The Villain Sodium - Avast Ye, Salty Siren!
Woe to the calorie counter who values convenience "diet" foods...the food industry has us cornered. While advertising products with high fiber, high protein, and low calories, what they fail to mention is the SKY HIGH sodium content! To my dismay, I find that there is no option but constant vigilance against the overconsumption of sodium on a daily basis! Examples:
A chobani greek yogurt and a whole-grain Kashi waffle for breakfast? Sounds good...and yet...contains 10% of the 1500 gram daily allowance of sodium.
I eschewed mayonaise and ketchup for mustard...the "healthy" condiment...but using 3 tsps in my altered tuna salad recipe and I've got another 10% of sodium.
Don't even get me started on breads...no matter HOW "whole grain natural" they're supposed to be...even my Flatout Light wraps which are amazingly packed with good stuff have 14% in ONE wrap (90 cals). Ack!
And heaven forbid you forget to bake your chicken or salmon to make lunches for the week and resort to eating a Smart Ones or Healthy Choice microwave meal. You're lucky if you ONLY get 25% of your sodium in that.
Fight back! I know we're all pressed for time, and money, and nothing EVER seems simple enough, but I've found one small ally in the battle against salt -
MORTON'S SALT SUBSTITUTE!!
If you ever, for some crazy reason (like taste) need to add a salty flavor to your recipes or fresh food you can enlist this great substitute, which consists of mostly potassium, which many of us fall short on anyway. The sodium/potassium balance is somehow important too (don't ask me details, I just listen to the experts), and avoiding added sodium ourselves in by using potassium seems like an excellent move.
So today, while eating my tuna-mustard-spinach wrap, I enjoyed a side of fresh tomato slices dusted with Morton's Salt Substitute, and felt pretty good about that choice.
This concludes sodium rant/shameless Morton's plug. (The author of this post is in no way affiliated with Morton Salt, and is certain there are other brands of salt substitute which are equally friendly in a potassium-related way).
Have a nice day and keep seeking health!!
I would be wary about taking potassium substitutes if your doctor hasn't recommended them. People have overdosed on them.
What Smashley said. Check out this previous topic:
Fortunately for me I have no conditions that require me to limit my sodium intake. And this time of year I need to take in extra sodium, potassium, and magnesium. I do use Morton's Light to get some extra potassium.
Thank you for your warning!!
Believe me, I do understand about the dangers of ingesting too much potassium (or anything else that is toxic in high amounts...fine lines abound).
Incidentally, I believe CC's requirement of 4700 mg of potassium daily is too high for me - I lowered mine manually! Still, with added sodium everywhere, most of us don't actually get enough potassium. The salt substitute is NOT a supplement, and doesn't give carte blanche to saltify food to extremes...it's just a nice alternative to those occasions when a food could us a little salty taste and we get too much sodium everywhere else!!
Moderation, in all things... ;)
Original Post by alicat29:
Still, with added sodium everywhere, most of us don't actually get enough potassium.
I would actually disagree with this. I think most of us get plenty of potassium since it's in basically every food. The problem is that CC tells us otherwise since food producers/manufacturers aren't required to list potassium on their nutrition labels.
Potassium deficiencies caused by diet are pretty rare. Then again, so is overdose caused by excessive intake (although, the use of salt substitute is listed as a contributing factor to that excessive intake of potassium).
Healthy kidneys will regulate sodium and potassium levels. Excess will be excreted in the urine.
Ok, anybody have any idea why CC so strongly suggests that daily sodium intake be under 1500 mg and potassium be 4700 mg minimum? Sounds like I've been fretting about nothing!!
Groups like the Institute of Medicine have found that the optimal intake for potassium is around 4,000mg. The adequate intake is much less than that, probably half of the optimal intake. The adequate intake is what our bodies need to simply function.
Not sure about the sodium issue. When I joined CC, the recommended intake was 2,300mg for women my age.
Original Post by bierorama:
Groups like the Institute of Medicine have found that the optimal intake for potassium is around 4,000mg. The adequate intake is much less than that, probably half of the optimal intake. The adequate intake is what our bodies need to simply function.
Not sure about the sodium issue. When I joined CC, the recommended intake was 2,300mg for women my age.
The recommend sodium for me is 2400mg. That is actually pretty close to what I get in the winter. In the summer I take in a lot more because of the heat. I don;t know why the OP's recommendation would be so low.
Original Post by trh:
Original Post by bierorama:
Groups like the Institute of Medicine have found that the optimal intake for potassium is around 4,000mg. The adequate intake is much less than that, probably half of the optimal intake. The adequate intake is what our bodies need to simply function.
Not sure about the sodium issue. When I joined CC, the recommended intake was 2,300mg for women my age.
The recommend sodium for me is 2400mg. That is actually pretty close to what I get in the winter. In the summer I take in a lot more because of the heat. I don;t know why the OP's recommendation would be so low.
When I go into my Nutrition Settings and select "Calorie Count Recommended Values," it drops my sodium to 1,500. What I meant was, that's not what CC recommended when I first joined 6 years ago or whenever it was (2,300 was recommended back then). I'm guessing it most likely that the USDA changed the values to combat high blood pressure? Who knows, though.
Ok - just wondering. I know this site isn't pretending to have all the answers nor to be a substitute for seeing a doctor or nutritionist if you need one.
I manually lowered my potassium daily requirement from 4700 mg after some research that I didn't need to try for that much. Nice to know that since I'm pretty darn healthy (kidneys and all) and in good shape I can safely consume more than 1500 mg of sodium (especially on a hot day) and am not sabotaging my health. I get nutritional grades of "A" most days, anyway. Guess I'm over-thinking this stuff and need another hobby!
Thanks for the perspective!
I just got some really good gray rock salt with herbs. I was on a diuretic at the same time. But when I stopped the diuretic...Pow! My weight shot up 5 lbs with the sudden increase in water retention. So I've cut back on the tasty salt, and my weight is slowly dropping back to where it was...still a pound over maintenance after 2 weeks.
Taking the diuretic made me lax on counting because I got used to having the chemical fo the work. I can now see how people get addicted to diet pills - once you start you can't quit without having your weight bounce up.
The side effects of allergy medications keep some people from using them. Natural remedies can be a great alternative, but some are more effective than others.
