Since I started counting calories (via LoseIt iphone app), I have become increasingly aware of everything I have been eating. After observing what I have been eating the last three weeks, it has become apparent to me that I know nothing about Sodium. I started to do a little research on Sodium, how much to consume, what it does for the body etc. The bottomline is that I (and Americans in general) consume way too much Sodium on a daily basis.
If you take a look at any nutrition label, you will find that most foods and beverages that you consume has Sodium in it. Couple that with the fact that we put table salt on everything, and Sodium intake is through the roof! Lets be honest, do you immediately reach for the table salt when a plate of food is put in front of you without tasting if first? I know I do.
Sodium is naturally present in a lot of food, probably food you eat on a daily basis. Eggs, tomatoes, plant foods (lettuce) and animal foods (pork, beef etc). If you consume any of these on a daily basis, you probably don’t need to consume any via table salt. Too much Sodium can have a very negative impact to your health. Water retention and an increase in blood pressure are two of the immediate impacts.Not to mention the long term damage to kidneys, bladder and liver.
There is a great debate going on. One side says that Sodium is essential to living, while the other side says that there are races of people that would be extinct if that were true. Since I have found no way of escaping eating salt, I just need to keep in under control and not eat too much.
So how much Sodium should you consume on a daily basis? This is were my research breaks down as I couldn’t find a concrete answer. Most of what I read indicates that you should be in the 2,300mg range, however, I think that’s still a little too high. Most of what I found online states a range of 1,000-3,000mg per day. The less you consume, the better!
I have consumed about 1,900 each day over the last few days. It would be much lower if I stayed away from beef jerky.







