Sodium Question Please...

what should we stay UNDER Sodium wise?  How Many Grams of Sodium a Day is The Norm??? and How Many Grams is TOO MUCH?  i dont want to cause myself to hold on to water too much...  and i know Sodium plays a big part in that right?

stay under 2400mg a day. I usually stick to 1500mg a day.

Sodium has long-term as well as short-term effects.  The recommended maximum, as already said is 2400mg sodium or 6g salt.  The 'norm' in the Western Diet due to the amount of processed and preserved foods eaten is more like 10g salt or 4000mg sodium and, unfortunately, that's a contributing factor in so many people getting hypertension (high blood pressure) in their middle years.

Mushrooms have lots of sodium... so if you eat mushrooms restrict your salt intake that day.

"Mushrooms have lots of sodium..." What?

100g of raw mushrooms contains about 6mg sodium.... Microscopic in that 2400mg target...  

.....maybe canned mushrooms?

many canned items have a lot of sodium because it is in the liquid. For instance a can of black beans or chick peas has roughly 300 mg per serving! I'm sodium restricted so I rinse any canned beans and would mushrooms as well. Although I now cook most of my own beans. Not only lower in sodium but a heck of a lot cheaper!

Who eats canned mushrooms... ?

My wife puts them on salads... nice little cans...

Aren't they all slimy?

I saw my doctor today to talk about my weight loss and I asked about what I should be eating and I asked how much sodium I should consume and caffine I should have. He told me that sodium has a bad rep right now and since I am 20 and my blood pressure is normal not to worry and eat as much salt as I want and that I could have 5 cups of coffee a day and no problem. He pointed out its not good but not to worry because I am young and "healthy".

Original Post by gi-jane:

Aren't they all slimy?

Haha I buy the canned ones in the Asian supermarkets that you put into soups.  So yes, they are, but it's the right texture for soup :D

Minimum sodium intake: 250mg

Maximum sodium intake: 2400mg

RDAs based on a 2000 calorie diet

I use to battle sodium and have finally gotten it down to an averave below 1500mg, most of the time staying around 1000mg. I do this by eating mostly fresh foods and chosing lower sodium options in soups, packaged meals, and deli meats. I also eat a lot of dry curd cottage cheese. It can be done.

Drink lots of water!

I know my roommate has a problem with sodium and she scared the crap outta me about it!!  Well I started being somewhat more careful, and then I just said what the heck, and ate a lot of processed foods that I wanted to and I ended up losing 2 pounds, not retaining water.  Like she has some sort of problem with her body where it really will make her blow up.  I obviously don't, but I'm just posting this to tell everyone, unless you really do have a problem where you can't handle it, don't WORRY.  It won't hurt you.