For most adults, more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day is too much. That’s roughly one teaspoon of table salt. The World Health Organization sets an even lower ceiling at 2,000 mg of sodium (about 5 grams of salt), and the American Heart Association considers 1,500 mg per day the ideal target, particularly if you have high blood pressure. The average American, meanwhile, eats about 3,400 mg of sodium daily, well past every major guideline.
Sodium vs. Salt: A Quick Conversion
Salt and sodium are not the same measurement. Table salt is about 40% sodium by weight, so 5 grams of salt contains roughly 2,000 mg of sodium. When you read a nutrition label, the number listed is sodium, not total salt. The Daily Value on U.S. food labels is set at 2,300 mg of sodium, so a product showing 20% DV per serving delivers about 460 mg.
What Happens When You Eat Too Much
After a single salty meal, your body holds onto extra water to dilute the sodium in your bloodstream. You’ll notice it quickly: intense thirst, puffy hands or feet, and sometimes a headache. Your blood pressure can spike temporarily as your blood volume increases.
Over weeks and months of consistently high intake, that temporary spike becomes a permanent problem. Excess sodium causes your body to retain more fluid in your blood vessels, which raises the pressure on artery walls. This sustained pressure is a direct driver of hypertension, which in turn raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The damage goes beyond blood pressure. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that excess sodium can harm blood vessels, the heart, kidneys, and brain even when blood pressure doesn’t rise significantly. In the kidneys specifically, high sodium intake has been linked to reduced function, increased pressure inside the filtering units, and protein leaking into the urine, an early sign of kidney damage. Cutting back on salt has been shown to reverse some of that protein leakage.
Where All That Sodium Comes From
The salt shaker on your table is a minor player. Most sodium in the average diet comes from processed and restaurant food. CDC data shows that just 10 categories of food account for more than 40% of sodium intake: breads and rolls, deli meats, pizza, poultry (fresh and processed), soups, sandwiches, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes, and salty snacks like chips and pretzels.
Bread is a good example of how sodium hides in plain sight. A single slice may contain only 100 to 200 mg, but eat several slices across sandwiches and toast throughout the day and you’ve consumed a significant chunk of your limit without tasting anything “salty.” Canned soups can pack 700 to 900 mg per serving, and many cans contain two servings. Restaurant meals routinely deliver over 1,000 mg in a single dish.
Who Needs a Stricter Limit
The 2,300 mg ceiling is a general population target. The American Heart Association recommends that most adults aim closer to 1,500 mg, and this is especially important if you already have high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, or diabetes. Black adults, who face disproportionately high rates of salt-sensitive hypertension, also tend to benefit more from lower sodium intake. Studies in Black hypertensive patients have shown that sodium restriction reduces both blood pressure and protein in the urine.
When Higher Sodium Intake Makes Sense
Endurance athletes are a genuine exception. Sweat contains a meaningful amount of sodium, and during prolonged exercise, losses can add up fast. Sweat rates range from about 250 mL per hour to over 2 liters per hour, with sodium concentration varying widely between individuals. Current sports nutrition guidance suggests sodium replacement becomes important when exercise lasts longer than two hours, when you’re training in hot conditions, or when sweat sodium losses exceed 3 to 4 grams. For most people doing moderate daily exercise, though, standard dietary sodium is more than enough to replace what’s lost.
How Potassium Helps Offset Sodium
Potassium works as a natural counterbalance to sodium. It helps your kidneys flush out excess sodium and relaxes the walls of your blood vessels, both of which lower blood pressure. The CDC notes that increasing potassium intake can reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension and lower the overall risk of heart disease and stroke.
Fruits, vegetables, beans, and low-fat dairy are the richest potassium sources. The DASH eating plan, which emphasizes these foods while limiting sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol, has been shown to meaningfully lower blood pressure in clinical trials. In practical terms, swapping processed snacks for a banana, adding a side of spinach, or choosing unsalted nuts over pretzels shifts both sides of the sodium-to-potassium equation in your favor.
Practical Ways to Stay Under the Limit
Reading nutrition labels is the single most effective habit. Look at the sodium line per serving, then check how many servings are in the package. Choose products labeled “low sodium” (140 mg or less per serving) when available, especially for bread, canned goods, and condiments.
Cooking at home gives you the most control. Restaurant and takeout meals are consistently the highest-sodium meals most people eat. When you do cook with salt, add it at the end of cooking rather than during. You’ll use less because the salt sits on the surface where your tongue detects it immediately. Seasoning with acids like lemon juice or vinegar, or with spices like cumin, garlic, and black pepper, can reduce how much salt you need without making food taste bland.
Rinsing canned beans and vegetables under running water for about 30 seconds removes roughly a third of the added sodium. Choosing fresh or frozen vegetables over canned versions eliminates the issue entirely. For soups and broths, low-sodium versions typically contain 40 to 50% less sodium than regular varieties.