Hi all. I've just had my 2nd episode - about 18 mos after the first - and feel like I need to get tough with regard to following the low sodium diet. I was pretty hardcore for about 3 mos after the first episode, was symptom-free, and then kind of slacked off. Not sure if this had anything to do with the remission or not, but am eager to get back on track to see if diet alone will work for me before going to the water pills. I am training for a marathon and am worried about being on the low sodium diet + water pills + already having low blood pressure to begin with. So, how low should I go with regard to sodium? I tend to avoid processed foods already, so I'm thinking I should aim for 1000 mg? Also, I started acupuncture yesterday, and the acupuncturist also recommended avoiding sugar. Anyone know what that means in terms of # of grams of sugar/day? Thanks! Maggie
Hi Maggieh, My doc told me 1500-2000mg per day. I'm not sure if this would vary based on height and weight but seems to be a common number. You probably should ask your doc, particularly given your circumstances with the training and the low blood pressure and all. Your body does need sodium and it is possible to go to low from what I was told.
Regarding sugar, you probably know that many foods we eat impact our glucose levels, like wheat and dairy and fruits. Yet, if you are training for a marathon, you certainly need fuel. Maybe for now, just eliminate anything like cookies and candy and change your other carbs to the complex kind. If you continue to have issues you might want to explore more diet culprits, like wheat and cornstarch. You need salt, if you don't have it you can mess with your electrolyte levels. If I add it to my cooking, I make sure to use iodized ( for my thyroid ) and I don't add very much. Rarely, I use canned goods, I just get the low sodium version or rinse the contents to wash out some of the salt. If it helps, make one change and see how you do. If you change too many things at one time, you won't know what worked. Keep a journal of your changes and how you feel. Months down the road, you may need to review what you have done and what worked or didn't.
