Key points
- Your body needs a small amount of sodium to work properly, but too much sodium is bad for your health.
- While sodium has many forms, most sodium we consume is from salt.
- Most Americans consume too much sodium.
- Most sodium comes from processed and restaurant foods.
Health risks
Eating too much sodium can increase your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease and stroke. Together, heart disease and stroke kill more Americans each year than any other cause.
Most people eat too much sodium
Your body needs a small amount of sodium to work properly, but too much sodium is bad for your health. Americans consume more than 3,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, on average. This is well above the federal recommendation of less than 2,300 mg of sodium daily for teens and adults as part of a healthy eating pattern.
Sodium in everyday foods adds up
Sodium is found in foods from almost all food categories. Some of the top sources of sodium for U.S. adults and children ages 1 and older are listed in the following table:
Top Sources of Sodium*
| Children, aged 1 to 17 | Adults, aged 18+ |
|---|---|
| • Savory snacks (e.g., chips, crackers, popcorn) | • Deli meat sandwiches |
| • Pizza | • Soups* |
| • Deli meat sandwiches | • Pizza |
| • Chicken nuggets and tenders | • Poultry* (excluding nuggets and tenders) |
| • Soups* | • Savory snacks (e.g., chips, crackers, popcorn) |
| • Pasta mixed dishes (excluding macaroni and cheese) | • Pasta mixed dishes (excluding macaroni and cheese) |
| • Breads, rolls, buns | • Breads, rolls, buns |
| • Cheese (including cottage and ricotta) | • Cheese (including cottage and ricotta) |
| • Poultry* (excluding nuggets and tenders) | • Meat mixed dishes |
| • Cookies, brownies, cakes | • Vegetables* (excluding white potatoes) |
*Packaged or processed soups, vegetables, and poultry often contain sodium. Look for no- to low-sodium options.
Source: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, unpublished data, 2021–2023.
Sodium or salt?
Salt and sodium are not the same. Salt is sodium chloride, which is table salt. Sodium chloride is 40% sodium and 60% chloride. One teaspoon of table salt contains about 2,400 mg of sodium.
Sodium is a mineral found in many ingredients in common foods:
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG).
- Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).
- Sodium nitrate (a preservative).