Salt-Trap

[Silverback]

Living in the uk, i have just recieved my latest mag from M+F and intrigued at the article on salt and its effects, causing bloating and leaving a layer under the skin.

The amount in some foods is shocking, to say the least. i mean average humans take in between 5000 and 7000mg per day, but we only need 500mg! So reducing salt can provide your cutting an extra edge.

example: the yoghurt that i have been consuming every day contains a huge 150mg per pot i have about 3 a day, then ketchup contains 1500mg in 100g, it left me wondering about my tuna in brine (brine saturated in salt) i may switch to tuna in water, even though it is more expensive.

has any1 else read the article? what are your views?

[Tiare]

I haven't read the article, but I know that in the states the tap water contains at least 35mg sodium per liter. Not a big deal, but I think it shows that you get a lot of sodium in your diet.

I do think that restricting sodium content is a last week tactic before a show. Doing it regularly would be too much of a pain in the :moon:

[ElPietro]

I believe your body reacts to CHANGES in sodium content, not necessarily the daily amount you take in. So if you regularly take in 5,000mg per day and then all of a sudden take 10,000mg your body will react. But if you are taking in 8,000mg everyday your body won't necessarily retain more water because sodium is at a constant level.

I believe also that bodybuilders will raise their sodium levels extremely high 3 or 4 days before contests and then drop it as low as they can to cause such a large difference from high to low sodium that the body doesn't retain very much water at all, thus increasing vascularity. Though I'm sure someone who actually competes here could explain better, or correct anything I've misunderstood.