Sodium Question
 

How much sodium is too much sodium, like how much sodium would cause a person to retain water? I bloat very easy as it is and today I had 2200 sodium >.> I try to keep it at 1500 or below but it can be very hard to do without not eating anything. A sandwhich is like 750 sodium when I make it :( I tried googling but I get results from 1000-3000 sodium being okay so I can't find an answer where its like 'stick to this amount'. I know it varies body to body but is there a rough guide?

I can't tell you how much is "too much" but I can definitely tell if I have more sodium on one day versus the day before.

Prime example: I had a TON of sodium on my bday, I'm still retaining water three days later :(

I can retain water for weeks >.>

According to American Heart Association:keep it under 1500mg
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Gettin...90_Article.jsp

According to CDC (Center for DiseaseControl) also 1500 to MAX of 2300
http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/
From above link:
The 1,500 recommendation applies to about half of the U.S. population overall and the majority of adults. Nearly everyone benefits from reduced sodium consumption.
•The Adequate Intake (AI) of 1500 mg per day is the recommended average daily sodium intake level. The IOM set the AI for sodium for adults at 1500 mg per day to ensure that the overall diet provides sufficient amounts of other nutrients and to cover sodium sweat losses in physically active individuals.
•The Upper Limit (UL) of 2300 mg per day refers to the highest daily level of sodium that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population. The UL is not a recommended intake and there is no apparent benefit to consuming levels of sodium above the Adequate Intake (AI).
•The average daily sodium intake for Americans age 2 years and older is 3,436 mg.
•Since the 1970s, the amount of sodium in our food has increased, and we are eating more food each day than in the past.

Damn... It didn't occur to me that this might last "weeks" uh-oh

Just checked... MFP gives me a daily limit of 2500 mg of sodium

I know on the health front we are at different places, but I don't really monitor my sodium very much at all.

I do focus on eating overall healthier and less processed foods, so the obvious correlation is that I am going to consume less sodium, but, to me, sodium is like caffeine. Is it great for me? No. But, at the same time, I can't obsess over EVERYTHING or my quality of life is not improving by trying to lose weight.

I don't really eat 'freezer' meals anymore, and most of my foods are scratch made at home. I can taste the over the top salt if I go to McD's or something like that, and as long as my taste buds aren't desensitized to that point, I feel like I'm doing okay.

Having said that, I do not have the water retention issues that I see mentioned on here a lot, so I know this mentality doesn't work for everyone and their situation, I'm just chiming in with my own experience.

Besides watching your sodium intake, aerobic exercise (jogging, walking, elliptical, etc..) is a great way to rid the body of excess water. Just don't overdo it in the beginning or your body might actually gain a few pounds of water for a few days to help repair itself. I know because its happened to me a few times.

I dont eat many processed meals either. But if you start looking at your sodium youll realise pretty much everything has a good chunk of it.

Yeah, I know you are right. I have no doubt that I am probably well over the 1500 or whatever they recommend a day.

I will say the only time I DO notice retention (past usual fluctuations) is when my sodium intake varies greatly from day to day. If I have not been eating salt much at all (like when I went on a juice fast), when I do introduce it back into my diet, there is a significant amount of retention that I deal with.

I would rather keep it at a pretty much constant that my body is used to dealing with, than to make it go up and down all the time.

2,000 is the max -- I have heart disease and I have to follow low sodium diet. Sodium is the only thing I track.

I've been told by my doctors the range is 1,500 to 2,000 - but I should not go over 1,500. I used to pick up the salt shaker before I even tasted my food. Now I read labels all the time -- it's amazing how much sodium processed foods have. :( Just before I was diagnosed I had bought an electric popcorn maker and was enjoying popcorn every night. Gave it away to a friend.

Processed foods have a great deal of sodium, but I don't watch it at all and have no bloating issues. Most days I'm in the 2500-3500 range, easily, with no issues. More sodium and trace minerals is better with me - the only thing that causes bloating and water retention is carbohydrates, usually grain or dairy based. THOSE are what will make my face and hands puffy, even with almost no salt content at all.

Every body is different, but for me sugars or varying types are the culprit in such issues, never salt. I could drink tamari and broth all day long and not swell at all (quite the contrary, I feel better with more salt but my diet dictates it) but that is not the case for everyone. Thus, sodium limits are very individual and there is no ideal number. But if you're eating a fairly clean diet of home cooked foods it is actually quite hard to get 'too much' sodium. Processed foods, canned and boxed ingredients, things that have been preserved or cured for shelf life - those are the sodium bombs.