Does anyone know what the body's minimum daily requirement for sodium is? I know most people eat too much so it's tough to find information on minimum requirements....but sodium is obviously an essential nutrient nonetheless. So there must be SOME minimum requirement, right? Is there such a thing as a dietary sodium deficiency, other than in extreme circumstances (excessive sweating or diarrhea, etc) or in cases of "water intoxication" (where people drink excessive amounts of water)?

Just wondering....thanks

sorrel,
Over time the body can adapt to INCREDIBLY low levels of sodium intake by cutting excretion almost to zero. Even the desert people manage to sweat without salt excretion...kidneys stop discharging sodium rather quickly on a very low sodium diet.

The National Acamemy of Science put a safe lower limit (with some safety margin) at 500 mg./day for anyone over 10, and infants down to 120 mg/day.

So for all practical purploses, go as low as you can go...you will be safe, the American diet almost makes anything lower totally impossible!

Remember people have managed to eat NOTHING for 60 days til they died, and they didn't die of hyponatremia (low sodium.)

Lenin, do you know what the higher level of the recommended limit is? Some vegetarian friends have suggested me trying some of the Boca and MorningStar meat substitutes, but it seems like they have SUCH a high sodium level...

No more than 2400 mg. Preferably below 2400 mg. is optimal.

Yeah,

I agree with Magpiezoe on the 2400...and even that government recommended 2400 is a bow to the processed food industry.

Most processed food is appallingly high in sodium and that rather high 2400 is hard to achieve without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.:( To get it, you almost have to give up all nearly all canned food and most frozen food.