Diet question: I know that most people are advised not to take in too much sodium in their normal diets. Canned or pre-prepared foods usually have a lot of sodium even if they're low in fat or otherwise healthy/nutritious. Why is it bad to have too much sodium? And if you're running and sweating a lot, is it harmful to have a extra sodium (by a extra, I mean maybe %150 of the normal daily recommendation, not like drinking salt water every day).
Congratulations on an excellent race by Deena!
For athletes that sweat a lot, it is almost impossible to get too much sodium and it is certainly not bad for you. There is a very small percentage of the population that is prone to hypertension and should stay away from salt, but runners should not be staying away from it.
This is actually a good question. Can anyone post any good links to read about the american high sodium diet and how this effects athletes?
read this, read carefully, may change your life, for free
Dr Gabe Mirkin, who ran in the '64 Olypic Marathon Trials, and has been a radio commentator for decades, has the following on his site:
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/1657.html
(EXTRA SALT FOR EXERCISERS)
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6569.html
(SALT RESTRICTION)
http://www.drmirkin.com/heart/9629.html
(SALT INCREASES URINE VOLUME)
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6683.html
(SALT AND HEALTH)
Some of these articles are old, some are new, ALL cite medical journals as sources - this is NOT made up theory. If you take the time to read them carefully, you'll see that while excessive salt intake is bad, so is too little salt, especially for athletes. Also, low salt intake increases the risk of hyponatremia (see
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/8082.htm
), so while huge doses are bad, don't worry about higher sodium foods occasionally.
You corectly list some of the foods that are high in sodium. True, low in fat, and/or healthy does not always mean low sodium. People who should be concerned about sodium are those with hypertension (high blood pressure)cardiac disease and even diabetics. Because such a large number of our population is heading this way, it is prudent to keep it low in salt. If you are running, and sweating a lot, with no history of high blood pressure or cardiac problems, you don't need to add your milligrams of sodium, or do anything out of the ordinary like salt water. Continue to eat a variety of healthy, nutritious food. Avoid junk food like chips, soda, cakes, pies etc. Replace the salt that you lose when you exercise with a sports drink like gatorade. Not to promote any brand, but the reason why these drinks work is because they replace the right balance of electrolytes--sodium, potassium and glucose. Focus on eating variety! Good luck!!
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