There is always going to be incidental salt in your diet, and that is fine. But if you want to minimize your intake the real way to go is to not eat anything prepared by anyone else. Analysis of your diet will tell you that is where the vast majority your salt is coming from. Even if you salt your food at the table.

My general approach to sodium management is that I never add it to anything I prepare, and I don't eat anything out of a package (other than protein powder). It doesn't take very long to get used to preparing big batches of tasty food, way healthier and fresher than anything processed, and to get used to a low salt taste.

So where I used to pour jar pasta sauce on my oats and chicken, now I make a huge pot of salt-free tomato sauce and freeze a bunch of it in small packs and use that instead. And so on.

Unless you are a vegan, you are going to have enough salt in your food. There might be an adjustment period (the body loves consistency, especially in terms of water/ electrolyte balance) but it only takes a few days to establish a new equilibrium.

But like rhino said, it might not matter too much for you to try to cut it really low. Me, I'm really salt sensitive. Not everyone is. In general, people from Africa, especially African Americans, are salt sensitive in terms of blood pressure. (I myself am not black, btw, just salt sensitive). I have figured out over time that I don't handle salt very well. Now I don't even like it.

So minimizing your salt intake may or may not do much for your BP or physique. But it might. You can play around and see.

unless you are cutting for a show or an event i would not worry too much about your soduim unless you are hypertensive or preparing for a show. season your food to a point to where its edible. if you train and sweat enough you are losing electolytes anyway so the salt is aiding in their recovery. if you are trying to put on weight then you need salt to help with the uptake of glucose molecules into the muslce cell (soduim-potassium pump). actually that rule applies for BOTH bulking and cutting really...

i take in 4,000-5,000 sodium a day and i eat clean as a whistle, my blood pressure is perfect 107/64 (low normal ie; athlete range) and i don't look puffy, so i mean i guess it's just one of those things. i'm sure it'd be ideal to stay under 2,500grams a day, but i do not live in an ideal world

Got a question bout water intake and sodium. If you drink lots of water it flushes sodium, correct? But, does it flush the potassium and magnesium out as well? Cause I'm getting stupid crazy cramps in whatever muscle group I train....And Ive heard that can cause cramps possibly. True or ...?

whole foods, nothing processed.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day. A gallon or more. The more water you drink the more sodium you flush out. Also watch sodium intake from foods. And dont pour salt all over everything you eat. A good ai will also help keep water low

My understanding is, High sodium will cause your body to retain water, not drinking enough water will cause your body to retain water. When you retain water it puts more pressure on your cardio vascular system increasing BP. You also need to keep your water intake up to flush the bad shit from your body.

Yes....keep sodium low. Avoid high bp, hypertension, bloat, and gyno issues plus stroke etc. Read all labels. Add spiceds to bland foods other than sodium. Soda has bout 400mgs sodium....daily is about 1500. No soda....chips....junk snax.

If you're really concerned, replace eggs with lean meat in the morning. Eggs are loaded with sodium