Scared of salt

I know a lot of people are scared to eat certain foods - things like pasta, cheese, etc.  I have been searching on the forums for high calorie foods so I can make sure to meet my calorie goal, but I feel myself getting so scared of sodium.  I usually try to keep my sodium intake pretty low (lowest may be around 900 mg) But usually my average is around 1600 - and occasionally over 2000.  But as I think of things I like to eat to up my goal - like cottage cheese with the fruit in it - I realize my sodium is going to go up a lot!  I know I am sort of cheating myself but the day before I weigh i usually consume a lot less sodium.  How much sodium makes a big difference when you weigh yourself?  I almost always drink enough water - 8+ cups a day (sometimes on weekends though, not that much).  I'm 5'2'' and have been hovering between 110-113 for a long time.

Three things about salt.  First is that we need a little in our diets to be healthy.....  2400 mg of sodium would be a reasonable daily amount. Second is that a high salt diet only affects us medically over a very long period of time.  Third is that the short term dehydrating (fluid retaining) effect of excessively salty foods can be counteracted by simply drinking more fluid.  Sodium up at 4000+ might show up on the scales.  There are hundreds of naturally high-calorie foods that don't contain a lot of salt.  

NB....  salt and sodium are not the same thing.  The recommended safe amount of salt is 6000mg (6g) ... which is 2400mg sodium

What does "NB" stand for?  I never realized salt and sodium are not the same thing.  So I guess I don't need to be scared if i eat 2000 mg of sodium and drink at least 8 cups of water - it shouldn't affect the accuracy of my scale, right?

'NB'... nota bene...(latin)  note well.   2000 mg sodium is low intake and won't affect the scale.

On the subject, does body size alter the amount of sodium one should consume? You know because different people of size and age, have different calorie consumption suggestions, or is 2400mg of sodium the suggested amount for everyone?

Because for me I'm suppose to be taking a fairly large amount of calories (around 2600-3000), so I was wondering if that made a difference? My mother suffers from high blood pressure, so I've been taking that into consideration for my well being. And just recently I began to notice how much sodium there is in just about everyting I eat. It's pretty hard to cut back on, without just cooking from scratch, but I'm trying.

I understand your fear, but please be aware that your body needs sodium (I'm sure you've heard of electrolytes and electrolyte imbalance)--how's this for a twist?  I've just found out that I've been feeling very faint because I haven't been getting enough sodium.  So I guess all things in moderation, right? 

Original Post by ftank:

is 2400mg of sodium the suggested amount for everyone?

 Yes it is.  Regardless of our size we've all got the same basic physiology.  Cooking from scratch is the best way to get salt out of the diet since fresh foods like vegetables and wholefoods like rice or pasta don't usually contain any salt.  Use herbs and spices to flavour foods (spice mixes are often highly salted) and keep ready-made foods to a minimum.

Hey hun,

I have issues with kidney stones and I just saw a nutritionist on Monday regarding my diet. She said that a normal amount of sodium one should consume is no more than 2000 mg/day. So if someone with multiple stones is on this diet, I would advise 2000 is a healthy amount :)