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Eating Too Much Salt? Ways to Cut Back...Gradually

Did you know that “salt” and “sodium” are not the same thing, even though they’re often used interchangeably? Sodium, a mineral, is one of the elements found in salt. Salt is where most of your sodium comes from. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working to make sure people have greater access to healthier foods and easy-to-understand nutrition information to make healthier choices. One way to do that is to make it easier for you and your family to eat food with less sodium.

Because more than 70% of the sodium you eat comes from processed (packaged) foods and restaurant foods, the FDA is working closely with industry, asking manufacturers to gradually lower sodium across a wide range of foods. This will result in more food choices with less sodium.

Sodium is added to packaged and prepared foods for a variety of reasons such as food safety, improving flavor and texture, curing meat, and for baking. So, the FDA has carefully developed different sodium reduction targets for different types of foods.

Will the reductions affect how foods taste? We know that people usually don't notice small reductions in sodium, and over time, people's taste buds get used to changes that are made gradually. And there are foods on the market already meeting the targets, so we know these are achievable and acceptable. 

You and your family can also take steps to ease into reducing the amount of salt — and therefore, sodium — you eat. The recommended limit for sodium is 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day for people 14 years and older. But people in the U.S. consume about 3,400 mg per day on average. That's more than 50% more than the recommended limit. 

Why Reduce Sodium? 

Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. Ninety percent of Americans are eating more sodium than is recommended. While almost 5 in 10 Americans have high blood pressure, in non-Hispanic Black adults that number increases to almost 6 in 10. 

Also, children and adolescents are also eating too much sodium. Evidence shows that children who eat foods higher in sodium can carry those eating habits into adulthood. 

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Sodium 

For additional information, please visit Sodium in Your Diet | FDA.

Content current as of: August 15, 2024

Source: FDA

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