Salt Content of Common Foods

Salt Content of Common Foods
The information below is provided to assist patients maintain a low-sodium diet. The following numbers may be useful as a guide.

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Dietary Salt (sodium) Intake

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“Normal” salt diet … … 1100 – 3300 mg/day

“High” salt diet … … 4000 – 6000 mg/day

“Low” salt diet … … 400 – 1000 mg/day

Physicians may initially suggest a partially reduced salt level, in the range of 1000 – 2000 mg/day, to see if symptoms can be alleviated. Maintaining a sodium intake below 2000 mg/day requires considerable effort. Eating in restaurants causes difficulty as the majority of restaurant food is salted. To maintain a low sodium diet, you need to scrutinize the “Nutritional Information” boxes on food cartons. The amount of salt is listed as “sodium”. Choose those products which would give you the least sodium, based on the amount of product you eat. Note that many “high salt” products (ketchup, salad dressing, corn chips) show relatively low sodium values based on very small serving portions (who eats only 12 corn chips at a sitting??). What is important is the total amount of sodium you are eating each day. As shown in the list below, fresh fruits and vegetables have low sodium content, but avoid adding salt to vegetables during preparation. The following advice may help maintain a low salt intake.

Do not use salt at the table

Reduce the salt used in food preparation. Try 1/2 teaspoon when recipes call for 1 teaspoon. Many cakes and desserts can be prepared without adding salt.

Use herbs and spices for flavoring meats and vegetables instead of salt.

Avoid salty foods such as processed meat and fish, pickles, soy sauce, salted nuts, chips and other snack foods.

Check every “Nutritional Information” label before you buy or use a product. Note sodium and portion size information.

A cautionary note: The body possesses exquisite systems which accurately regulate body sodium. The goal of a low sodium diet is to “push” this regulation system toward one end of its range,without pushing it to the limit when body sodium starts falling. Although a low-salt diet if difficult to achieve, be aware that the low-salt diet can be “overdone” with possible adverse consequences. For this reason, if your vestibular symptoms persist, do not keep decreasing your salt intake. The level of sodium intake should be decided in consultation with your physician or nutritionist. Lower levels require more rigorous monitoring by your physician. You should also be aware that your body can lose sodium by a number of routes other than in the urine. Sweating, vomiting and diarrhea can all produce significant sodium loss. In addition, other diseases, such as those which impair kidney function, may result in greater than normal sodium losses. In the event of adverse symptoms, you should contact your physician.

Sodium Content of Common Foods

All values are given in mg of sodium for a 100 g (3.5 oz) food portion. These values are a guide. More accurate values are given in the Nutritional Information on the package of most products, in the form of mg of sodium per serving.

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