SODIUM Looking at sodium levels after my trainer told my sodium intake was way too much I wanted to know how much I should have in a day. According to The Dietary Guidelines for Americans they suggest 2,300mg per day, yet The American Heart Association says we should be consuming less than 1,500mg per day. Below is a conversion table that tells you how many milligrams of sodium are in a teaspoon. Sodium chloride or table salt is approximately 40% sodium. Understand just how much sodium is in salt so you can take measures to control your intake. 1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium 1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium 3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium 1 teaspoon salt = 2,400 mg sodium (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Shaking-the-Salt-Habit_UCM_303241_Article.jsp) Why should we care? According to the Mayo Clinic “Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your body sodium is low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When body sodium is high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine. But if for some reason your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to build up in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases, which makes your heart work harder and increases pressure in your arteries. Such diseases as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can make it hard for your kidneys to keep sodium levels balanced. Some people's bodies are more sensitive to the effects of sodium than are others. If you're sodium sensitive, you retain sodium more easily, leading to fluid retention and increased blood pressure. If this becomes chronic, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure”. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284) Besides retaining fluid especially for women, feeling bloated and fat isn’t a good feeling so if there is something we can do to reduce that – wouldn’t you do it?
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