Sodium in diet drinks

[JezzaJezza]

Hi

Not sure if anyone else is aware of this.

I have high blood pressure - well controlled with exercise, diet and amlodipine 5mg. Regular readings are circa 110/70

I also have SVT and try (normally successfully) to drink a minimum of 2 litres a day. I do this with sugar free lime cordial diluted with water and berry tea throughout the day. I often drink over the course of a day at least 1 litre of the cordial / water mix and I was shocked to discover that 1 litre contains 600mg of sodium! This comes from the various enhancers and stabilisers they put in it.

Using MyFitnessPal to track my weight and diet has definitely helped me keep an eye on my sodium intake. They say that we shouldn’t have more than 2000mg of sodium per day, but the body only requires circa 500mg per day to maintain balance and electrolytes.

Best wishes

Jezza

[ForensicFairy]

Great info, thanks.

Thankfully my palate is naturally boring. I don’t drink any flavoured drinks diet or otherwise. I just drink tap water, coffee and wine (the wine is my only bad health vice).

[JezzaJezza in reply to ForensicFairy]

I went 0-0 on the alcohol when I had the high BP. My gp said ‘drink in moderation’ and when I said how much is that for me he shrugged. I found it easier to accept I’d had a good run of 35 years of wine and port and that this stage of my life needed a different approach.

I gave up fizzy drinks and caffeine because I know they are triggers (for me) for the heart palpitations. I will be sticking to the berry tea and water from now on and a decaf coffee on a weekend when I go to a coffee shop with a friend.

Best wishes

J

[ForensicFairy in reply to JezzaJezza]

I don’t have triggers - my condition is genetic and is progressive but my overall health is obviously important. I don’t drink a lot and do try to aim for only a glass or two every 3 or 4 days. Being the silly season, that’s not being adhered to at the moment though! 🤣

My cardiologist has confirmed my 1-2 cups of coffee a day are fine and there is no need to change it and he also said if I found it hard to not drink, to ensure it was in moderation. I waiver between thinking I should abstain totally to living my life enjoying some of it with a glass or two. So far the latter is winning.

[JezzaJezza in reply to ForensicFairy]

I agree I don’t think there is a simple answer. I’m sure I could have 1 or 2 drinks but I’m a black and white guy and found it easier to go 0-0….but that’s only what works for me.

[Mugsy15]

Artificial sweeteners are a well-known trigger for arrythmia, as regularly discussed on here, so I treat anything described as sugar free or low sugar as poison as they are usually packed with chemicals.

For the purposes of hydration I drink plenty of hydra - water!

[JezzaJezza in reply to Mugsy15]

Fortunately they aren’t a trigger for me but I agree that from now on I will be sticking to 1 x morning vitamin C tablet in water, flask of berry tea morning and afternoon, and water to make up the remaining intake.

I definitely feel a lot better for drinking 2.5 to 3 litres a day. There is a formula that says weight in pounds multiplied by 0.5 (some sources) or 0.67 (other sources) is the number of ounces of fluid to drink per day. Converting that into metric for me that is:

200 x 0.5 =100 ounces x 29.6 ml = 2.96 litres, round it up to 3 litres

200 x 0.67 =134 ounces x 29.6 ml = 3.97 litres, round it up to 4 litres.

You can see now why the NHS says ‘aim for 8-10 glasses (200-250ml) a day’ which is 2 to 2.5 litres a day.

I suspect that the vast majority of folks only drink 1 to 1.5 litres a day.

Best wishes

J

[Mugsy15]

I do think, (and I have no science to support this, just my own faith in our bodily systems) the guidelines are over the top and 3 litres is way too much unless one works in a foundry or outdoors in summer.

The danger is that we not only flush out toxins but also electrolytes and other essential minerals.

The mantra is that if you feel thirsty it's already too late and you must already be dehydrated; I don't believe that at all, I think the thirst response is much more efficient than that. However I do try to drink at least 3 X 500ml bottles every day. I buy Costco spring water in bulk (very cheap) and use a fresh bottle every day, refilling from the tap.

I can say categorically that in my case, failing to do so will result in arrythmia. I do fail occasionally, typically when concentrating fully on something for a few hours then feeling the telltale ectopics and realising I haven't drank anything!

If I've had a few beers the night before I often add a rehydration sachet to the bottle to top up the electrolytes I may have flushed out.

[JezzaJezza in reply to Mugsy15]

Yep I feel comfortable at around 2.5 litres (I’m never sure whether to count the skimmed milk) and like you no palpitations and ‘pee the colour of light straw’. It’s definitely a case of slow and steady throughout the day is the way to get the fluids in.

Berocca 250 ml

Porridge skimmed milk 400ml

Morning flask of berry tea 600ml

Lunch water 350ml

Afternoon flask of berry tea 600ml

Dinner water 350ml

Evening 0-0 gin and diet tonic 250ml

Water 100ml

[Mugsy15]

Yeah, I have the dodgy digestion that often goes hand in hand with AF and arrythmias generally, and slugging a load of cold water in one go will often result in a dash to the toilet, so as you say, little and often.

[beach_bum]

LOL! I just literally just posted about My Fitness Pal in response to another post.

I highly recommend it, as I am terrible at monitoring my day to day intake.

Love the “don’t forget to step on the scale today” reminder….no..no I don’t…especially right after the holidays 😆

[JezzaJezza]

hahaha got to be done!