cup!

    4. If you must buy processed foods look for low or no salt added versions. NOTE: the package doesn't always say "low sodium" on it, so shop around. The "reduced sodium" black beans still have 3-4 times the sodium of some of the organic canned beans. "Low sodium" chicken broth can be even worse. Some of those that are labeled "low sodium" still have 500mg of sodium per cup!!

    5. When cooking from a recipe reduce or remove the "salt to taste". Unless you are baking a dessert, you can often times live without the salt.

    6. Ease yourself into it! I'm not going to lie to you, it is difficult to reduce your sodium without feeling your food has lost much of its flavor. Reason being, salt helps food taste more like itself. It heightens flavor. The good news is, your taste buds will adjust, and you can wean yourself slowly. Soon your lightly salted food will taste really flavorful and everything else will taste too salty.

    7. When you want to salt something season with a spice blend rather than straight salt. You can significantly cut your sodium levels this way. For instance, Garlic Salt has under 300mg per 1/4 tsp versus the almost 500 mg per 1/4 tsp of Kosher salt or almost 600 mg per 1/4 tsp of table salt.There are also scores of salt free spice blends. If you learn to cook with spices, herbs, and even vinegar instead of salt your food will be much more flavorful, and you'll need to add less salt.
  • nlwilliamson
    nlwilliamson Posts: 225 Member
    and the greatest Australian invention of all time: Chicken salt! :)

    oohhhh yeahhhh! its so good but so bad haha
  • jordanreddick
    jordanreddick Posts: 197 Member
    Your best bet is going to be staying with raw fruits and vegetables, They will have the lowest natural sodium content and will allow your body to process all the excess sodium and get rid of it. The fiber content doens't hurt either, it will get all of your residual "food" out if you know what I mean...:laugh:
  • cardiokitten
    cardiokitten Posts: 401 Member
    Yeah, it's hard! Some days I can't help but be over by like 1000. I would suggest pre-logging before you eat (and finding out, 'wow! that had s***load of sodium in it, i didn't realize!') and finding out the main foods that build up sodium- for me, it's things like soup and pizza, and try to cut down on them. I've found it's a lot easier to just eat a slice less or only a cup of soup, still gives you sodium, but not massive amounts. And chug that water!
  • Izzy1218
    Izzy1218 Posts: 3
    Just learned a thing myself this morning updating my diary from last night. I did a weight watchers meal at apple bees, I'm vegitarian so I dont get many options if I go out to eat, I ate a 300 cal meal which was great but the sodium was at 2,950!! I ate shrimp and rice whith steamed veggies are you kidding!?!? Lol this is why I stay away from eating anything I don't prepare. Stuff like that sneaks up on you easily. It's really easy to monitor it. Read you labels like someone already said raw foods are always great too! But I can pretty much promise you'll be taking in a lot more sodium than youd like eating out. So when you do ask them for a nutrition booklet they all have them and you'll actually be able to see the break down of everything. Little trip and trick ;)
  • ProTFitness
    ProTFitness Posts: 1,379 Member
    Subway is not really heathy food
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    Ah, man. I have the exact same problem. If i'm not constantly watching it - it goes through the roof! I'm bumpin this one for some super-awesome responses as well :)
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies into your diet. Also, watch potassium. Potassium is a very important electrolyte that helps counter the effects of sodium. It can be hard to get enough sometimes, but not every nutrition panel has it so it is not always accounted for.

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