How important is it to keep sodium intake low? For protein sources, I eat egg beaters, turkey bacon, chicken, fish. All of these are, for the most part, fine for sodium. But I also eat lean deli meats which are very high in sodium. Do I need to ditch the deli? I have low blood pressure (by low I mean healthy and not too low) and drink a lot of water.

I honestly do not pay any attention to it. I don't eat deli meat more than once in a blue moon though, nor does the rest of my diet have much sodium I don't think.

Are you concerned with sodium for health reasons or for your bodybuilding goals? I really don't pay attention to it in terms of how my physique looks. From my reading most bodybuilders only pay attention to the sodium intake as they get close to competition time.

Lots of people worry about their sodium intake, whereas almost nobody checks potassium intake. Those two minerals are strongly correlated and in order to afirm that your sodium intake is high, you should know what your potassium intake is.

Also, the right ammount of sodium depends on your usual daily intake. If you are used to large ammount of sodium, then that's your right intake, when properly balanced with potassium. On the other hand, if you have little sodium every day, you are going to notice any increase on a given day.

Thanks, 1FastGTX and Czifra too. I guess really only for bodybuilding goals. I do care about my health, but I feel great, and my blood pressure is very good. And blood pressure would be the only health reason I really know to limit sodium intake. In terms of bodybuilding for me, from what you two say, it doesn't seem to matter. It's important to me to be strong and muscular and lean. And in good shape. But I don't compete. So I guess I won't worry about it. thanks

I honestly do not pay any attention to it. I don't eat deli meat more than once in a blue moon though, nor does the rest of my diet have much sodium I don't think.

Are you concerned with sodium for health reasons or for your bodybuilding goals? I really don't pay attention to it in terms of how my physique looks. From my reading most bodybuilders only pay attention to the sodium intake as they get close to competition time.

I knew MAXOT had something about sodium intake in their documentation, I went and found it for you (page 126), thought it might be interesting.

Max-OT Tip: Sodium is not the evil monster it has been made out to be. As a bodybuilder, sodium is your friend. A real good friend. Sodium is a tool you should learn how to use to your benefit. Sodium is critical in many metabolic functions. By eliminating your sodium intake you decrease nutrient transport, decrease muscle cell volume, and decrease the joint fluid retention thereby increasing susceptibility to soft tissue injuries.

Steve knows that the only time he should restrict his sodium is just a few days before the show. In fact, increasing his sodium intake while he is dieting will not only help his training, it will allow the restriction of his sodium a few days more dramatic impact on his appearance the day of the show.

My understanding is that sodium and cholesterol present the same sort of health risk - limiting them can be a useful stopgap measure if you're obese, don't intend to lose weight, and want to reduce the risk of heart disease that your obesity is creating.

If you are at a healthy weight, your blood pressure and cholesterol are usually low. As you gain body fat, your blood pressure and cholesterol usually rise.

There are some exceptions to this rule, and if you're one of them, you should be careful, but these exceptions are much rarer than the pharmaceutical companies would have you believe. The pharmaceutical companies don't want you to know that losing weight is the best way to reduce your risk of heart attack.

I'd compare it to anorexia - there is a certain part of the population that needs to be encouraged to eat more, just as there is a certain part of the population that needs to be encouraged to watch their sodium and cholesterol intake (which usually means their meat/egg intake).

However, most adults could benefit from eating less overall, and most adults could benefit from eating more fresh meat or eggs (and thus less trans fat, HFCS, and enriched wheat flour).

Still, because of the dire risk posed to a small percentage of the population (anorexics or people with genetically high cholesterol or blood pressure), the majority of the population gets an excuse to eat poorly. As part of the general cultural trend to help teenage girls from getting obsessed with being so skinny it's unhealthy, you see an equally unhealthy cultural trend to redefine obesity as not, in fact, the deadly and easily curable disease it is, but as beautiful, and just another way people are who they are and can't be changed.

As many of us know, it can be changed honestly and without gimmicks, and I think that's a message that should get out there, even if it does hurt people's feelings.

Of course, the whole cholesterol/sodium thing is somewhat sinister, and the anorexia thing is not, but I think they represent an interesting single cultural phenomenon all the same.

Thanks. I appreciate it. definitely something I'm not gonna worry about for now.

I knew MAXOT had something about sodium intake in their documentation, I went and found it for you (page 126), thought it might be interesting.

Quote:
Max-OT Tip: Sodium is not the evil monster it has been made out to be. As a bodybuilder, sodium is your friend. A real good friend. Sodium is a tool you should learn how to use to your benefit. Sodium is critical in many metabolic functions. By eliminating your sodium intake you decrease nutrient transport, decrease muscle cell volume, and decrease the joint fluid retention thereby increasing susceptibility to soft tissue injuries.

Steve knows that the only time he should restrict his sodium is just a few days before the show. In fact, increasing his sodium intake while he is dieting will not only help his training, it will allow the restriction of his sodium a few days more dramatic impact on his appearance the day of the show.