Sodium

A friend of mine mentioned the idea that sodium intake plays a major role in health and in weight loss.

So, I did a little research on sodium. From what I can see, the American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults not exceed 2,300mg of sodium per day. It looks like the human body "needs" only about 500mg per day of sodium. Excess sodium is flushed out by the kidneys and then the liver (if the kidney's need additional help with it). If there's even more excess, then the excess sodium causes imbalances in the fluid of the body (e.g. water retention), and over the years can contribute to high blood pressure and potentially heart disease. Also, because the liver is being pulled in to help the kidneys flush out the excess sodium, the liver is less efficient at turning stored fat into energy. So, the metabolism can slow down, causing less fat to be burned than normally would be.

My friend proposed that "Sodium is the single biggest thing that causes long-term weight gain, surpassing even calorie count (although that is a close second)." I couldn't find anything online that supported this (although that doesn't mean it isn't true). (EDITED: Actually, I later found out that my friend's statement was regarding morbidly obese people and also specifically those with current heart, liver, kidney, or other disease-related problems.) Fitness professionals typically speak of weight gain in terms of calories in/calories out. Now, I certainly don't believe that it's quite that simple. I think that the quality of calories is important (e.g. the same number of calories of fatty meat vs lean meat - or worthless snack crackers vs a piece of fruit). I've always recognized that low sodium is important for high blood pressure and for heart health. It does appear, however, that sodium levels can impact weight gain - although to what extent, I'm not really sure.

I've taken a look at the typical amount of sodium that I have in a day. It looks like my sodium levels vary from about 1500mg - 2500, depending on any given day. Given the 2300mg per day recommendation, it's not too bad. Of course my overall intake of calories is pretty low, so my target sodium intake ceiling should probably be lower. I think I'm going to try to start targeting a ceiling of 2000mg.

Some of my biggest sodium offenders seem to be: Chili's Guiltless Grill Salmon (1080mg!!!!), WW chicken Santa Fe (800mg!!!, but I wonder how much is in the sauce that I leave behind), Boca Burger (280mg), Frozen Chicken (300mg), 2 slices of my deli turkey (273mg). 1/2 cup Egg Beaters (230mg).

My IsoPure protein powder isn't bad: 80mg for 1/2 scoop (12.5g of protein/50 calories for 1/2 scoop). My Kashi Cereal is low (42.5mg for 1/2 cup). My Kashi waffle is pretty low (115mg). My 1/2 cup plain yogurt is pretty low (80mg). And, my ice cream desserts are low (all seem to be 45mg or less). The fruits and veggies and baked potatoes (plain) are all very low in sodium (some don't have any). And, my tea that I drink daily (loose leaf tea) doesn't have any sodium.

Exercise also has an impact on sodium levels. Sodium is secreted from the body when you sweat. I've personally witnessed this when sweat ran into my eyes and started burning them (which is why I now have a towel nearby when I exercise). So, all the running and weights and athletic activities help me get rid of excess sodium.

Also, potassium, calcium, and magnesium can act to counter-balance sodium. So, all the fruits, veggies, potatoes, IsoPure, yogurt, and skim milk help, too, because they are rich in potassium and/or calcium.

It definitely looks like I will reconsider Chili's as a reasonably healthy option. Pre-packaged foods and most restaurant foods are all super high in sodium. Also, most soups are high in sodium. I typically only go out to eat once a week (usually on Friday night), so it should be pretty easy to switch things up. And high sodium once in a while isn't too bad. It's mainly the overall sodium content of one's diet that's the important thing. I might revisit Mimi's cafe. They have a turkey meal that is low fat and has only 115mg of sodium. It's on a heart healthy menu. Also, I might try asking for no salt and butter in food preparation at restaurants from now on.

At home, I'm going to try to start making some substitutions for seasonings - using rosemary, oregano, etc, rather than always tony cacherie's and salt sense for chicken and fish. Last night I tried this Magic Seasoning (which had no sodium) on my steak tips, and it was actually quite good.

Here are some of the websites where I got some of my information. If anyone has additional information to share, please feel free to comment. Overall, I think that having a reasonable sodium intake is an important piece of the puzzle regarding healthy nutrition.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=538
http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/salt.asp
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90
http://www.femhealth.com/DangersofSalt.html
http://oto2.wustl.edu/men/sodium.htm
http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm