I broke down my diet versus recommended values.

(recommended/mine)
Calories 2000 / 2440
Total Fat 65 / 36
Saturated Fat 20 / 10
Cholesterol 300 / 580
Sodium 2400 / 7200
Total Carbs 300 / 222
Dietary Fiber 25 / 56
Sugar 50 / 64
Protein 50 / 327

So looks like my sodium is WAY high, same with my protein, cholesterol, and fiber, and I cant believe it, but my sugars are high too (which is strange given what I eat). Fat is low, and carbs are low (except sugars).

So should I try to change anything or is this normal given that I am lifting heavy weights and trying to build muscle while staying very lean. I burn around 800 calories a day with my training and cardio, so I know my total calories are okay, but damn the protein is high.

-James

PS- here is what I am eating:
Meal 1
2 Level Scoop - 40g Pure Whey Protein Powder
1 cup (unprepared) Quaker® - Oatmeal, Quick and Old Fashioned - hot cereal

Meal 2
1 can S&W - GREEN BEANS - CUT YOUNG & TENDER 14.5 OZ CAN
8 ounces Tyson individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breast

Meal 3
8 ounces Tyson individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breast
1 (unprepared) Quaker® - Oatmeal, Quick and Old Fashioned - hot cereal
1 can S&W - GREEN BEANS - CUT YOUNG & TENDER 14.5 OZ CAN

Meal 4

1 Meal Replacement Bar (South Beach)

Meal 5
8 ounces Tyson individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can S&W - GREEN BEANS - CUT YOUNG & TENDER 14.5 OZ CAN

Meal 6
8 ounces Tyson individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breast

Meal 7
8 ounces Tyson individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breast

Meal 8
1 Meal Replacement Bar (South Beach)

Meal 9
2 Level Scoop - 40g Pure Whey Protein Powder

canned veggies usually have more sodium than you think... try fresh veggies.

1365mg in one can of those green beans and 4095mg in 3 cans. thats the bulk of your sodium right there.

http://www.swfinefoods.com/products/...4-5CtGrnBn.pdf

Ditto on the fresh veggies. I don't see how your sugar intake is so "high", unless your protein powder is high in sugar. It's not necesarily a bad thing as long as you are spreading it out, and controlling overall calories.

Ya, good point for sure, but they are so damn easy and good Although I have really started liking fresh spinach leaves under my chicken breast, but I ussually douce it with mustard, which I am sure has as much if not more sodium then the canned vegi's...

Question is, is a high sodium diet like mine that bad for you? I know about the water rentention associated with it, but I am not a pro body builder or anything, I am looking at it from a health aspect.

-James

oh and i just figured out why my sugar is so high, the calculator i used put my oatmeal in as some kind of ceral shit that has 18g per cup but my oatmeal only has 3g per cup, so my sugars are much lower, about 30g, and somehow my sodium got fucked too, after recalc'ing it it comes out to about 5500...

It can raise your blood pressure, and cause hypertension, as well as increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage.

so i should def. consider a change in my dieting i take it...is the recommended value a good point to try for? i mean, look at the protein intake, shit i take 95% of the RDI for breakfast What is a healthy point to try for?

If your heart doesn't have any abnormalities and you don't have high blood pressure you'd be ok to take in 2300-2400mgs of sodium a day.

But, you also have to consider your activities and how you sweat. If you are a heavy sweater (like me) you can lose up to 1500mg (or more!) of sodium in a hour.

How can you make a diet that is repeated everyday? With all that chicken you must have alot of time on your hands. It's much better to just know what is good and what's not and keep up with it day to day.

i understand "cooking for the week" but if i had to eat the same thing every day of every week i would kill myself..

I eat fish about everyday which means I go to Kroger just about every day and fire up the grill about every day.

Working at home does have its advantages.

I would be more concerned about your sodium than anything. But like 01WC, it depends on how much you are sweating out.

Personally, I think the recommended daily value of 2400mg/day is too high and most people should aim to be under that unless very active.

after doing some research it appears that of more concern the total intake of sodium is the ratio of sodium to potassium, about 1:1 is a good goal apparently. anyone heard of this? i am going to try to slowly lower my sodium and raise my potassium and try to achieve both a low intake of sodium and a good ratio of sodium to potassium. i have no reason to believe that there is a problem, but with my health i really try to be pro-active, my family has had some serious health issues that i have had to live around, im health and would like to keep it that way!

Sodium and Potassium both catch fire if you put them in water. Its pretty bad ass. They both have similar chemical properties I believe so i have no clue on them countering each other.

Two potassium molecules are pulled into a cell, and three sodium molecules are pumped out. This is an endless cycle, with the net result that cells carry a slightly negative electrical charge. Biologically and physiologically, sodium intake alone does not regulate the sodium/potassium pump - potassium intake is important as well! While many studies have focused on high sodium content in the diet, it appears that problems with hypertension may be related more to an inappropriate ratio of sodium to potassium.

When monitoring sodium in the diet, it is important to consider two factors. The first factor already discussed is the ratio of sodium to potassium. In order to balance this ratio, it is important to eat whole, unprocessed foods and not to add excessive salt to meals. This will lower the amount of sodium in the diet. One should also increase the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed in order to increase potassium in the diet. The exact ratio is unknown, but research suggests that a 1:1 ratio is probably a good target. The typical American diet is more than a 5:1 ratio in favor of salt!

The second factor to consider is fluctuation of intake. Salt sensitivity is not sensitivity to salt in general. It is sensitivity to a drastic change of salt intake. If a person is taking 5 grams of sodium consistently, then suddenly goes on a low sodium diet, problems can occur with a radical shift in blood pressure. Similarly, someone on a "low sodium" diet who suddenly increases sodium intake may experience similar problems.

Again, depends on what you are doing physically. Athletes would be more prone to be potassium deficient that sodium deficient.

For the normal person it is suggested to be 1:1. I take in about 4-5G of potassium a day and no where near that amount of sodium.

where do you get your potassium from, are you takin supps for it or do you just eat enough vegi/fruits to get it? i dont really like all the carbs getting it naturally, so i have considered supp'in to get it, but all the supps give it to you in 100mg dosage, and right now i am very low, that'll be a lot of pills you know?

Potassium is fairly rich in meats and beans as well as all the fruits/vegies that have it. Btw, that bit you posted earlier is a bit bogus. Because the Na/K pump is not the only exchange for Na or K in or out of the cell. They both also have their own gated and ungated channels. Sodium just exists in a much greater amounts outside the cell while Potassium is much greater inside the cell.

Anyway, both can create hypertension from what I have read. Na just tends to be taken in in much higher quantities than K and is also more permeable to most cells.

Cup of skim milk has about 400mg.
Banana has about 400mg.
Honeydew melon (about a 1/4 of a medium size one) has about 875mg.
Large baked potato has about 600mg.

I don't take many pills, I get my nutrition almost 100% from food and drink. The only time I supplement is if I have to go off my food schedule.

I stopped taking vitamin supps. a long while ago, too much conflicting evidence with them. I don't particularly like the Omega Fatty Acids supps either. I try to stick with good old amino acids.

Oh yeah, you should generally cite your stuff if you are using someone else's words.
http://www.thecoolcook.com/salt.htm

FWIW, that guy uses the term salt incorrectly for this discussion. He uses it as synonymous with NaCl, when there is also a very common KCl salt.

Only days I take fish oil tabs is if I haven't eaten fish for a couple of days.

Depending on what is happening with my body (for example, achilles rupture) I will supplement. But only for a short period of time. There for about 6 weeks I was taking in 3g of Lysine, 3g of Glycine, 3g of Vitamin C while I was rehabbing. But I don't do it anymore.

About the only thing I supplement with now is glutamine after a workout. I'm pretty sure I have the rest covered in my diet which, now that I consider myself fully healed, is about 3750 calories a day (but in physical activity I'm at about 1500 calories a day in exercise burn 2-3 hours total effort except on Monday where it is probably only 500 calories)

I'm not near as exact as you are, but you are definetely supp. the right way. Saving yourself $$ too. I take glutamine and a protein isolate powder simply because I don't have the appetite to get the growth I want. I will also take creatine for periods when I'm experiencing plateau (can't take it for long periods of time or I start to get those headaches from it). The rest I just hope I am covering

if i were to cite where i got it, i would cite here http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/likness14.htm not there...

Ah, an even less informative version of the exact same article/author

obviously its the same author, he just linked to a diff site, i am linking to where i actually got it from

And I'm saying yours is the abridged version.