Low Carb/Low sodium shopping list?

(Tele Musik ) #1

Hey guys looking for some help, was shocked to find that even store bought fresh meat was loaded with sodium!.

I’m type 2 diabetic so low carb high fat is the way to go regarding this, however I am also salt sensitive and even normal amounts leads to a huge amount of water retention… that drinking tons of water doesn’t seem to rid me of.

I’ve been reading that diabetics have a hard time shifting sodium from the blood something along the lines of the kidney function …

Anyways i’m hoping to do a shopping with low carb and low sodium choices to try and stay on top of both so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

As your insulin drops, this will be less of a problem. In addition to promoting sodium retention, insulin also interferes with the angiotensin-aldosterone pathway, which affects water-retention and blood pressure. Two studies, released a few years ago now, confirmed that even for salt-sensitive hypertensives, the healthiest sodium intake is 4-6 g/day.

(Tele Musik ) #3

I was aiming for around 2-3000 mg but due to how much I eat with body building I would go way above this with certain foods so just looking to find a way to keep the calories up without hitting higher carbs and sodium.

(Bob M) #4

Whole foods, steaks, roasts, chicken, pork, lamb. Eggs. Dairy if you can handle it. Low or zero fat yogurt will help add protein.

(Tele Musik ) #5

What about the Sodium amounts in the above meats ?

#6

Keep your water way up, like 1.5g, and your potassium up to RDA which will help water retention HUGE. I use NoSalt 1-2x day to get it way up and obviously try to with food as well. The salt around workouts is unlikely to cause retention, though. I’m also salt sensitive, and that keeps my retention under control, and thats with Anadrol in the mix, so I’m REAL likely to put it on. Also have Dandelion Root on hand, awesome diuretic that works amazing and won’t dump all your potassium.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

Add fat to your diet. Cook with butter, tallow, or lard, put butter on your vegetables, gravy made from heavy cream on your meat, cheese sauce on your broccoli and cauliflower. Get enough fat to satisfy your hunger and then stop eating once you stop being hungry.

The healthy sodium range I mentioned earlier includes both added sodium and the sodium already present in food. If you find yourself headachey or constipated, eat more salt. If stools are unpleasantly mushy, cut back a bit. Be sure to drink to thirst.

(Tele Musik ) #8

Hi man thanks for the reply, yes I believe my Potassium might be low a lot due to not consuming many foods that would contain it… basically meat and eggs with occasional greek yoghurt and also due to as mentioned earlier issues with my body holding onto salt with the type 2.

Just for clarification can you explain what you do to keep it down? As drinking water is actually counter productive to me the more I drink even when my urine is almost clear my body still holds the water… maybe due to the lingering sodium.

So you are saying drink about 1.5 litres of water per day ? get more potassium into my body and what about your sodium intake do you limit this ?

I don’t need to choose a salt alternative as I don’t salt my food but I do buy meats while at work that contain a lot of salt… ready to eat chicken for example that has tons.

At this point I’m willing to try anything you throw at me and just like my type 2 diet I can commit if I know it’s needed.

(Tele Musik ) #9

I don’t get many symptoms beyond water retention, pain behind my eyes which im thinking is possibly blood pressure as it improves when I drop the sodium ? cramp in my legs and breathlessness.

#10

I don’t understand, meat has very little sodium naturally, I would have 1g or less sodium a day if I just ate meat and eggs without extra salt… Or are the data I find wrong?
I need about 4-5g salt (not sodium) a day to feel right and it’s easy to get when I just salt everything to taste. I have processed items, those are saltier but I consume very little of them (and the more I eat them, the less salt I add to my food anyway. Only depending on super salted items can raise my salt intake significantly but I avoid that now.)

And we need some salt to survive… At least the natural amount. That’s already quite low, way too low for almost all of us.

(Marianne) #11

I second this. I find whole foods in their natural state are mostly free of salt, unless I choose to add it.

#12

Gallons, so around 6-7L a day.

It’s not counter productive, the color of your urine has nothing to do with water retention, when you’re bodys getting plenty of water, it’s one of the triggers to release more.

Yes you do, because you’re having water retention issues and it has nothing to do with salting your food. Sodium pulls water into cells, the salt substitues like NoSalt are Potassium, which pulls water back out. There’s no way to supplement potassium in any usable amount without the salt substitutes.

In short:

Drink a ton of water, Use Salt Substitutes to keep potassium intake above your salt intake whatever that may be, use a natural diuretic like dandelion root at each meal to help pull the water out, 1500mg each meal does almost as good as “real” diuretics.

(Tele Musik ) #13

Ahh got ya I thought the salt substitute you were recommending was for sodium reasons had no idea it had potassium in it. Other than lo-salt would just increasing my potassium food intake help or is the amounts pointless compared to what you get from Nosalt ?

The reason I mention urine colour was from most of the reading i’ve done it indicates if someone has drank too much water and that pale yellow is ideal.

But really appreciate the advice, I’m working tomorrow so plan on pounding the water… eating my normal food regardless of it’s sodium intake and then getting some potassium in me maybe avacado ? then take a dandelion root pill right after :slight_smile:

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #14

A lot of that kind of advice comes from sports drink manufacturers with a product to sell. Dr. Tim Noakes, the marathon runner and researcher who first advised staying hydrated, now says it is sufficient to simply “drink to thirst.” Forcing large quantities of liquid can mess with our electrolytes.

#15

have you ever checked the side effects and bad from taking this supp?
just wondering…cause we all read the ‘great’ by the manufactuer and more out there but heck I put up side effect and thought, ICK and it is a diuretic do you even need? when ya read up on it?

again just curious cause supps can work against us in the end when we just literally need real food in real life–just some thoughts on that one

#16

If you could get it high enough with food no, but it’s hard.

The color (can) indicate hydration yes, but hydration levels and retention aren’t locked together.