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How much sodium should I be eating?
I've been keeping an eye on my sodium lately. I am 14 years old. 5'2, weighs 115 pounds. I eat about 1200 calories a day. How much mg of sodium should I be eating?
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You should aim for 1500 mg of sodium per day, and definitely not more than 2300 mg. ([Link](Mouse over link to see full location))
In addition to the sodium, this site is really amazing to calculate how much protein, carbs, fat and fiber you need. It even tells you the ideal amount of calories to take in to lose weight or even maintain a healthy weight. [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Good luck!
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The recommended amount is no more than 2,300mgs or about a teaspoon full.
The problem with sodium and counting your intake of it is our food is loaded with it, especially fast food. Panera Bread is considered among the healthier of the fast food lunch spots. Would you believe that a ham and cheese sandwich at Panera Bread contains nearly 1,900 milligrams of sodium. The majority of the sodium is in the cheese but there is also sodium in the ham. A serving of lasagna at Olive Garden has 2,800 milligrams. That's well over the recommended daily intake of sodium. Worse these figures are not made known to us at the restaurants and fast food outlets.
While your calorie count, which by the way may be to low for a person of your age I suggest you speak with your doctor or a dietician for a proper diet and calorie count, may be good it may also be very high in sodium. Why, simple most of our food is prepared with salt. Salt is over 40% sodium.
Just about every recipe I look at when I cook for my wife and me has 1 or more teaspoons of salt in it. Even though I cut the recipe down from 4 servings to 2 if I follow the recommended amount of salt that's over a half a teaspoon of salt. I don't follow the recommended amount of salt I cook with low salt and I have found other ways to enhance the flavor of what I cook.
If you truly want to cut your sodium intake you are going to have to start researching what you order at restaurants and fast food outlets to find out the sodium content. Even the food prepared at school can be high in sodium and the school should have a nutrition guide for each meal it serves telling of the amounts of sodium and other things in the food they serve.
At home you need to help mom learn to cook with less salt. Find ways to enhance flavors with other seasonings. I did it is really not all that hard to do. Add spices your family likes even if those species add heat to the food. You'll never miss the salt.
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I am not a doctor so I am going to quote you the figures I found on the internet. According to what I read anyone consuming 1200 calories should be taking in about 1500 mg. of sodium. Even when you lower your caloric intake the sodium requirement stays the same. I hope you have already talked to your doctor about your diet and got the thumbs up. If you are only 14 years old, 1200 calories seems a little low to me!
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