Sodium Diet Guidelines

Home > Articles > It's Your Health! > Sodium Diet Guidelines

A Registered Dietitian prepared the following basic-diet guidelines. If you have concerns, do consult with a dietitian.

Individualized diet counseling is highly recommended to address any personal, specific needs.

Why Limit Sodium?
Reducing salt intake may help manage blood pressure and prevent water retention. If you are taking medication for these conditions, it is still important to reduce salt intake to help the medication work more effectively. Note: Pregnant women should not restrict the amount of sodium consumed to minimize water retention and swelling. Pregnancy actually increases the need for sodium.

How Much Sodium Should You Have?
2,000 to 4,000 milligrams of sodium is recommended as part of an overall healthy eating plan. Yet, the average adult eats 4,000 to 6,000mg per day. Persons with high blood pressure or other medical conditions may have to lower sodium to 2,000 milligrams or less daily.

How Can I Reduce My Sodium Intake?
Since salt (sodium chloride) is the primary source of sodium in the diet, limit use of the salt shaker first. In addition, limit processed foods as they contain approximately 3/4 of the sodium we consume. It is important to look at the label to check the amount of sodium in one serving and to determine the number of servings you normally consume.

Foods You Should Choose Most Often

Bread, rolls, crackers or breadsticks, without salted tops
Bagels, English muffins, most ready-to-eat cereals and cooked cereals
Rice, noodles and pasta
Low sodium vegetable juices and low sodium tomato and pasta sauces
Regular tomato or vegetable juices
Most fresh, frozen and canned fruits
All fruit juices and milk
Yogurt and/or reduced or low-sodium cheese
Any fresh or frozen meat, poultry or fish
Eggs and egg substitute
Low sodium peanut butter and/or unsalted nuts
Dry peas and beans
Reduce sodium frozen dinners (less than 800mg sodium each)
Low-sodium canned tuna
Low-sodium or unsalted salad dressings, soy sauce, catsup and condiments
Low-sodium bouillon and soups
Pepper, herbs, vinegar, lemon or lime juice
Coffee, tea, fruit drinks, powdered drink mixes and low-sodium carbonated beverages

Foods to Avoid

Bread, rolls, crackers and breadsticks with salt
Box mixes of quick breads and biscuits and instant hot cereals
Seasoned box mixes of pasta, rice or stuffing
Regular tomato and pasta sauces
Sauerkraut, pickled vegetables and olives
Commercial potato and vegetable mixes
Frozen vegetables with sauces and fruits processed with salt or sodium
Buttermilk, processed cheese, cheese spread, cheese sauces and natural cheeses
Smoked, cured, salted or canned meat, poultry, fish or seafood, including ham, bacon, sausage, cold cuts, sardines
Breaded frozen meat, fish or poultry items, salted nuts and pizza
Salad dressings with more than 250mg sodium per 2 tablespoon serving
Regular soups, broth, soup bases or bouillon cubes
Gravies and sauces made from instant mixes or other high sodium ingredients
Salted snack foods, softened water and sea salt
Meat tenderizers and meat sauces and soy sauce (regular or reduced sodium)

Tips:

Cook cereals, rice and pasta without adding salt
You can omit salt or decrease salt in most recipes for baked goods
Season vegetables with herbs, spices or lemon juice instead of salt, ham, bacon or salt pork
Choose fresh or frozen more often because canned contain added sodium
Dairy products have moderate amounts of sodium. Milk and yogurt are lower in sodium than most cheeses - natural cheeses are usually lower in sodium than processed
Choose low-sodium reduced-sodium or salt-free foods and processed meats
Prepare additional fresh meats to use in sandwiches
Use herbs and spices, instead of salt to season your food
Try air-popped popcorn with salt-free seasoning
The following ingredients contain large amounts of sodium: Salt, brine, broth, pickled, smoked, soy sauce, barbecue sauce and monosodium glutamate (MSG)

If you have questions or concerns about your diet, or if you need a diet of 3,000mg sodium or lower, a diet instruction with a registered dietitian is necessary. The individualized diet instruction can provide:

Label reading, shopping, food preparation and dining out
Combining other diet restrictions if necessary
Attention to personal preferences and ethnic and religious choices

It's Your Health!

Link to this Page (Click select all to select and copy to your clipboard)