SODIUM! It’s everywhere.

Heather Quinlan

Sodium can be tough to avoid completely as it is in many of the ingredients and foods we eat. I try to be aware, often using "low sodium" options for recipes when possible, but I know there is always room to do better and I know the benefits of cutting back would add an extra layer of improvement to my wellness. Realistically, I'm not going to avoid all foods with sodium because... life. But I'd love to hear what small steps or adjustments can be made to help cut back and/or be more cognizant of the mineral. Maybe some simple swaps or suggestions we wouldn't think to do? And after having something higher in sodium, what's the next best step... drink up that water?

Thanks in advance!

Sawyer Paull-Baird

Sodium is a tricky one... The CDC recommends getting no more than 2g per day, whereas the average American is getting upwards of 4g per day.. This suggests sodium is a major issue in our diets. That said, there is some research out there suggesting that sodium may not actually be as bad for you as many people think. There also seems to be some fairly wide individual/genetic differences on how someone responds to sodium in the diet (it may be more troublesome for some than others). Additionally, people tend to consume too much of everything.. not just sodium... So it may be less of a sodium issue, and more of a general over-consumption in general issue.

My thoughts surrounding sodium have a lot to do with the context surrounding the individual and situation... I will try to organize some of those thoughts in simple bullet points below.

• Generally, if someone is staying aware of their calorie intake, and striving to eat mostly home-prepared meals, and minimally-processed foods, sodium largely takes care of itself. Unless you're working with an RD for a diet specifically aimed at lowering blood pressure, addressing sodium specifically is fairly rare for the average person.
• For highly active individuals, higher levels of sodium are actually useful for performance and better handled by the body. Those who exercise vigorously most days of the week probably don't need to worry as much about sodium as those who don't. That doesn't mean you should load up on all of the salt every meal.. but just something to be aware of.
• If someone is already putting in a solid amount of effort on their exercise, eating in a way that is calorie conscious, & eating a fair number of fruits/vegetables/protein rich foods, sodium is probably not something to concern yourself with too much unless you've got a significant family history of high blood pressure.
• If you're not doing those above things, you're probably better off starting with one of those versus specifically aiming to reduce sodium in isolation via reduced sodium snack foods or seasonings etc.
• If you are doing the above things, sit back and relax. Sodium probably isn't something to spend too much time worrying about unless you've got a significant family history.

That all being said I know there are a number of low sodium seasonings out there such as Mrs Dash that can replace salt in flavoring food. There are even sauces out there that are fairly low in sodium (ie. sriracha).

To answer your question about what to do after a high sodium meal.. honestly, probably nothing- haha. There isn't anything in the short term that is going to counteract the sodium intake. I guess you could make an argument that working up a sweat could help, as you'd essentially sweat out some of the sodium.. However, if you're already exercising regularly, then you're probably good. I wouldn't worry too much about anything in the aftermath of a higher sodium meal.

In short I would say, if you do the following, you're likely good:

• Exercise vigorously most days of the week
• Strive to eat in and prepare your own food as much as you possibly can
• Include fruits, vegetables, and lean/minimally processed protein sources as often as possible, and be aware of portion sizes that lead to an appropriate calorie intake.
• Season with herbs/spices over salt if able, and look out for lower sodium sauces.

I know those aren't really at all different from general healthy eating recommendations.. but that's really what it comes down to.

I'd be interested in hearing @Bella Diaz & @Mike Stack 's opinions here as well.

Mike Stack

Thanks @Sawyer Paull-Baird, I appreciate being tagged. @Heather Quinlan, I would just be echoing a lot of what Sawyer said if I went into a longer scientific explanation, so rather than do that, I'll just summarize my views in general on this. I think sodium, in and of itself, has been overblown throughout the years in the non-cardiac population. It is very true that if you have high blood pressure (and other medical conditions) that limiting your sodium intake is wise medically. That is something that @Bella Diaz (as a dietician) is more qualified to talk about then I am (as that's medical nutritional therapy). I think the explanation from a medical perspective has been extended to standard dietary intake and that's where I think it begins to lose it's validity. Let me explain.

The operative words I said above regarding sodium are "in and of itself." That's because consuming a diet of healthy foods that are slightly higher in sodium would be of very minimal issues to a non-diseased person (Cardiovascular Disease specifically). However, if the diet becomes progressively less healthy (and the foods that are consumed are higher in other things like fat and sugar plus SODIUM) than that's where the trouble can come in. There are a number of foods out there that are slightly higher in sodium, but "relatively" healthy and can be part of a good diet (lower calorie soups and lean cuisine frozen meals come to mind). Now would it better to have the "fresh" versions of these, for sure, but in our busy world, these are viably healthy options. However, when the foods that you consume start to become less healthy and progressively more refined (like chips, pizza, and baked goods as just a short list) than the issue starts to compound from a health perspective. Also, it should be pointed out that certain combinations of fat, sugar, and sodium come together in foods to make them more highly palatable (inducing a great biological drive to consume those foods). With that said, those are the sodium containing foods to limit in your diet.

Keeping all of this in mind, what is my take home message? I think the easiest way to think of sodium intake is that it is not a first, second, or even third order nutrient that would evaluate to determine the "healthiness" of a given food source. Look at thing fat content, sugar content, how much the food has been refined, and total calories. That will give you much more insight into how "healthy" a food is or not. Spending too much time looking at sodium (again for a non-diseased population) is not a good use of your discretionary nutrition attention or focus. If you have someone who does have a medical condition that requires limiting your sodium intake, this is something that should be discussed with your doctor or registered dietician.

Beth Manoogian

@Heather Quinlan as a science geek, I love this meme 😂

I usually do my own meal prep on the weekend for the week. If I’m making a recipe for which salt is an ingredient, I either omit it entirely or just use a pinch. I may increase the other herbs/spices a little bit but in general I find I don’t need a ton of salt for something to taste good. My salt intake is generally at or below 2g/day if I do this. The one area that is hardest for me on this though is soup, which I eat more of during the winter. It’s just hard to find a tasty broth that is actually low in sodium, at least it has been for me.

@Susan Horowitz tagging you in this thread after our recent discussion re: sodium.

Lauren Baker (RH)

@Heather Quinlan , your meme's and gif's are all. the. hearts.

I love salt. Because french fries. I'm NO expert, and this is just something I have been doing the last two years: you know I do a lot of my cooking at home, and I discovered that if I use maldon flakes, it brings out so much flavor using a lot less "Na."

After a particularly salty meal, I'm usually thirsty so drink a lot of water. The bloat struggle is real for me, but if I enjoyed the meal / company / etc., it was worth it. :)

*xo