Recipe for Success

Be salt savvy when planning and purchasing foods!

■ Serve more fresh foods and fewer processed foods. Most fresh and singleingredient frozen fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium. Minimally 

processed foods are typically lower in sodium, compared to more processed 

foods. Use old-fashioned rolled oats instead of instant oatmeal and baked fish 

instead of fried fish sticks.

■ Offer high-sodium foods less often. Go easy on pre-prepared, processed 

entrées and side dishes, such as pizza and chicken nuggets. These are top 

sources of sodium in children’s diets. Use grilled chicken breast instead of 

cold cuts and other cured meats such as bacon, sausage, hotdogs, or ham. 

When soliciting bids from manufacturers:

■ Specify that products be labeled “low-sodium” or 

“no-salt-added,” containing no more than 140 mg 

per serving. Choose lower sodium or no-salt-added 

versions when purchasing popular processed foods. 

Select products that are also low in added sugars and 

saturated (solid) fat and contain no trans fat.

■ Read Nutrition Facts labels to compare the sodium 

content for similar foods. Foods that are low in sodium 

contain less than 140 mg per serving or 5% Daily Value 

(DV). Choose products with the lowest amount.

■ Look at ingredient lists for other sources of sodium 

such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda, 

baking powder, disodium phosphate, sodium alginate, 

and sodium nitrate or nitrite.

KEY ISSUES

Just The Facts!

for Healthier School Meals

Be Salt Savvy – Cut Back on Sodium

Grade Lunch Breakfast

K-5	 ≤1,230mg ≤540mg

6-8	 ≤1,360mg ≤600mg

9-12	 ≤1,420mg ≤640mg

Serving Size 1 cup (228g)

Calories 250 Calories from Fat 110

Total Fat 12g 18%

Cholesterol 30mg

Sodium 140 mg 5%

Total Carbohydrate 31g 10%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 6g

Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 20% Iron 4%

•

•

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value*

15%

10%

Protein 5g

 High blood pressure is

increasing in American

children. 

 Too much salt (sodium) is 

linked to high blood pressure.

Reducing dietary sodium may

lower blood pressure, which

reduces the risk of heart 

disease, stroke, and kidney

disease. 

 Cutting back on sodium

in school meals can help

children learn to enjoy the 

natural taste of foods. A lower

sodium intake may provide

health benefits that last a

lifetime.

	 Implementing phased-in

sodium reductions will take 

time. In 2014-15, schools are

required to meet the following

weekly sodium targets for

school meals:

	 Schools may be required to

meet lower sodium targets

in future years. USDA will

complete research and

additional analyses before

those targets are implemented

in 2017.

Choosing foods that are low in sodium is important to healthy eating. Nearly all Americans have developed a taste for salty foods and consume more 

sodium than they need. When students taste salty foods on a regular basis, they 

learn to prefer salty flavors. By offering lower sodium versions of popular menu 

items and recipes at the beginning of a school year, students’ tastes can change. 

Adding less or no salt and using tasty sodium-free alternatives, such as herbs and 

spices, can help students learn to like foods with a less salty flavor. They may not 

even notice the difference!

Easy ways to follow the 2010

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

United States Department of Agriculture
USDA Foods Program

USDA Foods has made great strides in reducing sodium across all food categories to help schools lower sodium in

school meals to meet the dietary specifications. The canned and frozen vegetables and beans, including potato and

tomato products, are low-sodium or no-salt-added. Additionally, USDA Foods meat and cheese options have reduced

sodium profiles that are equal to or lower than similar commercial products. To view the list of available low-sodium

USDA Foods, please visit: http://www.fns.usda.gov/usda-foods/school-nutrition-professionals.

For More Information 

Salt and Sodium 

www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/TenTips/

DGTipsheet14SaltAndSodium.pdf

Reducing Sodium Intake

www.nfsmi.org/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20120102035310.pdf

Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbook for Schools 

www.fns.usda.gov/tn/recipes-healthy-kids-cookbook-childcare-centers-0

Sodium Reduction 

https://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/menu-planning/sodiumreduction

Smarter Lunchrooms

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/healthierus-school-challengeresources/smarter-lunchrooms

Procurement in the 21st Century

www.nfsmi.org/ResourceOverview.aspx?ID=475 

U.S. Department of Agriculture ● Food and Nutrition Service ● Revised July 2014 ● FNS 449-I ● USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

Just the Facts: Be Salt-Savvy - Cut Back on Sodium http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

Did You Know? 

■ Most sodium in our diet comes from eating processed 

and prepared foods, such as canned vegetables and 

soups, luncheon meats, and frozen entrees. Food 

manufacturers use salt or other sodium-containing 

compounds to preserve food and to modify the taste 

and texture. 

■ Some condiments, such as soy sauce, ketchup, and hot 

sauces, can be high in sodium. Adding them — either 

while cooking or at the table — can significantly raise 

the sodium content of a meal! If you use condiments, 

choose low-sodium varieties. 

■ Sodium that naturally occurs in meat, poultry, dairy 

products, and vegetables only accounts for a small 

percentage of our salt intake.

■ Check the ingredient statement and request any 

additional documentation from the manufacturer to 

ensure that the product meets “low-sodium” or “nosalt-added” criteria.

Prepare delicious low-sodium meals!

■ Use fresh or dried herbs, spices, lemon or orange 

zest, or 100% fruit juices to enhance flavors in foods 

without adding sodium. Low-sodium seasoning 

blends/salt substitutes or flavorful veggies are ways 

to liven up your recipe without adding excess salt. 

Try herbs, garlic, or vinegar to season foods and 

spices and herbs like black or red pepper, basil, 

curry, ginger, or rosemary.

■ Drain and rinse canned, precooked beans, or 

vegetables to remove even more sodium.

■ Modify recipes that use high-sodium ingredients

such as canned soups, tomato sauce or paste, 

spaghetti sauce, canned vegetables, chips, and taco 

shells. Use lower sodium or no-salt-added versions 

or use less. Remove salt from recipes whenever 

possible. 

■ Incorporate foods that are good sources of 

potassium, which may counteract some of 

sodium’s effects on blood pressure. Good sources 

of potassium include vegetables like sweet potatoes, 

beet greens, spinach, Swiss chard, white beans, 

potatoes, tomatoes, and soybeans and fruits like 

bananas, kiwis, dried plums, cantaloupe, honeydew, 

and oranges. 

Use “Smarter Lunchroom” techniques to get 

students to eat more low-sodium foods!

■ Make the low-sodium targeted entrée the first 

entrée option available in all service areas and on 

each designated line. 

■ Position vegetables canned in water or prepared 

as low-sodium in front of higher sodium 

vegetables on the serving line when more than one 

vegetable is offered.