Sodium

I am having so much trouble with my sodium intake!!  Everything else is great- calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc. but my sodium is way above what it should be.  I am 22, live alone, and don't cook.  I know processed foods have lots of sodium, but I don't know what to do.  If everything else is under control and working, how bad is it to go over on sodium?

Depends on how high you are going.

Recommended level is below 2400.  I'm usually at 2600-3000.  No biggy.  I drink more water.

If you are hitting the 5000 every day, you really should think about changes.

A slightly elevated sodium count should only interfere with water retention.

Take a cooking class.  The only way out of the processed foods is to try your best to make things yourself.

If you don't cook at all and you live alone, then you need to learn how to cook.  Make regular portions and freeze parts of what you make, or bring it to a homeless shelter or something.  Look into quick and easy recipees.  I'm not the best cook, as its usually an issue of time, so the quicker the better. 

Not too hard to grill up a chicken breast and throw together a salad.  Start with only a few nights during the week where you eat at home.

When eating out, avoid creamy kind of sauces.  Have grilled fish or chicken with no sauce with steamed veggies, no sauce.  Make the best choices you can.  Be picky at the restaurant.

I average around 3500-4000 a day.  Bad, I know. 
The bad thing about cooking is that my mother is a chef and I just never learned how to do it! LOL  I should have her teach me.  Thanks for the help!

I'm sure your mom can cook up a storm.  You need to learn the basics.  Look into some classes or something to get you started.

And yes, i would look into getting that 3500-4000 down by at least 500-750.

Might also want to get checked by your doctor to see if everything else is ok.

I have a related question:  If I don't have any blood pressure problems and I drink a lot of water, is getting more than the reccomended amount of sodium really harmful?  The reason I ask is because I am having a hard enough time focusing on calories right now, and it makes it a little more stressful to focus on sodium as well.  BTW, I am also usually good on my fat/protein/carb ratio, avoid saturated and trans fats, and have an average of 27 grams of fiber a day and less than 100 mg of cholesterol a day.  It's just that freakin' salt...

Depends how much extra you are getting.

More often than not, I am over the 2400.  Usually closer to the 3000.  Some days I am around 2000, some around 3000.  I guess it would average out weekly to about 2700 or so.

I eat healthy.  I drink plenty of water.  I am not worried with this sodium amount.

If you are netting 5000+, then yes, you need to worry about sodium.

When I first started here, I did only a few things at a time.  First round was watching calorie amounts.  Then was making sure I had enough fiber.  Then the protein.  Then the sodium.  Then the ratios.  Then the other nutrients.

Bit by bit.  If I did too much, it would be overwhelming.

Its good to keep it all in check though. 

When I first asked about sodium, I was told that I should make things from scratch more.  Well, I don't have the time for that.  So I am stuck with some processed foods.  I do my best to eat my best, but the sodium isn't always where it should be.  but I try to keep it to under 2800 if I can

Yes, my sodium is usually closer to 3000 than 2000 every day and it does interfere with water retention.

I just don't have the time to make things fresh, so I try to buy foods that contain less sodium and steer clear of canned soups and ramen noodles.  Some soups can have over 2000mg of sodium for one cup!

I also never add salt to anything I'm cooking, instead I use lemon juice, Mrs. Dash or low sodium chicken broth.

Here is a list of high sodium foods you should try to avoid or choose the ones with the lowest possible sodium:

• Cheese (especially processed)
• Canned vegetables like peas or carrots
• Ketchup
• Soy sauce, steak sauce or teriyaki sauce
• Most canned soups
• Smoked meat or salmon
• Saurkraut or other vegetables prepared in brine (pickled)
• Cold cuts and other processed meats
• Sausages
• Most frozen meals
• Baking powder or baking soda
• Potato chips and other snack foods

However, avoiding all of these foods makes it difficult (for me at least) to stick to my caloric intake for the day since alot of things on the list are low calorie as well. 

So don't fret too much if you are eating too much salt, as long as your heart is healthy it's not going to kill you.  Take is slow and replace what you can with lower sodium foods, but don't go ape.

I think we all agree that if you truly are concerned about your sodium intake you will just have to bite the bullet and cook once in a while.  I feel for you, I didn't cook until I was approaching 30, couldn't even conceive of it.  My suggestion is to cook a whole crapload of stuff on the weekend, save it in tupperware, and nuke it when you're ready to eat it.

For instance, you can grill up 3-4 chicken breasts and keep them in a container, make a couple packages of brown rice, and keep frozen veggies in the freezer (always use frozen, never ever use canned vegetables).  Then on Monday-Thursday just take out 1 chicken breast, spoon out some rice, add some veggies, and stick the plate in the microwave!  You'll feel like you're eating a TV dinner.

Wow, any time my sodium goes over 2000 I retain water, despite the fact that I guzzle water all day long. I try to keep it under 1500, but it is apt to go over that if I eat out, or indulge in some home-made teriyaki, or just have a single 60 calorie Jell-O pudding cup!!

My blood pressure is amazingly low... low enough that if I was taller, my doc would have me on meds to raise it. But, so was my dad's ... until he hit around 55 years old and had to go on BP meds. So I do worry since I'm now 41 and I take after my dad health-wise in many ways.

At 22 you can probably handle higher sodium, and I definetly believe in making small changes a little at a time, but I might suggest you do keep this as a long-term goal over time. You don't necessarily have to learn to "cook" - there are some very simple things you can make in the kitchen that I wouldn't really call "cooking."

cooking isn't that hard. lots of websites have recipes. one I enjoy is http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/HealthyLiving/

cheap, easy to cook, easy to substitute, and they even have the calorie count on there, too! cooking your own food might be a good start in getting your sodium under control. and you'll have to learn eventually!

I've recently cut down on my sodium (I used to garlic salt EVERYTHING)
now when I get too much sodium I can taste it..i get this kind of insatiable thirst and its sooo unpleasant.

I never keep track of how much sodium I eat these days, but I can always taste the difference. That's an advantage to cutting back; you can usually tell when you've had too much.