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Where’s the sodium?

Reducing the sodium 

Americans eat by 1,200 mg 

per day on average could 

save up to $20 billion a year 

in medical costs.

44% of the sodium we eat 

comes from only 10 types 

of foods. 

About 90% of Americans 

aged 2 years or older eat 

too much sodium.

$20B

44%

9 in 10

February 2012

About 90% of Americans eat more sodium 

than is recommended for a healthy diet.* 

Too much sodium increases a person’s 

risk for high blood pressure. High blood 

pressure often leads to heart disease and 

stroke. More than 800,000 people die each 

year from heart disease, stroke and other 

vascular diseases, costing the nation $273 

billion health care dollars in 2010. Most of 

the sodium we eat comes from processed 

foods and foods prepared in restaurants. 

Sodium is already part of processed foods and 

cannot be removed. However, manufacturers 

and restaurants can produce foods with less 

sodium. In addition, you can select lower 

sodium foods when possible and you can cook 

more foods yourself, to better control how 

much sodium you eat. 

* The words salt and sodium are sometimes used interchangeably 

because most of the sodium we eat is in the form of salt (sodium 

chloride). Some salts don’t contain sodium. 

To learn more about how to reduce sodium

 See page 4

There’s too much in many common foods. 

 www http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 

Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
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Problem Not all foods are created equal 

Understanding sodium in foods

can be confusing

◊ Types of foods matter: More than 40% of 

sodium comes from the following 10 types of 

foods: Breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured 

meats such as deli or packaged ham, or turkey, 

pizza, fresh and processed poultry, soups, 

sandwiches such as cheeseburgers, cheese, pasta 

dishes*, meat-mixed dishes such as meat loaf 

with tomato sauce, and snacks such as chips, 

pretzels, and popcorn.

◊ Sources of foods matter: About 65% of 

sodium eaten comes from food bought at retail 

stores, so look for lower sodium choices. About 

25% comes from restaurants and it can be hard 

for a person to tell how much sodium is in 

restaurant foods. 

◊ Brands of foods matter: Different brands 

of the same foods may have different sodium 

levels. For example, sodium in chicken noodle 

soup can vary by as much as 840 milligrams 

(mg) per serving.

*The pasta dishes category does not include macaroni and cheese. 

Macaroni and cheese is its own category.

Eating less sodium is a challenge

◊ Americans eat on average about 3,300 mg of 

sodium a day. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines 

recommend limiting sodium to less than 

2,300 mg a day, and about 6 in 10 adults 

should further limit sodium to 1,500 mg a 

day (see http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/

dga2010/dietaryguidelines2010.pdf).

◊ Foods that otherwise seem healthy may have 

high levels of sodium (e.g., cottage cheese and 

turkey breast luncheon meat).

◊ Sodium is already part of processed foods and 

cannot be removed. 

◊ Sodium is included in surprising ways. For 

example, much of the raw chicken and pork 

bought from a store has been injected with a 

sodium solution. 

◊ Too many foods in restaurants are high

in sodium. 

◊ Some foods that you eat several times a day, 

such as bread, add up to a lot of sodium even 

though each serving is not high in sodium.

● People who are 51 years or older 

● African Americans 

● People with high blood pressure 

● People with diabetes

● People with chronic kidney disease 

People who should limit their sodium

to 1,500 mg a day are:

Top Sources of 

Sodium in the Diet

Breads and rolls

Cold cuts and cured meats

Pizza

Poultry

Soups

Sandwiches

Cheese

Pasta dishes

Meat dishes

Snacks 
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Sodium levels of the same food can

vary widely, so choose wisely.

Sodium adds up quickly in our daily diet 

SOURCE: US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient 

Database for Standard Reference, Release 24 and current manufacturer’s data.

Note: Values were rounded to the nearest 10 mg.

SOURCE: US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National 

Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24 and current

manufacturer’s data.

Note: Values greater than 10 mg of sodium were rounded to the nearest 10 mg. 

Sodium Levels

Breakfast

Egg and cheese sandwich 760

Orange juice, 1 cup 5 

Coffee, 1 cup 

Banana, medium

Snack

5

 

Vegetable soup & 1⁄2 sandwich combo

Lunch

1

1,450

Iced tea, , 1 cup unsweetened

Chips (plain)

Snack

10

 

Spaghetti (without added salt) with

Dinner

140

meat sauce (1 1⁄2 cup pasta, 3⁄4 cup

sauce, 3 oz meat) 380

Garden salad with ranch dressing 340

Water, 1 cup 

2 Chocolate chip cookies 

Snack

10

70

Skim Milk, 1 cup 

Total

100

 3,271

Sodium

(in milligrams*)

See the DASH eating plan at

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/

heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf and other 

plans at www.choosemyplate.gov. 

Above is a sample diet of 3 meals and 3 small 

snacks with a total sodium content of more than 

3,200 mg. 

This chart shows a range of sodium amounts in different 

types of food. Serving sizes may vary for some foods, e.g., 

bread slices which may be lower in sodium because of 

thinner slices. 

Check the Nutrition Facts label which lists sodium content per serving. For help 

reading labels, visit http://www.cdc.gov/salt/pdfs/Sodium_Tip_Sheet.pdf.

1 slice white bread 80 - 230

3 oz turkey breast, deli or pre-packaged

luncheon meat 450 - 1,050

4 oz slice frozen pizza, plain cheese,

regular crust 370 - 730

4 oz slice restaurant pizza, plain cheese,

regular crust 510 - 760

4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, fresh 40 - 330

3 oz chicken strips, restaurant, breaded 430 - 900

3 oz chicken nuggets, frozen, breaded 200 - 570

1 cup chicken noodle soup, canned prepared 100 - 940

1 corn dog, regular 350 - 620

1 cheeseburger, fast food restaurant 710 - 1,690

1 oz slice American cheese, processed

(packaged or deli) 330 - 460

1 cup canned pasta with meat sauce 530 - 980

5 oz pork with barbecue sauce (packaged) 600 - 1,120

1 oz potato chips, plain 50 - 200

(in milligrams)

Food Sodium Range

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For more information, please contact 

Telephone: 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

TTY: 1-888-232-6348

E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Web: www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333

Publication date: 2/7/2012

What Can Be Done

CS229194-B

 www http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns

Places that produce, sell, or serve

food can

◊ Consider joining voluntary initiatives to reduce 

sodium such as the National Salt Reduction 

Initiative (http://www.nyc.gov/health/salt)

◊ Give choices to consumers to help them reduce 

sodium in their diet by:

•	 Stocking lower sodium foods.

•	 Asking food manufacturers to provide

lower sodium foods.

◊ Make phased reductions in the amount of 

sodium they add to foods they sell or serve.

◊ Limit the amount of sodium in food products.

◊ Provide information about sodium in foods.

Federal government is

◊ Using the national Million HeartsTM initiative 

to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes 

over the next 5 years (http://millionhearts.hhs.

gov). Reducing sodium in the population is a 

major part of this initiative.

◊ Encouraging its agencies and departments to 

adopt the HHS/GSA or similar procurement 

guidelines that define how much sodium

there can be in products that are sold or 

served in their facilities (www.cdc.gov/

chronicdisease/resources/guidelines/foodservice-guidelines.htm).

◊ Improving data collection on sodium, 

including the amount of sodium people 

consume, and their knowledge, behaviors and 

health outcomes.

State and local health departments can 

◊ Develop and implement efforts that:

•	Increase public awareness about the

amount of sodium added to processed

and packaged foods.

•	Increase public awareness of the health 

outcomes of a high-sodium diet.

•	 Help reduce sodium in people’s diets.

◊ Encourage reductions in the amount of sodium 

in foods purchased in cafeterias and vending 

machines.

Everyone can

◊ Choose to purchase healthy options and talk 

with your grocer or favorite restaurant about 

stocking lower sodium food choices.

◊ Read the Nutrition Facts label while shopping

to find the lowest sodium options of your

favorite foods. 

◊ Eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and 

frozen fruits and vegetables without sauce.

◊ Limit processed foods high in sodium.

◊ When eating out, request lower sodium options.

◊ Support initiatives that reduce sodium in foods 

in cafeterias and vending machines.