Finding it impossible to stay under 2300mg of sodium a day.

[skknt]

My maintenance is around 2350 calories and I'm finding it basically impossible to eat <= 2300mg of sodium each day. I usually fall around 3000mg. Is it okay to be having this much each day? I'm back up to maintenance after cutting hard for a while, so my body doesn't feel used to this way of eating.

Macros are around 60g fat, 200-210g protein, 180-260g carbs


EDIT: Note that this is eating relatively clean. Egg whites, protein shake/bar, chicken breasts, etc. I lost like 102 lbs so it's really hard for me to figure out how to eat while not cutting.

[Mdenatale]

If you don't have any issues like high blood pressure then don't worry about it.

[Jasonk282]

Not hard at all. I've been around 1650 for the past 10 weeks, as per docs orders. However I am on a low sodium diet as per my cardiologist...unless you have issues, nothing to worry about.

[xacimo]

This is something I worry about as well, I'm on just under 4000 cals for bulking and my sodium is always massively over the recommended max.

I have heard that drinking a lot of water helps negate the effects of a high sodium diet so make sure you are doing that.

[jinkty]

drinking a lot of water helps negate the effects of a high sodium diet so make sure you are doing that.

if you're not getting enough potassium an electrolyte imbalance will do bad things..

[germaine07]

If you're training, 2300mg could even be too low.

http://suppversity.blogspot.co.uk/20...-good-for.html

[Gen1GT]

First of all, congrats on your 100 lbs!

Can you list your food intake from yesterday? Sodium is not typically a problem when you don't eat processed food.

If you've lost 100 recently, I doubt you have high blood pressure, but I could be wrong. If you're concerned, make sure you switch to No Salt (potassium salt) ... I put that s**t on everything!

[shesprints]

If you're training, 2300mg could even be too low.

http://suppversity.blogspot.co.uk/20...-good-for.html

^^ Yes, this!

My RD has me add salt purposefully, because if I don't my blood pressure plummets postworkout because I've sweat out so much sodium. Sweat is disproportionately high in sodium, so if you exercise heavily, you lose a lot. Athletes really don't need to be as careful about sodium intake!

[AFC96]

I read somewhere that the more you take in sodium on a daily basis, makes you less sensitive to it. I forgot though what the benefit was.

[Gen1GT]

If you're training, 2300mg could even be too low.

http://suppversity.blogspot.co.uk/20...-good-for.html

Great share, thanks!

[digistp]

Just make sure your potassium intake is around 2:1

[StrikingMoose]

Sodium has been demonized in the media and gained such a bad rap. Medical science is starting to lean towards not really caring about sodium anymore unless you have serious cardiac comorbidities or a history of diagnosed hypertension.

In the hospital I work with CCU docs don't even mind patients having sodium with their meals within reason. The body is so efficient at regulating its own fluid and electrolyte balances under normal situations, as long as you drink sufficient water throughout the day and ensure you're still eating adequate potassium I say don't worry about it.

[Connor1226]

There is no reason for the average person to be that concerned with sodium intake.

[Caezar07]

There is no reason for the average person to be that concerned with sodium intake.

This is assuming the average person is physically active, at a healthy weight, and doesn't have a family history of high blood pressure. Honestly, I'm starting to doubt the idea that "a calorie is a calorie", or that sodium doesn't matter, when a lot of us on these forums are eating at a caloric surplus for months and months, some with no cardio.


OP I think the question here is do you know what your blood pressure currently is? If it's not elevated, then if I were you I'd just focus on eating whole foods and not worry about tracking your sodium.

Personally, I do track my sodium to stay below 3000mg because my blood pressure is usually slightly elevated. It runs in my family as it does in many african american families. My father has high blood pressure, but he's also overweight and smokes so that may have more to do with it, rather than it being because he was genetically predisposed towards having high blood pressure. This is kind of annoying for me, because while I did eat a ton of processed food in my younger days, I have never been overweight (I went up to 205lbs after gaining the freshman 25 my first year in college, but I quickly ran it off the following summer).

There are a ton of factors involved, and may studies state different things about sodium intake and what I've gathered from that is this.....

Everyone is born with a certain genetic bias towards developing high blood pressure. Assuming you eat overall healthy foods, stay at a healthy weight, don't smoke or drink excessively, and don't overdo it on sodium, there is virtually no chance of you developing high blood pressure. If you don't do even one of those three things, then depending on your genetic predisposition towards developing high blood pressure, you may or may not develop high blood pressure.

I would like to hear more people's opinion on this.

[janglingjack]

most brands of cottage cheese is loaded with sodium. I usually eat around 3000mg of sodium, and a lot comes from cc

[StrikingMoose]

Everyone is born with a certain genetic bias towards developing high blood pressure. Assuming you eat overall healthy foods, stay at a healthy weight, don't smoke or drink excessively, and don't overdo it on sodium, there is virtually no chance of you developing high blood pressure. If you don't do even one of those three things, then depending on your genetic predisposition towards developing high blood pressure, you may or may not develop high blood pressure.

I would like to hear more people's opinion on this.

That is the basis of adequate self care.
Exercise a few times a week at least, don't eat in excess (unless there is a reason ie bb-ing), don't drink in excess, don't smoke at all, and sleep enough and you will live a long life unless genetic disposition towards diseases or cellular mutation leads you into a path of disease. If you've lived a healthy life then your chances of mortality are vastly lower than people who live the opposite way.

[Gen1GT]

How many people do you know with high blood pressure who were told by their doctors to reduce sodium, and the upon nearly eliminating sodium, had no change in the blood pressure? I'll save you the math; all of them.

[Caezar07]

How many people do you know with high blood pressure who were told by their doctors to reduce sodium, and the upon nearly eliminating sodium, had no change in the blood pressure? I'll save you the math; all of them.

While sodium may not be a major factor in a person developing high blood pressure, for a person who already has high blood pressure, lowering sodium intake may lower blood pressure in certain individuals.