How much sodium per day, by the evidence

What people ask us next.

Q01

How much sodium should I eat per day?

Keep sodium under 2,300 mg/day, the amount in about one teaspoon of table salt (US Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025). The American Heart Association sets a tighter ideal of 1,500 mg/day for most adults, especially those with high blood pressure. The average US intake is ~3,400 mg, so nearly everyone is over the limit, and the realistic task for most people is getting down toward 2,300 mg rather than hitting 1,500 mg on day one.

Q02

How much salt is 2,300 mg of sodium?

About one teaspoon of table salt. Salt is sodium chloride and only ~40% sodium by weight, so ~5.7 g of salt (one level teaspoon) contains ~2,300 mg of sodium. This is the most common source of confusion, since labels list sodium in milligrams while recipes and salt shakers deal in salt. When a package reports 'salt' rather than 'sodium', multiply the sodium figure by about 2.5 to get the salt equivalent.

Q03

Is 3,000 mg of sodium a day too much?

It is above the 2,300 mg upper limit and roughly double the AHA's 1,500 mg ideal, so most guidance would consider it high, though it is close to the US average of ~3,400 mg. For a healthy person with normal blood pressure, 3,000 mg is not an emergency, but sustained intake at that level is linked to higher blood pressure over time. For anyone with hypertension or salt sensitivity, moving below 2,300 mg is the priority.

Q04

Where does most of the sodium in my diet come from?

Not the salt shaker. The CDC estimates only about 10% of dietary sodium is added during cooking or at the table, while roughly 70% is already in packaged and restaurant food (Harnack et al. 2017). The biggest contributors are breads and rolls, cured and deli meats, pizza, soups, sandwiches, and sauces, foods that often do not taste especially salty. Cutting or swapping the few high-sodium items you eat most often beats trying to under-salt home cooking.

Q05

Does cutting sodium actually lower blood pressure?

Yes, especially for salt-sensitive people. The DASH-Sodium trial found that reducing sodium from ~3,300 mg to ~1,500 mg lowered systolic blood pressure by about 7 mmHg in adults with hypertension and about 3 mmHg in those with normal pressure (Sacks et al. 2001). The effect is larger in older adults, Black adults, and people who already have high blood pressure. Pairing the sodium cut with more potassium from fruit and vegetables increases the effect.

Q06

Do I need to worry about too little sodium?

For most people, no; the population problem is excess. The exception is people losing large amounts of sweat, endurance athletes, outdoor workers, and those in extreme heat, who can lose 500-1,500 mg of sodium per liter of sweat and may need to replace it. Certain medical conditions and medications also affect sodium balance. Outside those cases, the ordinary diet supplies far more than enough sodium, which is why guidance focuses on cutting rather than adding.