Are You Exceeding a Healthy Daily Sodium Intake?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAverage vs. RecommendedLimits With HypertensionReasons to Limit SodiumLowering Intake

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Average vs. Recommended

Limits With Hypertension

Reasons to Limit Sodium

Lowering Intake

Daily sodium intake above 2,300 milligrams (mg) is a cardiovascular (heart) disease risk factor. While some sodium is needed for the body to function properly, too much can raise the risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. If you exceed the recommendations for good health, you may want to take steps to limit your sodium intake.

Average Daily Sodium vs. Recommended Intake

Many people likely underestimate how muchsodiumthey eat. According to the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average sodium intake for Americans age 1 and older is 3,393 mg per day, with intakes ranging from about 2,000 to 5,000 mg per day.

The Dietary Guidelines recommends a daily limit of 2,300 mg of sodium for people age 14 and older. Managingyour daily sodium intakeis part of following an overall healthy diet.

Does Age or Sex Change Anything?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends the same limit of 2,300 mg per day of sodium for all people 14 and older, regardless of sex. Recommendations are different for people younger than 14.

The recommendations are 1,200 mg per day for ages 1 through 3 years, 1,500 mg per day for ages 4 through 8 years, and 1,800 mg per day for ages 9 through 13 years.

How Much Sodium per Day Is Healthy?The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a daily sodium intake of 2,300 mg or about 1 teaspoon of salt. The American Heart Association (AHA) also recommends a daily sodium limit of 2,300 mg. Still, it suggests that for most adults, the ideal limit is no more than 1,500 mg per day—particularly for individuals withhigh blood pressure(hypertension).Talk with a healthcare provider if you have questions about how much sodium per day is healthy for you.

How Much Sodium per Day Is Healthy?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a daily sodium intake of 2,300 mg or about 1 teaspoon of salt. The American Heart Association (AHA) also recommends a daily sodium limit of 2,300 mg. Still, it suggests that for most adults, the ideal limit is no more than 1,500 mg per day—particularly for individuals withhigh blood pressure(hypertension).Talk with a healthcare provider if you have questions about how much sodium per day is healthy for you.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a daily sodium intake of 2,300 mg or about 1 teaspoon of salt. The American Heart Association (AHA) also recommends a daily sodium limit of 2,300 mg. Still, it suggests that for most adults, the ideal limit is no more than 1,500 mg per day—particularly for individuals withhigh blood pressure(hypertension).

Talk with a healthcare provider if you have questions about how much sodium per day is healthy for you.

Sodium Limits With High Blood Pressure

A 2023 study of 213 adults with and without high blood pressure examined the difference between following a high-sodium diet and a low-sodium diet. The researchers found that decreasing sodium in the diet significantly lowered blood pressure in most participants.

Limiting your sodium intake may help decrease your blood pressure levels if you have high blood pressure.

How to Keep Track of Daily SodiumThe nutrition facts label on food packages will list the amount of sodium in milligrams (mg) in a product. Be sure to look at the serving size and number of servings per package to calculate this total correctly if you have more than one serving.Another way to check for sodium in a product is to look at the ingredients. Look for words such as “sodium,” “salt,” or “soda.” These words may indicate that sodium has been added to the product.If you want to track how much sodium you consume each day, you can keep a food diary or use an app to track your food and beverage intake. This will help give you the most accurate information about your daily sodium intake.

How to Keep Track of Daily Sodium

The nutrition facts label on food packages will list the amount of sodium in milligrams (mg) in a product. Be sure to look at the serving size and number of servings per package to calculate this total correctly if you have more than one serving.Another way to check for sodium in a product is to look at the ingredients. Look for words such as “sodium,” “salt,” or “soda.” These words may indicate that sodium has been added to the product.If you want to track how much sodium you consume each day, you can keep a food diary or use an app to track your food and beverage intake. This will help give you the most accurate information about your daily sodium intake.

The nutrition facts label on food packages will list the amount of sodium in milligrams (mg) in a product. Be sure to look at the serving size and number of servings per package to calculate this total correctly if you have more than one serving.

Another way to check for sodium in a product is to look at the ingredients. Look for words such as “sodium,” “salt,” or “soda.” These words may indicate that sodium has been added to the product.

If you want to track how much sodium you consume each day, you can keep a food diary or use an app to track your food and beverage intake. This will help give you the most accurate information about your daily sodium intake.

Reasons to Limit Your Daily Sodium Intake

Sodium is an important nutrient, needed in small amounts for the body to function properly. However, too much sodium can increase blood pressure as well as the risk of heart disease andstroke.

Heart disease and stroke are among the top leading causes of death in the United States each year.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.89 million deaths worldwide are associated with consuming too much sodium each year.

Diets high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which can increase the risk of several health conditions, including:

For nearly three decades, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has funded several studies on specific dietary changes for treating high blood pressure. Four studies tested the health benefits of theDASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Another trial measured the benefits of following the DASH diet and increasing physical activity.

These studies, along with others, show that the DASH diet is effective in lowering blood pressure and can also help improve cholesterol levels, aid in weight loss, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Another reason to limit sodium in the diet is that many foods high in sodium, such as prepackaged frozen foods and ultra-processed snack foods, are also high in calories and saturated fats and low in beneficial nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.

Ways to Minimize Sodium Intake in a Day

Reducing your sodium intake may be an adjustment at first, but over time, your taste buds will adapt. As you become more familiar with what foods fit into a low-sodium diet, grocery shopping, cooking at home, and eating out will also become easier.

High-sodium foods to limit often include:

Low-sodium foods to include in your diet are:

Additional tips for minimizing your daily sodium intake include:

Summary

To help minimize your daily sodium intake, avoid foods high in sodium, such as prepackaged frozen foods, canned foods, savory snacks, cured and processed meats, deli meats, pizza, breads, and tortillas.

Include more low-sodium foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, plain frozen vegetables and fruits, whole grains, low-sodium or no-salt-added canned foods, unsalted nuts and popcorn, milk, yogurt, fish, eggs, lean cuts of meat, herbs, and spices.

Use the nutrition facts label to help guide your choices at the grocery store. Look for items with 5% Daily Value (DV) or less of sodium and avoid those with 20% DV or more of sodium.

12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture.2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.American Heart Association.How much sodium should I eat per day?Gupta DK, Lewis CE, Varady KA, et al.Effect of dietary sodium on blood pressure: a crossover trial.JAMA. 2023;330(23):2258-2266. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.23651Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sodium and health.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.World Health Organization.Sodium reduction.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.The science behind the DASH eating plan.Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Processed foods and health.American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.US Department of Health and Human Services.Lower-sodium foods: shopping list.American Heart Association.How to reduce sodium in your diet.

12 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture.2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.American Heart Association.How much sodium should I eat per day?Gupta DK, Lewis CE, Varady KA, et al.Effect of dietary sodium on blood pressure: a crossover trial.JAMA. 2023;330(23):2258-2266. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.23651Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sodium and health.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.World Health Organization.Sodium reduction.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.The science behind the DASH eating plan.Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Processed foods and health.American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.US Department of Health and Human Services.Lower-sodium foods: shopping list.American Heart Association.How to reduce sodium in your diet.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.American Heart Association.How much sodium should I eat per day?Gupta DK, Lewis CE, Varady KA, et al.Effect of dietary sodium on blood pressure: a crossover trial.JAMA. 2023;330(23):2258-2266. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.23651Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sodium and health.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.World Health Organization.Sodium reduction.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.The science behind the DASH eating plan.Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Processed foods and health.American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.US Department of Health and Human Services.Lower-sodium foods: shopping list.American Heart Association.How to reduce sodium in your diet.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

American Heart Association.Shaking the salt habit to lower high blood pressure.

American Heart Association.How much sodium should I eat per day?

Gupta DK, Lewis CE, Varady KA, et al.Effect of dietary sodium on blood pressure: a crossover trial.JAMA. 2023;330(23):2258-2266. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.23651

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sodium and health.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.

World Health Organization.Sodium reduction.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.The science behind the DASH eating plan.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Processed foods and health.

American Heart Association.Get the scoop on sodium and salt.

US Department of Health and Human Services.Lower-sodium foods: shopping list.

American Heart Association.How to reduce sodium in your diet.

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