How Much Sodium Per Day?

Sources: FDA Sodium in Your Diet, AHA How much sodium should I eat per day?, WHO Sodium reduction fact sheet, NHS Salt in your diet.

The limits sound abstract until you price out a normal day. A typical deli sandwich can run 1,000–1,500mg on its own. A cup of canned soup is often 600–900mg. Two slices of bread add around 300mg before anything goes between them. A restaurant main course frequently exceeds the entire daily limit in one plate.

That is why most sodium guidance focuses on packaged and restaurant food rather than the salt shaker: in the US, more than 70% of dietary sodium is already in food when you buy it. Salt added at the table is a small share of the total.

US and Canadian labels list sodium in milligrams; UK, EU and Australian labels list salt in grams. Salt is 40% sodium by weight, so 1g of salt = 400mg of sodium. The NHS 6g salt maximum and the FDA 2,300mg sodium limit are nearly the same amount. Use our salt-to-sodium converter to switch between the two.

Because sodium hides in foods that do not taste salty (bread, cereal, cheese, sauces), most people underestimate their intake substantially. The practical fix is to track it for a couple of weeks: log what you eat, see the running total against your target, and find your personal top contributors. Most people discover that two or three regular foods account for the bulk of their sodium, which makes reduction much easier than blanket restriction.

Is 3,000mg of sodium a day too much?

It is above every major guideline: the FDA and AHA ceiling is 2,300mg and the WHO recommends under 2,000mg. It is, however, below the average US intake of about 3,400mg per day, so many people are eating more than this without realizing it.

How much sodium is one teaspoon of salt?

About 2,300mg. One teaspoon of table salt weighs roughly 5.7g and salt is 40% sodium by weight. That single teaspoon equals the entire FDA daily limit.

What foods have the most sodium?

Most dietary sodium (over 70% in the US) comes from packaged and restaurant food rather than the salt shaker. The biggest contributors are bread and rolls, pizza, sandwiches and deli meats, soups, savory snacks, cheese, and sauces and condiments.

How much sodium per day for high blood pressure?

The American Heart Association describes 1,500mg per day as an ideal limit for most adults, and notes that even reducing intake by 1,000mg per day can improve blood pressure. If you have hypertension, kidney disease or heart failure, use the target your doctor or dietitian has set for you.

Can you eat too little sodium?

Sodium is an essential nutrient, but deficiency from food is rare in practice: typical diets provide well above physiological needs, and major guidelines focus on upper limits. People on certain medications or with specific medical conditions should discuss lower targets with their doctor.