Good point about the brine. I hadn't thought of that. I was just a bit shocked when I saw my total for the day equal 6000 mg, being that I was avoiding processed foods. Thanks for the tip about using "raw" foods. I generally don't add salt to my veggies, and instead rely on things like fresh herbs and lemon juice for flavoring.

Check out my public food journal for some tips on what to eat. I keep my sodium to under 2000 mg on many days now, although I do dip into the occasional 3K grams.

VitoVino - free online diet and fitness journal

When I first started tracking sodium I too was shocked, and I too was getting about 6K grams a day. The ONLY way to bring this under control is to "eat clean", eliminate many canned foods, and to cook your own foods.

[EDIT] Since I'm no longer a moderator I've made my public journal viewable to only friends. So if anyone wants to see this they'll have to send me a friend request. How? Tag search "fitday friends".

Ever watch 'Top Chef'? A cardinal sin is to undersalt food; it makes it taste 'bland.' Of course, that's only one aspect of flavor, but chefs undersalt, taste, and then add salt, taste, and so on, until the flavor is right.

You can control salt by cooking at home, not using processed foods, and 'undersalting' your food. Your tastebuds have to make the adjustment. Eventually, as I find with my elderly friends, your taste for salt will be so altered that you don't even notice it is missing. One friend makes eggs without salt and relies on the salt in salted butter to provide more flavor. She doesn't even own a salt shaker or a box of salt.

One of the worst offenders: store-bought bread and pastries. If you make your own bread, you can leave out salt and see what that tastes like. It IS different.

Then, when you go to a restaurant, prepare to make another adjustment. Chefs do salt food.

Potassium: drink coffee. Ever seen the potassium in coffee? It's there. Makes me glad I drink the stuff.

I never realized this about coffee until recently. But it makes sense since coffee is a bean and beans have high potassium. I just restarted drinking coffee again after about 6 months away from it. I was avoiding it because I like to add a bit of sugar, not much, but I was avoiding sugar at all costs.

I'm a big coffee drinker. I really need to cut back on my sugar but I haven't found any good substitutes? Can y ou recommend one?

Hey AS, give STEVIA a shot. But a little is all it takes. Maybe 1/4 of a pack (little individual sized packets) will do. It's very sweet, but it's natural so it's not bad for you like the artificial stuff is. ;)

I've tried other kinds of sweeteners (like agave nectar) but the Stevia ("In The Raw", not Truvia) is best, IMHO.

I recently had a double by-pass surgery and now the doctors and nutritionists have put me on a low sodium diet. I'm limited to 1500 mg per day. To hit my target, I'm eating lots of frozen vegetables and Subway Veggie Delite subs. I've dropped 9.4 pounds since I started doing this and my blood sugars have also dropped to very good levels.

You guys are right about manufacturers and restaurants loading up the foods with salt, it's so important to read your labels and know what you're getting.

That's good news about your diet and weight loss. Hitting 1500 mg per day is a real accomplishment. It's ridiculously difficult to do, even when eating lots of veggies.

Yup, between all the sodium and high fructose corn syrup they pump into foods these days it's pretty much like a silent war is being waged against the public. They're killing us and it's up to individuals to get smart about nutrition and to take back control of their diet.

Yes it really is a war. My nutritionist is furious with the manufacturers and restaurants for what they put into foods and sell as healthy foods. After I took a class with her about reading labels, I checked my food pantry and was shocked at how much sodium they put into canned goods. It's no wonder there's a obesity problem in this country.

You know what's cool about FitDay, djwayne2000? If you put in the time and effort, and it's really not that much, you actually become your own nutritionist! You've got all the information you need between the food logging and reports to learn all the basics about nutrition that you'll need to know to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Since you're fairly new, I suggest carefully following and learning about you macronutrients first, as you faithfully track your intake daily, then after a few months you can key in on your micronutrients. Doing too much all at once can be overwhelming and too confusing.