Everything I eat is so high in sodium. Which means that i'm taking in lots of salt and results in water retention. How much am I supposed to have in a day? I usually eat cheese, wings, hamburger patties, and salads. I'm living in a dorm; so i have limited food resources. OH and i eat lots of pork rinds. I know...sounds horrible. Are there any low sodium foods that you can think of?

Rose, on average 2.4g of sodium is what we should be eating (thats 2,400mg). The actual sodium levels isn't as critical as the potassium to sodium ratio (which should be 2:1 for potassium to sodium).

Food low in sodium tend to be high in potassium, they also tend to be unprocessed. Processing adds sodium as a preservative. You'll get less sodium in a serving of salted nuts than in a serving of SF pudding; one is processed, one is not.

Veggies, the greener the better, and avocados are high in potassium and contain next to no sodium.

You can also use a salt substitute that is potassium rich on your foods instead of table salt. Products like NuSalt of HalfSalt work nicely.

If you do supplement with potassium be sure you're well hydrated and if you're on any meds for your heart or blood pressure, check with your doctor first.

Think unprocessed and you'll notice a big difference in your salt levels - and your water retention.

Nat

Does potassium help with water retention? In other words, if I eat a lot of processed foods one day, should I try to take a potassium suppliment too? Will I retain less water?

I am having trouble with retaining water lately. This has not been the case for the majority of the time I have been LCing. I have been eating out a lot lately though and it seems everything must be salted to high heaven. It sure tastes good though.