Sodium is an essential mineral in your diet, promoting fluid balance. But too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure and increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. To inform yourself about sodium in your food and the amounts you should be consuming, begin with resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Dietary Reference Intakes
The dietary reference intakes for sodium consist of the adequate intake, which is the amount you need to maintain fluid balance, and the tolerable upper level of intake, which is the amount that a healthy individual can have without harmful health effects. The department bases some of its nutritional recommendations on the dietary reference intakes, which come from the Institute of Medicine. For most healthy adults, the adequate intake is 1,500 mg and the tolerable upper level of intake is 2,300 mg.
USDA Recommendations
The department recommends having no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day if you are a healthy adult on a 2,000-calorie diet. Do not have more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day if you are African-American or over age 51. Do not exceed 1,500 mg if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease. The department's food guide is a healthy eating pattern based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
USDA Database
You can find the sodium content of different foods in the department's database for standard reference. A packet of onion soup mix, for example, may have more than twice the sodium you need in one day, while tomato sauce, baked beans, cured ham, cheese sauce and breaded shrimp all have more than 1,000 mg per standard serving. Fresh foods such as carrots, beef, pork, lettuce, melon and turnips have no more than 100 mg per serving.
More Information
To reduce your sodium intake to the department's recommended levels, decrease your intake of fast foods and restaurant foods, canned and frozen foods, and salt that you add at the table and in cooking. Fresh or dried herbs and spices can increase the flavor of your food without adding sodium. Along with reducing your sodium intake, increasing your potassium can support a healthy blood pressure. Choose dairy products, beans, fruits and vegetables as natural sources of potassium.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23 -- Sodium, Na (mg) Content of Selected Foods per Common Measure, Sorted by Nutrient Content
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes: Electrolytes and Water
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; December 2010
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