How Much Sodium Per Day Is Healthy?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, recommend that adults and teens aged 14 and older keep sodium below 2,300 milligrams a day, which is about the amount in one teaspoon of table salt. The American Heart Association goes further, suggesting an ideal limit of 1,500 milligrams for most adults, especially people with high blood pressure. Most of the sodium people eat comes from packaged and restaurant foods rather than the salt shaker.

Sodium vs salt

These words are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing:

• Salt is sodium chloride. By weight, it’s about 40% sodium and 60% chloride.
• Sodium is the mineral itself, and it’s what nutrition labels list.

That’s why a teaspoon of table salt contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium. Your body does need some sodium to maintain fluid balance, carry nerve signals and let muscles contract. The issue for most people is getting too much, not too little.

Recommended limits at a glance

Children have lower limits that vary by age. The Daily Value for sodium on Nutrition Facts labels is 2,300 milligrams.

Why it matters

For many people, eating too much sodium raises blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Some people are more sensitive to sodium than others, including many older adults and people with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease. Potassium helps counterbalance sodium’s effects, which is one reason diets rich in fruits, vegetables and beans are so helpful. The DASH diet was designed around exactly this idea.

Where sodium really comes from

Most sodium is already in food before it reaches your kitchen. Common sources include:

• Breads and rolls
• Pizza
• Sandwiches and burgers
• Cold cuts, cured meats and sausages
• Soups, especially canned or instant
• Restaurant burritos and tacos
• Savory snacks like chips, crackers and pretzels
• Cheese
• Sauces, seasoning packets and condiments, including soy sauce

A single slice of bread may not taste salty, but foods eaten often add up over a day. Cooking more meals at home gives you far more control over how much salt goes in.

Reading labels for sodium

The % Daily Value makes comparisons quick:

• 5% DV or less per serving is low.
• 20% DV or more per serving is high.

Package claims also have specific FDA definitions:

Comparing similar products, like two brands of soup or bread, often reveals surprisingly large differences.

Easy ways to cut back

1. Rinse canned beans and vegetables, which washes away some of the sodium.
2. Choose fresh or plain frozen vegetables without sauce.
3. Flavor with herbs, spices, garlic, ginger, citrus, chili and vinegar instead of extra salt.
4. Taste before salting at the table.
5. Go easy on sauces and seasoning packets, or blend your own spice mixes.
6. Ask for sauces and dressings on the side when eating out.
7. Eat more potassium-rich foods such as potatoes, beans, leafy greens, bananas and yogurt.

Many people find their taste for salt adjusts after a few weeks of eating less, until foods they once loved start to taste too salty. Since heavily processed products are a major sodium source, building meals around whole foods helps too; our guide to ultra-processed foods explains what to look for.

Special situations

Some people need different amounts. Endurance athletes and people doing heavy physical work in the heat lose sodium through sweat and may need to replace some of it; our guide to electrolytes covers this. People with heart failure, kidney disease, high blood pressure or other conditions may be given specific sodium targets by their doctor, and some medications affect sodium balance. If any of these apply to you, follow your care team’s advice over general guidelines.

The bottom line

Most adults should aim for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, about one teaspoon of salt, and the American Heart Association suggests 1,500 milligrams as an ideal for most adults. Because most sodium hides in packaged and restaurant foods, reading labels, cooking at home and seasoning with herbs and spices make the biggest difference.