grammalaura's Journal, 23 Oct 21

i dont have hypertension but same here, in the last 4 days on average ive had almost 4000mg sodium 

Home cooking from scratch, with whole foods, is definitely the way to beat sodium. 

Sometimes sodium 'addiction' is because your body misses other electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, glucose, chloride etc. I now that was my case. Also, when I was feeling more need for salt I was also feeling fatigued and tired. Will be good to ask your doctor to check your electrolytes - there is a blood test checking for some pf them. With all the low carbs diets hype (I did the keto too but learnt that few things about it were hype and nowadays they even recommend things that I found out by mistake - and feeling yacky). Your body and especially your brain needs glucose. Your body synthesis it from carbs. A way to go around that on a low carb is by having glucose at hand like honey (manuka and buckwheat have also added benefits), glucose tablets (like the diabetics carry with them) or glucose powders. If you start shivering, feeling dizzy, increase thirst, brain fog - you may be dealing with hypoglycemia (if you read in keto forums you will find a lot of people struggling with it because they equate low carbs with almost non existing carbs). But please don't play with glucose especially if you are diabetic. Better to check it with a machine before you do anything. I went a bit glucose - because is one of electrolytes amd an important one. Next will give some tips of other electrolytes. 

A trick I found to check if is my electrolytes - get a 50 calories Gatorade (it will not throw off your weight loss). I after you drink half to the full 500 g bootle you feel much better - is an indication you are on the right track with thinking that your sodium 'addiction' comes from electrolyte imbalance. If is a serious imbalance you may need to qork with your dr to balance it as switching from salt to salt substitutes can get wrong too. Bananas seem to jelp a bit - as they are also high in potassium and glucose. Electrolytes supplement and drinks may help too. But most of all you need to listen to your body. Salt craving is a symptoms that your body needs some attention. You just need to figure out what is trying to tell you. And the salty taste you look for points to an imbalance on the electrolytes system - can be cause by hormones, stress and any other issues. But you better pay attention at what your body asks you - is the only way to stop that magging craving. Like my peanut butter boo boo 🤣😉🙃 I am sure my body was looking for some extra fat. May have been not enough in the foods I was eating lately. But I don't feel the need for it directly. So, now will just make sure that from time to time olives, nuts, seeds or some sort of fat will make its way - at least few times per week - in my meals. I hope this info will help you with your journey. Don't beat yourself about it. Find what your body tries to tell you. 

Ct7055: thanks for this suggestion! This is something I had never even considered; going to try it. 

Don't forget, its a journey! We are rooting for you!  

I had a similar situation. I was embarrassingly addicted to cottage cheese to the point I would hide it from my family,going to the fridge to sneak a spoonful several times a day on top of my 2or3 servings they were aware of. I would actually have anxiety before going on a trip worried where we were going wouldn't have it. I went in for a regular physical and my Dr ordered blood work. Results came back I was dangerously anemic. He put me on an ungodly dose of iron (which gave me such terrible stomach pain). But after 3 months my energy level skyrocketed my thought pattern was sharper....AND my crazy addiction/obsession was gone....coincidence? Perhaps, but it never hurts to get blood work done just to make sure everything is in check. Whatever the case may be I hope you find some answers and find relief from your salt craving/addiction. These addictions are real and very powerful. Stay strong, safe and committed💜  

I wouldn't rely on this app for calculating sodium intake. I was also concerned, but then I checked sodium content of chicken and of oatmeal which I eat regularly. This app calculates about 404 mg sodium per 100 g chicken, when Google tells me it is 82 mg/100g. Similarly, sodium in oatmeal is overstated by 2X. This should really be corrected.  

I go by the food label rather than the app, if a label is available. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, especially for proteins. (Chicken is particularly tricky as it is generally packaged in a sodium solution at the packing plant.) I guess we just have to do what we can, and hope for the best!