Sodium is a BIG problem in our diets now more than ever before. Over the last thirty years or so there’s been a major shift in the foods most American’s eat on a daily basis. Everything has become focused on being quick and easy. Look no further than the skyrocketing sales in fast food restaurants for your proof. I guess it’s a by-product of a society that’s always in a hurry and can’t slow down for anything, even to eat!
The problem with the increased consumption of processed and refined foods, fast food, etc, is that sodium intake has gone through the roof with it.
People commonly think of sodium intake coming from “salting” one’s food but in reality that only accounts for about 6% of the daily total. The main sources of sodium in the diet (77%) come from eating processed and refined foods.
How much sodium do you need?
Most health experts recommend a bare minimum of 500 mg of sodium a day and around 2,400 milligrams (mg) a day as a maximum for healthy adults. Keep in mind that the lower your sodium, the more beneficial effect on blood pressure.
While you’re not always going to be under 2,400 milligrams a day you want to look at doing so more frequently than not. Your body has the ability to flush out excess sodium short-term, but consistent doses of high sodium will be too much for your kidneys to handle.
The end result will be excess sodium in the blood which increases the blood volume making it harder for your heart to pump. This is why too much sodium causes high blood pressure.
I was in Publix over the weekend and found a brochure entitled “Launch Your Assault On Salt” at the deli counter. I always knew lunch meats were high in sodium but I learned something very interesting while glancing over this brochure.
Check out my video below to get the full story and my coaching tip for the week.
Sodium levels for “lower sodium” deli meats
How easy it is to get an overdose of sodium in a hurry
Check out the following foods to see how sodium can get out of control in a blink. It’s not hard to get half or more of your total daily limit with just one meal.
- Lean Cuisine Meals: 680-1000 mg sodium!
- Chick Fil-A Grilled Chicken Sandwich: 940 mg sodium!
- Big Mac: 1040 mg sodium!
- 6” Subway Club: 1290 mg sodium!
And Check Out These Sodium Bombs….
- Subway 12” Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki: 2400 mg sodium!
- Macaroni Grill Fettucine Alfredo: 1120 mg sodium!
There couldn’t be that much sodium in a salad right?
- Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad: 3230 mg sodium!
And for a ready made heart attack on a plate…
- Macaroni Grill Spaghetti & Meatballs: 5290 mg sodium!
- Chilli’s Awesome Blossom: 6360 mg sodium!
Bottom Line:
To much sodium in your diet will not only lead to high blood pressure but it taxes your entire digestive system and organs due to the electrolyte imbalances.
Think you’re going to lose weight with sodium overload, think again. It just won’t happen, I’ll be straight and to the point.
You need to have a balance of sodium and potassium in your diet for optimal health. This is where eating fruits and vegetables (potassium) helps to balance out the sodium from other foods.
If you’re not eating fruits and vegetables you can forget about controlling sodium. Follow a Primal Blueprint diet and you’ll have no problems balancing sodium and getting to a healthy weight.
Train hard, eat primal, live strong!
Shane Doll is a certified Charleston personal trainer, fat loss expert, speaker, and founder of Shaping Concepts Personal Traning Studios. You can receive a FREE no-obligations trial of his Charleston personal training programs and experience the Shaping Concepts difference for yourself.
Tags: sodium intake
Posted:
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 11:46 am
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Category:
nutrition, weight loss.
Thanks for making me more aware of what I’m eating…especially when I’m thinking that it’s healthy for me (lean cuisine,subway subs, deli meats,etc)!