the recommended allowance is 2300 mg/ day for a 2000 calorie diet.

It seems like a lot of sodium, but with all these processed foods and such, its not hard to have 2x that amount..

I know, I always try to keep my sodium intake as low as possible and I was so surprised when I noticed there was about 1600mg in the canned soups I keep in my room =s

If you eat more sodium should you drink more water to balance/flush it out?

I get an average of 1,200 to 1,500 mg a day. I have more when I indulge in Amy's things, which while organic, vegetarian and totally good for you, can be high in the sodium department.

your recommended sodium intake depends a lot a lot on how active you are.  if you sweat a lot, then you need more sodium than the average bear.  there's nothing really wrong w/sodium unless you have high blood pressure or similar medical condition.  it's an electrolyte and helps keep you from feeling lightheaded.  if you eat so much sodium that it's dehydrating you, then it will make you retain water. 

personally, i consume a lot of sodium.  but i exercise a lot.  and it doesn't really impact anything (i have low blood pressure, actually).  i also drink more water than an elephant, though.

Original Post by caloriecountingme:

your recommended sodium intake depends a lot a lot on how active you are.  if you sweat a lot, then you need more sodium than the average bear.  there's nothing really wrong w/sodium unless you have high blood pressure or similar medical condition.  it's an electrolyte and helps keep you from feeling lightheaded.  if you eat so much sodium that it's dehydrating you, then it will make you retain water. 

 Caloriecounting me is correct.  I work at the minneapolis heart institute, and here we try to get every one to be on a 2gm (2000mg) sodium diet.  That is considered a restricted sodium diet.  The norm is under 3500, and the average restaurant food consuming american consumes about 4500 in a day. 

Your best number depends on all the things caloriecountingme mentioned...exercise, water consumption, and other health issues.  The average person with no other health problems does not need to limit their sodium (be reasonable here), as long as they dring plenty of fluids.

One thing to keep in mind.  If you are a good girl for a few days and then eat "normal" levels of sodium (say by eating out....mmmm...nachos) one day, your weight will shoot up the next morning.  But fear not, it is just water retention. (Trust me on this, I take fridays and saturdays off of counting, and my weight is always a little high on sunday morning, but back to the expected place by tuesday...and I have lost 60 pounds this way)

Thanks for all the replies. I'm wondering if I retain more water than the average person? Does about 7 pounds after a 'normal' day of sodium sound right? Also, I am on  12-1300 calories a day so please help me figure out what my sodium intake should be daily.  I really can do without the excess bloat!