Sodium Reduction

Check the sodium on food labels. Choosing less is best.

Why should you care about sodium?

Reducing sodium is an important goal for good health. Eating too much sodium, which is the primary ingredient in salt, can raise your blood pressure, as well as your risk of heart attack and stroke. If you already have high blood pressure, a high-sodium diet is dangerous.

Even people who do not have high blood pressure could benefit from a lower-sodium diet.

Most of us should eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. That is the same amount found in about 1 teaspoon of salt. For people with high blood pressure, the recommended amount is just 1,500 mg per day. Most Americans eat much more than what is recommended – about 3,400 mg per day, on average.

Where does most of the sodium in our diets come from?

For most of us, the saltshaker is not the greatest source of sodium in our diets. Sodium can add up quickly throughout the day when we eat packaged, processed, store-bought and restaurant foods that have many added ingredients to keep them from going bad or losing their flavor. More than 75% of our sodium comes from processed food.

Some foods that add the most sodium to our diets:

• Breads
• Cold cuts
• Pizza
• Canned soups
• Snack foods

Choosing high-sodium foods throughout the day can add up to more than the recommended amount of sodium.

Feel and be healthier. Cutting out extra sodium could help.

• Read nutrition labels and choose foods with less sodium; choosing less is best.
• Cook from scratch using fresh lean meats, poultry, and fish instead of canned or processed meats. Avoid buying packaged or highly processed food.
• Enhance your food's flavor with spices, seasonings, herbs, lemon juice, onions, or garlic. Avoid seasonings with "salt" in their name, such as "garlic salt" or "celery salt."
• Eat more fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables. When using canned beans and vegetables, rinse them first to remove extra sodium.
• Limit high-sodium foods, such as restaurant foods, fast foods, convenience products, condiments and sauces.
• Ask for low-sodium options any time you or your family eat outside your home. This will increase demand, making these foods more available. Ask for healthier items from your grocer, college, childcare center, school, and retirement facility.
• Ask your registered dietitian about low-sodium foods and tips to reduce sodium. If you do not have a registered dietitian, ask your doctor for a referral.

Healthier alternatives to higher-sodium foods, choosing less is best.

Meats, Fish, Poultry, Legumes, Eggs and Nuts
Lower-Sodium Choices	Higher-Sodium Choices
Fresh or frozen pork, beef, or lamb	Cold cuts, salted or canned meats, bacon, corned beef, hot dogs, ham, and sausages
Fresh or low-sodium canned fish or poultry, packed in water or oil, drained	Regular canned or salted fish, such as sardines and anchovies
Home-cooked meals using fresh ingredients	Frozen dinners such as pizza or burritos; canned entrees, such as ravioli and chili; and breaded meats, such as chicken nuggets
No–salt-added nuts, low-sodium peanut butter	Salted nuts and seeds
Dried beans and peas, low-sodium canned beans (if using regular canned beans rinse with water to remove some sodium)	Canned beans with added salt or bacon
Soups
Lower-Sodium Choices	Higher-Sodium Choices
Low-sodium canned soups, broth, and bouillon	Regular canned soups, broth, and bouillon
Homemade soups without added salt	Dehydrated soups and instant soup mixes
Breads, Cereals, and Grains
Lower-Sodium Choices	Higher-Sodium Choices
Plain pasta, rice, quinoa, and barley. Do not salt water when cooking.	Prepackaged, processed mixes for rice, pasta, and stuffing, such as boxed macaroni and cheese
Low-sodium breads, old-fashioned oats, and most ready-to-eat cereals	Quick breads, instant cooked cereals, biscuits, waffle, and pancake mixes
Low-sodium crackers and tortillas	Salted crackers and seasoned croutons
Unsalted popcorn, or low-sodium pretzels and chips	Salted microwave popcorn, regular pretzels, and chips
Condiments, Fats and Sweets
Lower-Sodium Choices	Higher-Sodium Choices
Vegetable oils and low-sodium sauces and salad dressing (or homemade, prepared without salt), vinegar, lemon juice	Regular salad dressings, marinades, soy sauce, teriyaki and other sauces, canned or instant gravy
Salt-free seasonings, herbs, and spices	Seasoning salts, bacon bits
Vegetable oils, unsalted butter, or margarine	Salted butter and margarine
Mayonnaise	Large servings of ketchup and mustard
Desserts made without salt, Italian ice, sorbet	Instant puddings, Danish, doughnuts, baking mixes
Dairy
Lower-Sodium Choices	Higher-Sodium Choices
Milk, soy milk, yogurt, ice cream	Buttermilk
Low-sodium or reduced-sodium cheeses, naturally low-sodium cheeses (cream cheese, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, Swiss, and goat)	Regular and processed cheeses (American, cheddar, cottage cheese, cheese spreads or sauces)
Vegetables and Fruits
Lower-Sodium Choices	Higher-Sodium Choices
Low-sodium canned vegetables, low-sodium vegetable juices, and low-sodium tomato juices	Regular canned or marinated vegetables, regular vegetable juices, and regular tomato juice
Homemade salsa or fruit chutney	Pickled vegetables, olives, or sauerkraut
Frozen vegetables and potatoes without added butter or sauce	Packaged or frozen vegetables in sauce, packaged or frozen potato mixes, such as potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes
Homemade marinara, crushed tomatoes, low-sodium or no-salt-added tomato sauces	Commercially prepared, jarred, or canned pasta and tomato sauces
Most fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruit	N/A

• Learn more about sodium by visiting the CDC website: Salt
• For high blood pressure information, please visit: Heart Disease Risk Factors