Where to get sodium

Choose low sodium foods. Many salt-free or reduced salt products are available. When reading food labels, low sodium is defined as mg of sodium per serving. Salt substitutes are sometimes made from potassium, so read the label. If you are on a low potassium diet, then check with your doctor before using those salt substitutes. Be creative and season your foods with spices, herbs, lemon, garlic, ginger, vinegar and pepper. Remove the salt shaker from the table.

Read ingredient labels to identify foods high in sodium. Items with mg or more of sodium are high in sodium. High sodium food additives include salt, brine, or other items that say sodium, such as monosodium glutamate. Eat more home-cooked meals. Foods cooked from scratch are naturally lower in sodium than most instant and boxed mixes.

Don't use softened water for cooking and drinking since it contains added salt. And that could lead to serious health problems. Consider that 1 teaspoon of table salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride, has 2, milligrams mg of sodium. That's slightly more than the daily limit of 2, mg recommended by health experts. The average American gets closer to 3, mg of sodium a day. See where all that sodium comes from and learn how you can cut back. The kidneys balance the amount of sodium in the body.

When sodium is low, the kidneys hold on to it. When sodium is high, the kidneys release some in urine. If the kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, it builds up in the blood. Sodium attracts and holds water, so the blood volume increases. The heart must work harder to pump blood, and that increases pressure in the arteries.

Over time this can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Some people are more sensitive to the effects of sodium than are others. That means they retain sodium more easily, which leads to fluid retention and increased blood pressure.

Keep in mind that less is better, especially if you're sensitive to sodium. If you aren't sure how much sodium your diet should include, talk to your doctor or dietitian. Most of the sodium in the typical American diet comes from processed or prepared foods. These include bread, pizza, cold cuts and bacon, cheese, soups, fast food, and prepared dinners, such as pasta, meat and egg dishes.

Many recipes call for salt, and many people also salt their food at the table. Condiments also may contain sodium. One tablespoon 15 milliliters of soy sauce, for example, has about 1, mg of sodium. Some foods naturally contain sodium. These include all vegetables and dairy products, meat, and shellfish. While these foods don't have an abundance of sodium, eating them does add to your overall body sodium content.

For example, 1 cup milliliters of low-fat milk has about mg of sodium. Taste alone may not tell you which foods are high in sodium. For example, you may not think a bagel tastes salty, but a typical 4-inch centimeter oat bran bagel has about mg of sodium, and even a slice of whole-wheat bread contains about mg of sodium. So how can you tell which foods are high in sodium? Read food labels. The Nutrition Facts label found on most packaged and processed foods lists the amount of sodium in each serving.

It also lists whether the ingredients include salt or sodium-containing compounds, such as:. Try to avoid products with more than mg of sodium per serving. And be sure you know how many servings are in a package — that information is also on the Nutrition Facts label. Many frozen meals are high in sodium, some containing at least half of your daily sodium allotment per dish.

Check the label of each variety, as sodium can vary widely within a specific product line The FDA has set a limit of mg of sodium for a frozen meal to qualify as healthy. You can use this number as a reasonable sodium limit when shopping for frozen meals. Recipes to make baked beans at home may not have any less sodium, but you can modify them to reduce the added salt 41 , Turkey bacon can pack just as much sodium, so check the nutrition label 43 , For good health, you should limit your use of these processed meats — regardless of the sodium count.

In addition, your risk of developing salt-sensitive high blood pressure increases with age. Processed meats — such as ham, cold cuts, jerky, hot dogs and sausage — are especially high in sodium.

Even plain, frozen shrimp are often treated with sodium-rich additives. Convenience foods — including boxed potatoes, canned soup, instant pudding, meal helpers, pizza, and frozen meals — also tend to run high in sodium, as do salty snacks such as pork rinds and pretzels. Some manufacturers are gradually reducing the sodium in certain packaged foods, but change is happening slowly.

Regardless, many of these foods are unhealthy anyway. Though vegetables are incredibly healthy, many people don't get enough servings each day. Here are 17 creative ways to add more veggies to your diet. Starting a running routine at any age needs to be done gradually. Following a structured training plan that increases your mileage over several weeks…. Emotions get the best of everyone sometimes, but there are a few things you can do to take back control.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Instant pudding. Cottage cheese. Vegetable juice. Salad dressing. Broths and stocks. Boxed potato casseroles. Pork rinds. Even though sodium plays a key role in many foods, more salt is often added than is necessary.

The good news is that momentum to lower sodium is building. Many food companies and some restaurants are tweaking their recipes to cut the sodium. Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff. Eat Smart. American Heart Association Cookbooks. Nutrition Basics. Healthy For Good: Spanish Infographics. Our Salty Six infographic shows the top six sodium sources in the U.