What can you tell me about sodium?

[tiggerlover]

I am always hearing you should watch your sodium intake, but I really don't know what numbers I am watching. What is too much sodium? How much sodium should one have on a daily basis? I am not a huge salt person, but I do know there is a lot of salt in package foods so I am curious.

 

[lil mermaid]

You do need some sodium. I think that the minimum recommended amount is 1500 mg (not much really.) The maximum recommended amount is 2300mg per day. Not much if you eat a lot of processed food!

 

[MIdanceMom]

Mermaid's numbers look about right. One thing to consider is how much water you are drinking. You can dilute your system too much. I know that there are times when I drink >100oz/day. I can have dizziness and headaches because my sodium drops too much. If you do not have hypertension, renal failure, or issues with water rentention, I am not sure that you need to watch sodium too closely. I could be wrong on that one though.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I came here to see what was to be said. I'm thinking it is somewhat different foreveryone based on lifestyle and all just like everything else. I'm curious too.

 

[mikamah]

At the hospital I work at there are 2 low sodium diets, the most common one they call no added salt, and the patient is restricted to 4000 mg /day, and the low sodium is 2000 mg /day. My mom who had diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease is told to restrict her sodium to 2000mg/day. I think under 4000mg is a healthy amount, if you are healthy, and drink a lot of water. If you are having trouble with swollen ankles, or general fluid restriction, you could restrict the sodium and see if it helps.