Sodium in Your Diet

Use the Nutrition Facts Label and Reduce Your Intake

You’ve probably heard that most Americans eat too
much sodium. Your body needs a small amount of
sodium to work properly, but too much sodium can be
bad for your health. According to the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans, diets higher in sodium are associated
with an increased risk of developing high blood
pressure, which is a major cause of stroke and
heart disease.
Despite what many people think, most dietary sodium
(over 70%) comes from eating packaged and
prepared foods—not from salt added to food when
cooking or eating. The food supply contains too much
sodium and Americans who want to consume less
sodium can have a difficult time doing so. That is why
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with
the food industry to make reasonable reductions in
sodium across a wide variety of foods. Even though
sodium may already be in many packaged foods when
you purchase them, you can lower your daily sodium
intake by using the Nutrition Facts label.

Look at the Label

Use the Nutrition Facts label as your tool to make
informed decisions!
• Know the Daily Value. The Daily Values are reference
amounts of nutrients to consume or not to exceed
each day. The Daily Value for sodium is less than
2,300 milligrams (mg) per day.
• Use % Daily Value (%DV) as a tool. The %DV is
the percentage of the Daily Value for each nutrient in a
serving of the food and shows how much of a nutrient
contributes to a total daily diet.
Use %DV to determine if a serving of the food is high
or low in sodium and to compare and choose foods to
get less than 100% DV of sodium each day.

As a general guide: 5% DV or less of sodium per

serving is considered low, and 20% DV or more of
sodium per serving is considered high.
• Pay attention to servings. The nutrition information
listed on the Nutrition Facts label is usually based
on one serving of the food. Check the serving size
and the number of servings you eat or drink to
determine how much sodium you are consuming.

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Food Choices Matter!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), about half of the sodium
consumed by Americans comes from the
following foods:

• Breads and rolls

• Pizza

•S
andwiches (such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and
submarine sandwiches)

•C
old cuts and cured meats (such as deli and
packaged ham and turkey)

• Soups

• Burritos and tacos

• Snack foods (such as chips, crackers, microwave

popcorn, and pretzels)

• Chicken (includes processed chicken)

• Cheese (includes processed cheese)

• Egg dishes and omelets

But remember, the sodium content can vary

significantly between similar types of foods. So, use the Sodium as a Food Ingredient
Nutrition Facts label to compare products, and don’t
As a food ingredient, sodium has multiple uses, such
forget to check the serving size in order to make an
as for curing meat, baking, thickening, retaining
accurate comparison.
moisture, enhancing flavor (including the flavor of
other ingredients), and as a preservative. Some
common food additives—like monosodium glutamate
Salt and Sodium: Defined
(MSG), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sodium
The words “salt” and “sodium” are often nitrite, and sodium benzoate—also contain sodium
used interchangeably, but they do not and contribute (in lesser amounts) to the total amount
mean the same thing. Salt (also known of “sodium” listed on the Nutrition Facts label.
by its chemical name, sodium chloride)
is a crystal-like compound that is Surprisingly, some foods that don’t taste salty can
abundant in nature. Sodium is a still be high in sodium, which is why using taste alone
mineral, and one of the chemical is not an accurate way to judge a food’s sodium
elements found in salt. content. For example, while some foods that are high
in sodium (like pickles and soy sauce) taste salty,
there are also many foods (like cereals and pastries)
that contain sodium but don’t taste salty. Also, some
foods that you may eat several times a day (such as
breads) can add up to a lot of sodium over the course
of a day, even though an individual serving may not
be high in sodium.

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 Check the Package for Nutrient Claims
You can also check for nutrient claims on food and beverage packages to quickly identify those
that may contain less sodium. Here’s a guide to common claims and what they mean:

What It Says What It Means

Salt/Sodium-Free Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
Very Low Sodium 35 mg of sodium or less per serving
Low Sodium 140 mg of sodium or less per serving
Reduced Sodium At least 25% less sodium than the regular product
Light in Sodium or Lightly Salted At least 50% less sodium than the regular product
No salt is added during processing – but these products
No-Salt-Added or Unsalted
may not be salt/sodium-free unless stated

Sodium and Blood Pressure

Sodium attracts water, and a high-sodium diet
draws water into the bloodstream, which can
increase the volume of blood and subsequently
your blood pressure. High blood pressure
(also known as hypertension) is a condition
in which blood pressure remains elevated over
time. Hypertension makes the heart work too
hard, and the high force of the blood flow can
harm arteries and organs (such as the heart,
kidneys, brain, and eyes). Uncontrolled high
blood pressure can raise the risk of heart
attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, and
blindness. In addition, blood pressure generally
rises as you get older, so limiting your sodium
intake becomes even more important each year.

Know Your Numbers

Sodium is an essential nutrient and is needed by the body in
relatively small amounts (provided that substantial sweating does
not occur) to maintain a balance of body fluids and keep muscles
and nerves running smoothly. However, most Americans eat too
much of it—and they may not even know it.

Americans eat on average about 3,400 mg of sodium per day.

However, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends
limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day—that’s
equal to about 1 teaspoon of salt!

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 10 Easy Tips for Reducing Sodium Consumption
Learning about sodium in foods and exploring new ways to prepare foods can help you achieve your sodium
goal. And, if you follow these tips to reduce the amount of sodium you consume, your “taste” for sodium will
gradually decrease over time—so eventually, you may not even miss it!

1 Read the Nutrition Facts label

Compare and choose foods to get less than 100% DV (less than 2,300 mg) of sodium each day.

2 Prepare your own food when you can

Limit packaged sauces, mixes, and “instant” products (including flavored rice, instant noodles, and
ready-made pasta).

3 Add flavor without adding sodium

Limit the amount of salt you add to foods when cooking, baking, or at the table. Try no-salt seasoning
blends and herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavor to your food.

4 Buy fresh
Choose fresh meat, poultry, and seafood, rather than processed varieties. Also, check the package
on fresh meat and poultry to see if salt water or saline has been added.

5 Watch your veggies

Buy fresh, frozen (no sauce or seasoning), or low sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables.

6 Give sodium the “rinse”

Rinse sodium-containing canned foods, such as beans, tuna, and vegetables before eating. This removes
some of the sodium.

7 “Unsalt” your snacks

Choose low sodium or no-salt-added nuts, seeds, and snack products (such as chips and pretzels)—or
have carrot or celery sticks instead.

8 Consider your condiments

Sodium in condiments can add up. Choose light or reduced sodium condiments, add oil and vinegar to
salads rather than bottled dressings, and use only a small amount of seasoning from flavoring packets
instead of the entire packet.

9 Reduce your portion size

Less food means less sodium. Prepare smaller portions at home and consume less when eating out—
choose smaller sizes, split an entrée with a friend, or take home part of your meal.

10 Make lower-sodium choices at restaurants

Ask for your meal to be prepared without salt and request that sauces and salad dressings be served
“on the side,” then use less of them. You can also ask if nutrition information is available and then choose
options that are lower in sodium.

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For more information, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s Food and
Cosmetic Information Center at 1-888-SAFEFOOD (toll free), Monday through Friday 10 AM to 4 PM ET (except Thursdays from
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM ET and Federal holidays). Or, visit the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/educationresourcelibrary