Just curious.. because I love my V8 juice!! And I know its good in the way of low calories, and vegetables and all that jazz.. but just for the "shot dose" of 156 ml - theres 250 mg of sodium! just wondering how bad sodium is for weight loss?? thanks!!!
Your body needs sodium (don't make me go into details about the sodium-potassium pump, just take my word for it), but not NEARLY as much as the average person ingests in the form of restaurant meals and packaged foods. You DO need some, but you'll be fine if you eat natural, non-processed foods. Your V8 should be fine IF you're not loading up on other packaged foods. To offset the sodium, drink more water! Sodium doesn't make you gain weight per se--it's noncaloric--but it will make you retain water. So drink more water and flush it out.
This is my issue with V8, as well. I don't love vegetables all that much, but really like V8--I'm sure all that sodium has nothing to do with it! Anyway, I'm just starting the process, so I can tell you anything anecdotally, but the more sodium you take in, the more water/fluid you are going to retain, so yes, sodium can slow any water weight loss you may have going on (but, to my knowledge, shouldn't impact fat loss). And, of course, an excess of sodium can cause other problems like hypertension/blood pressure issues, etc.
But... if it works for you and you are getting your vegetables, I would say monitor your sodium intake elsewhere. Most Americans, however, tend to get a lot more than the RDA of sodium because of how much there is in packaged/prepared foods and the like. The RDA on a 2000 cal. diet is 2500 mg--around a teaspoon. That includes everything, not just what you sprinkle on.
They do have reduced sodium V8, but, I have to say, it tastes nasty to me.
I think that if you don't have a problem with your blood pressure, then sodium is no big deal. Yes, it may cause you to gain some water weight. But this is water, not fat. I don't care at all about how much water I have in me. I only care about the excess fat I am losing. If you have a tendency to be very focused on the scale then it might be a bad thing to have water weight gain. Other wise, you will eliminate it in good time and all will be well.
Well, I don't drink V8 but I would think that you just make sure that you are also drinking plenty of water, you should be fine. Although too much sodium is no good I'd think if you are sodium conscience when it comes to other things you are safe.
Sodium will not affect how much fat you lose, but be aware that for some people it causes water retention that can drive that scale number higher. As someone else said, your body needs sodium, especially if you're working out and sweating. Sodium is good in moderation. However, some people have latent high blood pressure which can show up as a result of high sodium intake, and the people who have this problem likely don't know who they are. So, sodium is more of an overall health issue rather than a weight loss issue.
I read in Prevention Magazine or Reader's Digest that sodium is only a concern for some people, and it doesn't even effect everyone with high blood pressure.
I do have moderate high blood pressure, but sodium isn't an issue for me. Or rather, it's an issue, but in the other direction. I tend to have low blood sodium levels, and even had to take supplements once. Because of this, if I ever have to have surgery, I have to remind the surgical staff that my blood sodium level has to be tested beforehand.
Part of this is due to the blood pressure medication I'm taking, and part is my lower sodium diet. I'm not on a restricted sodium diet, I just am not overly fond of salty foods.
There is a low sodium V-8, but in my opinion it is HORRIBLE!!!! Did I mention that I don't care for it? They use potassium chloride (a table salt substitute) and I think it has a metallic aftertaste that is just, well, horrible.
Whenever I do have salty food that I like (like chinese food), or around TOM when I actually crave salt, I will gain up to 8 lbs of water. It is extremely frustrating, but as Tealeaf said, I don't consider it "real" weight. I just drink extra water to try to flush it out (it seems weird that you wash water out with water, but that's how it works - again because of the whole potassium sodium thing - I used to understand how it all worked, but I forgot most of college human biology as quickly as I could).
Rambling as I usually do, this can just be summarized as drink your V-8 and have an extra glass of water.
I love salt and I absolutely refuse to give it up. With the exception of low-sodium soy sauce, I refuse to buy low sodium versions of food because they taste bland to me. I also don't monitor my sodium intake (but I know there are days when it is pretty high) and do eat packaged foods with some regularity. If I get to the point where sodium is a problem for me, my doctor is just going to have to give me a pill. I've given up tons of food that I used to enjoy but they'll have to pry my salt shaker out of my cold dead hands.
None of it seems to have any impact on my ability to lose weight. I do drink a reasonable amout of fluid and I know that I'm well hydrated. I also exercise like a banshee and sweat so much when I do that I leave little puddles of water behind if I stand too long in one place at the gym (I kid you not!). And I eat a fair amount of green leafy veggies, which are supposed to counteract the effects of sodium (but, interestingly, are sometimes high in sodium themselves as compared to other vegetables).
So I, personally, wouldn't worry about 250mg of sodium in V-8. I eat foods that are far higher in sodium and I've still been very successful in losing weight.
If you have high blood pressure, too much salt can make it worse because of the water retention. But if you don't have high blood pressure, and you drink enough water during the day, it is not a problem. It will not MAKE you have high blood pressure.
V-8 comes in regular and low sodium. If you're worried about the regular, use the low sodium.
The more important thing to watch is potassium. Most people don't get enough. V-8 will give you enough potassium. (Low potassium can lead to muscle cramps, heart skipping beats, and some other things.)
Salt has no effect on losing weight, except that if you don't drink enough water to flush it out, you'll retain water in your tissues and weigh more. The famous water weight.
Is Sodium A Diet Killer??
