Sodium is a mineral that is essential for health.  Sodium works with potassium to make our muscles contract.  It is also a key electrolyte in our blood.  It manages proper water levels in our cells and keeps us from dehydrating.  Sodium is essential for our hearts to beat and our nervous systems to work properly.  For another source about the health benefits of sodium read here and here.

 It’s true that many American’s overdo salt.  But as more and more of us turn away from processed and pre-packaged foods, that becomes less of a concern.  Daily recommended allowance is below 2300 mg a day or about 1 teaspoon of salt.  Sodium occurrs naturally in milk and is added to many dairy products like cheese, butter and cottage cheese.  It is high in commercially canned soups and broths, pickles, potato chips, soy sauce, and other condiments. 

When I was on my road to health, my doctor put me on salt pills.  My blood pressure was at dangerously low levels from a variety of reasons, one being too little sodium in my diet.  Now that I am eating real food again, I no longer take salt pills, but I do generously salt my food to taste.

Some people have a higher need for salt than others:  Those who live or work in a hot dry environment where they sweat constantly; those who perform large amounts of sweat causing exercise or do weight training; those recovering from a illness that caused dehydration; pregnant women; those naturally requiring more salt; and those recovering from blood loss are a few.

If you are otherwise healthy with a normal or below normal blood pressure, and little risk for stroke, adopting a low sodium diet is not necessary and may be harmful.  This is definitely something to discuss with your doctor before you jump in making drastic dietary changes.

While it is true that taking in too much sodium can cause water retention; taking in sugar causes it more!  There’s no such thing as eating too little refined sugar and adopting a low sugar diet won’t harm anyone.  Eating sugar can also raise your bad cholesterol levels, so if you feel the need to eliminate a food without consulting your doctor–start there.

When you are eating adquate amounts of sodium, It is essential that enough water is also taken in to aid the kidneys when salt is present in the diet.  It is also essential that sodium and potassium are eaten in a good balance (5 x the amount of potassium to sodium) to keep the muscles working effectively.  For more information on the sodium potassium pump read here and here.

Which Salt?

Not all salts are created equal.  Plain iodized table salt is very cheap, (25 cents a can), but it is also highly refined and stripped of most of it’s natural minerals.  In addition the extra iodine can lead to too much iodine in parts of the world like ours where salty food is abundant.  Unrefined sea salt is better, made from evaporating sea water which leaves the salt behind and contains more natural minerals.   There are other types of salt like Himalayan Crystal salt which are touted to have even more minerals.  Use what seems right to you.

Cold, refreshing, calorie free, life sustaining water

Our bodies are 60% water.  We can live for weeks without food, but only a few days without water.  Water is essential for burning fat, eliminating waste from our body, regulating our cooling system, maintaining appropriate blood volume, and keep our skin smooth, supple and wrinkle free.

Our bodies crave water, but we are not always accustomed to the thirst signal.  Many people mistake it for hunger.  If you think you are hungry, try drinking a glass of water and waiting 5-10 minutes to see if you are still hungry.  Your body will also send the hunger signal right before it’s about to burn some fat for energy.  Drinking water will aid the body in burning the fat, and fill your stomach with something so it isn’t so aggravated.  If you can wait a little while before eating, your hunger signal may turn off for a few hours after your body took a snack from your hips.

According to this site increasing your water consumption will decrease your fat, but decreasing your water intake will signal your body to make more fat!

Here’s how it works.  Your liver has several functions.  One is to break down and metabolise fat so your body can use it for energy.  The other is to help the kidneys with their job.  Kidney’s need lots of water to function propery.  If the water isn’t there, their decrease in function tells the liver it’s time to help out.  If the liver is working for the kidney’s it can’t work as hard at burning fat for you.  Source

The more you weigh, the more water you need.  As a rule of thumb drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day.  So if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water a day.  Or 12.5 cups.  If you aren’t used to drinking water, flavored stevia drops or slices of lemon are natural ways to add a little flavor without adding calories or artificial sweeteners.

Bonus:  If you drink your water cold, your body will burn a few extra calories raising it to body temperature so it can use it.

Good Carbs

Carbs give us energy and whole food sources are packed full of fiber and vitamins too.  Fiber keeps food moving through our bodies and aids in elimination of toxins which in turn protects us from colon cancer.  Insoluble fiber is not digestable and does not add to our calorie count.  In addition, insoluble fiber requires 10 calories per gram to move through the digestion system.   This helps with weight loss and also helps us feel fuller longer.  Soluble fiber is digestable and doesn’t subtract from the calorie count, but it helps reduce cholesterol and gives other benefits.  Love your fiber!

Gram for gram carbs and proteins have equal calories (4 cals per gram), but they serve different purposes in our bodies.  Nutritionists recommend that 60% of our daily calories come from carbs, while only 15% should come from protein and the remainder (25%) from fat.  These percentages should be calculated on a weight maintenance diet.  A mere 15% of calories from protein on a reduced calorie diet is not enough.

Bad Carbs

Non whole food sources of carbs (white rice, white pasta, white flour, sugar) have no fiber and no vitamins (unless they are fortified which still leaves them nutritionally inferior to whole grain sources.)  That is why they are often referred to as empty calories.  Eating these foods protects your body from buring it’s own fat reserves for fuel while providing no other life sustaining purpose.

Balancing Carbs with Protein to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat

Yesterday we learned that protein is essential for body function.  If we get too little protein our body starts robbing our muscle mass to continue with basic bodily functions.  On the other hand, if we take in too little energy giving carbs or fats, our body takes the energy we need from the fat in our bodies. That is exactly what we want when we are trying to lose weight.

When I am creating a weight loss menu plan, I keep an appropriate amount of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, but reduce the number of carbs and fats.  As long as I am careful to take in enough fiber (through whole, unpeeled, fruits and veggies–not juice) my health won’t suffer, but I’ll lose weight.  Please note that I am reducing the number of carbs and fats not eliminating them.  

Apply it to a Menu Plan

If I would normally eat a 2,000 calorie diet, then 60% or 1200 calories should come from the carbs in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  To lose a pound a week only 700 calories come from grains, a reduction of 500 calories a day or 3500 for the week.  (I keep my fruit and vegetable servins the same.) Or I could split the calorie reduction between both carbs and fat.  In a 2,000 calorie diet, 25% or 500 calories should come from fat.   I could reduced my fat calories by 200 and my carb calories by 3oo.  By doing it this way, no food group is completely eliminated and I’m still taking in all essential vitamins and minerals.

Carbs and Water Weight

When we digest carbs, our bodies break them down into alcohol, carbon dioxide and water.  The alcohol is used by the body as fuel or stored as fat. The carbon dioxide is exhaled, but the water can be held onto by our body cells as extra weight gain.  Water can be stored in our fat cells, plumping them up without adding extra calories.  Rest, drinking water, and eating enough fiber will help expel the extra water.  Simple carbs like sugar, white flour and white pasta cause the most water weight gain, while the fiber in whole grains helps to protect the body from too much water retention since extra water is needed to help the fiber pass through the body.

Starting a weight loss program can be wonderfully exciting at the beginning.  The first week many people lose as much as 5 lbs!  But soon after that the weight loss slows down; weekend gatherings or outings with friends make us feel left out or sabotage our efforts.  It doesn’t take long before we feel like quitting.  So how do we stay motivated?

1.  Weigh on your schedule.  I like to weigh every day.  If I don’t my weight loss suffers and my emotional fortitude does too.  Others like to weigh only once a week.  Weigh when it works for you, but do it at the same time of the day with the same clothing (or no clothing) each time.  Seeing results will keep you working.

2.  Plan treats into your menu.  There are lots of low-calorie sweets available.  Sugar free gelatin (the health conscience can make their own with pureed frozen strawberries, stevia and plain gelatin), 1 oz of dark chocolate, meringue cookies or angel food cake–are just some examples.  If you have a sweet tooth, give yourself permission to indulge once in awhile.

3.  Plan a reward for yourself when you reach small goals.  For example, you might put a dollar into a new clothing fund envelope each time you weigh less than you did the time before–or when you make the time to exercise.  Make sure your rewards are something that you really enjoy but don’ t involve food.

4.  Take before, during and after pictures.  Taking before pictures are never fun, but when you get close to your goal you will be glad you did.  Try wearing the same outfit in each picture and use a plain wall for a background so you can really see the changes that all your hard work brings.

5.  Have a motivational outfit or destination.  I once bought a tiny sundress for a couple of dollars of a clearance rack because I loved it even though it didn’t fit.  Just looking at it made me make better choices.  I also knew a gal who hung a cute bikini on her wall just because looking at it motivated her.  Or if clothes don’t float your boat, what about a destination motivation?  It could be huge by going on a cruise, or small like planning an outing at a favorite local park or lake.

I’m sure there are lots more ways to stay motviated.  What do you do?

A food journal is 2 things.  First it’s a record of everything you put in your mouth–even if you licked the brownie batter spoon.  Knowing we will have to write it down often stops us from making a poor food choice.  Having a record of what we eat also helps us if we reach a plateau.  We can look back on our choices and see if they are the reason why our weight loss has stopped.  Our food journal shows us when we reach our calorie limits for the day and helps us spread our allotment out evenly through the day.  I once started a fitness plan and consumed my daily allotment by lunch!  That was one miserable afternoon.  Now with a menu plan and a food journal, I never have to live that again.

Second, it’s a record of how you feel during the weight loss process.  If you are angry about missing some of your favorite unhealthy foods, write it down.  If you are hungry and discouraged, write it down.  If you have more energy and feel really great about the postivie choices you are making, write it town too.  Somehow letting it out on paper, helps us keep going and be nicer to our family while we do it.

If you are also making a menu plan from the download in yesterday’s post, this can be part of your food journal.  Simply check off when you eat a food on the menu and write in any additional foods to the side or on the back.  When I food journal, I like to write specific amounts of the foods I eat and the calories in them.  But I’m one of those weirdos that enjoys counting calories.  I also record the time of day I ate it, but that is totally optional.  If I do any exercise or particularly strenuous chore, I write that down too with the amount of time spent on it. 

Choose whatever you like for your journal.  A simple spiral notebook is perfect.  Right now my journal is on the computer at Babyfit.  I love that I can look up the amounts and types of foods and add them to my journal and they keep track of all the calories and nutrition for me!  I can also input any foods that aren’t on their list and save them in a private list of my favorites. If you aren’t expecting a baby, you can get a similar online food journal for free at Sparkpeople.  

While we are on vacation, I won’t have internet access and with all the tempting food choices around me it will be more important than ever to keep a food journal.  I have a small spiral notebook ready to go and am shopping for a pocket calorie guide to take with me.  Do you have a book to recommend?

Update:  I found the book I’m going to take with me.  I was really interested in Calorie King but decided not to buy it in the end, because it didn’t have protein information in it.  I ended up purchasing this snappy little number instead: You can click the photo to find out more and look inside at Amazon.