How to Reduce Sodium in Your Diet

All food with salt has sodium. But even if you never add salt to your food from a salt shaker, you may still be getting more salt than you need.

Here are some questions you might have:

What's the simplest way to eat less sodium?

Eating less-processed foods, in their natural form, is a simple way to eat less sodium.

2,300 mg of sodium is equal to about 1.5 cans of soup (barely any soup!), or over 2 THOUSAND bananas (a LOT of bananas)!

What foods are high in sodium?

Foods with salt added are usually high-sodium.

Typically, this includes most restaurant and fast food, chips and other salty snacks, salted nuts, cheese, deli and cured meats (bacon, ham, salami), canned and instant soups, bottled sauces and dressings, pickled foods, salty seasonings like soy sauce and seasoning salt, and packaged foods (even packaged sweets like cookies have salt!). Learn more ↓

What types of foods are low in sodium?

Foods that are low in sodium include fresh or plain frozen veggies, fruit, fresh meats (including fish and poultry), plain potatoes, rice, and oats cooked without salt, unsalted nuts, and herbs and spices without salt. Learn more ↓

At the grocery store, how do I read a nutrition label for sodium?

To read a nutrition label for sodium, find the sodium line, listed in milligrams (mg) per serving, and check how many servings you'll eat.

Sodium rule of thumb: Look at the % Daily Value. 5% or less is low-sodium,
20% or more is high.

Aim to stick with foods with 5% (or less) written on the sodium line of the nutrition label; these are low-sodium foods.

Note that fresh fruits and veggies do not have a nutrition label! And that is OK. These are guaranteed to be low-sodium foods; eat more of these whole, fresh foods! Learn more ↓

Salt shaker
2,300 mg sodiumAdults are generally recommended to aim for less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, which is only ~1 teaspoon of salt!

So, what does 2,300 mg of sodium look like? 1 chicken burrito (1,030 mg) plus 1 can of chicken noodle soup (1,500 mg) is already 2,530 mg, which is over the daily limit. Learn more ↓
High-sodium foods include:restaurant and fast food, cheese, deli and cured meats, canned soups, bottled sauces
Low-sodium foods include:fresh or plain frozen veggies, fruit, fresh meats (including fish and poultry), plain potatoes, rice, and oats cooked without salt, unsalted nuts, and herbs and spices without salt

How much do you know about sodium?

Take the quiz! You'll learn about each of these questions on this page.

Sodium quiz

Swap these high-sodium foods to lower-sodium options

Tap to flip to the lower-sodium version.

Read the Nutrition Facts

To check the sodium content of packaged foods, look at the nutrition label.Step 1: Find the Nutrition Facts label on the back of the package.Step 2: Find the sodium line on the Nutrition Facts.Step 3: Check the % number. 5% or less is low, 20% or more is high.

Nutrition Facts
4 servings per container
Serving size1 1/2 cup (208g)
Calories240
Total Fat 4g5%
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 460mg20%
Total Carbohydrate 46g17%
Protein 11g
0%5%20%50%
20%Moderate sodium

Words to look for on packages

Sodium-freeunder 5 mg
Very low sodium35 mg or less
Low sodium140 mg or less
Reduced sodium25% less than regular
Light in sodium50% less than regular
No salt addednone added; check the mg

Words that typically indicate a high-sodium food

Tap a word to see common examples.

Season your food without salt

The rule: read the ingredients. If you see salt or anything with sodium, it's a salty seasoning. Powders from veggies, herbs, and other plants without salt are your go-tos.

Seasoning container
Nutrition Facts label
340 mgsodium in just 1/4 tsp of “Tony Chachere's” Original

What seasonings are low sodium?

Quiz: is this seasoning salt or salt-free?

Seasoning quizQuestion 1 of 12 · score 0
Garlic salt

Tips for cooking at home

Use salt-free flavorOnion, garlic, herbs, spices, citrus, and vinegar add flavor with little to no sodium.
Drain and rinse canned foodsRinsing canned beans and veggies can cut sodium by up to 40%.
If you don't like the flavor of low sodium, go half and halfMix the regular higher-sodium broth, soup, or pasta sauce you love with the lower-sodium alternative.
Tell me more

Why mix lower-sodium with high-sodium ingredients? Mixing 50/50 is a compromise between lower sodium and pleasing flavor. Sometimes low-sodium options aren't as tasty as high-sodium options. To make the lower-sodium options taste better, you could add some of the regular, higher-sodium option. While this does increase your sodium intake, taste is important too.

Skip the salt in the potPasta, rice, and hot cereal cooked in unsalted water have almost no sodium.
Grill, roast, sear, or sautéBrowning adds flavor without adding sodium.

Tips for eating out

Restaurant and fast food are typically high in sodium. These steps help.

Avoid saucesSauces are where a lot of the salt hides. Instead, ask for lemon or lime, cilantro, onion, or dried herbs and spices (basil, thyme, paprika). Learn more seasoning ideas ↑
Avoid meals with high-sodium foodsLike soup, cheese, processed meats (hot dogs, salami, deli meats), and pickled items.
Choose meals with whole foodsNature's foods have very little sodium: all vegetables, whole fruits, and grains.
Try to have these foods in their natural form:Lower sodiumHigher sodium✅ whole potatoes⚠️ mashed potatoes✅ whole steamed veggies⚠️ purees or fried veggies✅ skinless chicken breast⚠️ fried chicken or chicken salad✅ whole fish⚠️ tuna salad✅ whole meats⚠️ ground meat or meat patties, like burgers or crab cakes
Ask for no added saltAnd sauces, dressings, and gravy on the side, so you control the amount.
Use a sodium-free seasoning before reaching for the salt shakerBlack pepper, lemon, and lime add flavor with no sodium.
Shrink your servings of higher-sodium mealsShare a dish, or box half to go when it arrives. When eating out, your meal probably has salt. Decrease the amount of salt you eat by eating half of the meal.
Ask for the nutrition infoChains with 20 or more locations are required to share their nutrition info, including sodium, for all menu items. Review the nutrition info, looking for meals with 400 mg or less.

So, what next?

Try these small steps. Check each one off as you go.

  1. Right now
    Go to your pantry.
    What foods are 5% or lower in sodium?
    What foods are 20% or higher?
  2. Today
    Print one checklist. Choose the one that sounds most helpful to you:
  3. Today
    From the checklist you chose (above), check off ONE box.
  4. Today
    Message Michelle with any questions or for help.
    Go to joinfoodflip.com and click Contact.
  5. Tomorrow
    From the checklist you chose (above), check off TWO boxes.

Questions

Even if a food doesn't taste salty, could it still be high in sodium?

Yes, a food that doesn't taste salty can still be high in sodium. Sodium is also used to preserve food and hold texture, so it doesn't always taste salty. For example, 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese has about 730 mg of sodium (32% of your daily sodium limit), and 1 can of chicken noodle soup has about 1,500 mg (65%). Learn more ↑

Does less salt mean bland food?

No! Use low-sodium seasonings to add flavor without adding sodium (a list is provided above). Also, your taste will eventually adjust to the flavor of less salt. people who follow a lower-sodium diet for a while come to prefer less salt, and higher-sodium foods start to taste saltier.

What about salt substitutes?

Many salt substitutes have little or no sodium. They taste a lot like salt but can turn a little bitter when heated.

Salt substitutes usually have potassium instead of sodium. If you need to limit your potassium (due to kidney disease, for example), salt substitutes might not be a good option. Instead, you might want to stick to the other low-sodium seasonings to reduce both your sodium AND potassium intake.

See what a salt substitute looks like
Morton Salt Substitute shaker, front of packageMorton Salt Substitute Nutrition Facts label
"Morton" Salt SubstitutePer 1/4 tsp: 0 mg sodium and 690 mg potassium (15% DV).Ingredients: , fumaric acid, monocalcium phosphate, and silicon dioxide.The package says to consult a physician before using any salt substitute.
Do I have to give up higher-sodium foods?

Not necessarily! Try to stay below your 2,300 mg daily sodium amount. You could try eating some higher-sodium foods with lower-sodium foods and see if you can still keep your sodium intake within range!

But if you'd rather not closely track your sodium, you can almost guarantee you'll be under 2,300 mg by avoiding high-sodium foods.

Have another question? Ask Michelle!

Sources: American Heart Association, “How to Reduce Sodium in Your Diet” (reviewed Jan 2024); U.S. FDA, “Sodium,” Interactive Nutrition Facts Label (Oct 2021); FDA sodium claim definitions (21 CFR 101.61); USDA FoodData Central; manufacturer Nutrition Facts labels (“Tony Chachere's”, “McCormick”, “Lawry's”, “Mt. Olive”, “Morton”). Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.

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