Most Americans consume way too much sodium in their diets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you hope to lose weight, using the salt shaker too much or eating a lot of processed or frozen foods can derail your efforts. Also you increase your risk of developing serious health problems such as high blood pressure when you eat too much sodium.
Basic Guidelines
If you do not have a serious health problem, you may be able to get away with consuming up to 2,300 mg of sodium daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But if you hope to lose weight, are African American, older than the age of 40 or suffer from high blood pressure you should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium each day. As of 2011, an estimated 69 percent of Americans were eating far too much sodium for their own good.
Water Retention
While you should strive to lose fat rather than muscle or water weight, eating too much sodium can cause you to retain water which can harm your diet efforts, notes MayoClinic.com. If you are a menstruating woman, you should pay special attention to your salt intake because consuming too much can worsen symptoms such as cramps and water weight gain right before your period.
Reducing Your Sodium Intake
Most prepackaged or convenience foods are packed with sodium and you should avoid them whenever possible, warns the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. If you are trying to lose weight, you should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables but select fresh choices rather than canned to keep your sodium intake as low as possible. Also, select lean fresh proteins rather than higher-fat meats and canned proteins.
Additional Tips
Dining out while on a diet is possible, but you should ask the wait staff for low-salt or salt-free foods. Salad dressings, whether purchased in a store or used while dining out, are often packed with sodium, warns the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Since you are trying to lose weight, you should definitely avoid saturated fats whenever possible as these can place unwanted fat and excessive sodium into your body. Homemade soups are great for most dieters, but carefully read labels of prepared soups as most of these include a high amount of sodium. Likewise, you should carefully study the labels of vegetable juices and pickled vegetables before eating them.
References
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Tips for Reducing Sodium in Your Diet
- Womenshealth.gov: Reducing Your Sodium; June 2008
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Most Americans Should Consume Less Sodium; March 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Water Retention; October 2009
- UCSF Medical Center: Guidelines for a Low-Sodium Diet; February 2011
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