A healthy amount of sodium for most adults is less than 2,300 mg per day, which is about one teaspoon of table salt. The World Health Organization sets a slightly lower target of less than 2,000 mg per day. Your body actually needs far less than either number to function: only 200 to 500 mg daily keeps your nerves firing, muscles contracting, and fluid levels balanced.
How Guidelines Compare
The two most widely cited targets come from different organizations and differ by a few hundred milligrams. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2020–2025) and the National Academies of Sciences set the limit at 2,300 mg per day for anyone 14 and older. The WHO recommends staying under 2,000 mg per day, equivalent to less than 5 grams of salt. Both are well below what most people actually consume. The average American takes in roughly 3,400 mg per day, about 50% more than the U.S. guideline.
For children aged 2 to 13, the WHO recommends adjusting the adult limit downward based on the child’s caloric needs. No major health organization suggests going above 2,300 mg for any age group.
Salt vs. Sodium: A Quick Conversion
Salt and sodium are not the same measurement. Table salt is sodium chloride, and sodium makes up about 40% of its weight. One gram of salt contains 390 mg of sodium. One teaspoon of salt weighs about 6 grams and delivers roughly 2,400 mg of sodium, which alone would put you at the U.S. daily limit. When reading nutrition labels, the number listed is sodium in milligrams, and the percent Daily Value is based on 2,300 mg.
Why Your Body Needs Some Sodium
Sodium plays a central role in how your body manages water balance. It helps regulate fluid levels inside and outside your cells, transmits nerve impulses, and allows muscles to contract and relax. Without enough sodium, these systems break down. But a healthy, active adult only needs between 200 and 500 mg per day to cover these basic functions. Nearly all whole foods contain trace amounts of sodium naturally, so genuine sodium deficiency from diet alone is rare outside of specific medical conditions or extreme endurance exercise.
What Happens When You Get Too Much
Excess sodium forces your kidneys to work harder to flush it out. When they can’t keep up, sodium accumulates in your blood, pulling water into your blood vessels and increasing the volume of fluid your heart has to pump. The result is higher blood pressure. In some people, this response is more pronounced. Those with what researchers call salt-sensitive blood pressure experience a blunted increase in blood flow to the kidneys after eating a salty meal, which leads to sodium retention and a sharper rise in blood pressure.
Over years, the extra strain on blood vessel walls contributes to heart disease and stroke. High sodium intake also stresses the kidneys directly, which is why people with chronic kidney disease are often advised to stay under 2,400 mg per day, with some benefit from going as low as 1,200 mg per day. That stricter limit can be difficult to maintain in practice.
Potassium and the Bigger Picture
Sodium doesn’t act alone. Potassium counterbalances sodium’s effect on blood pressure by helping your kidneys excrete excess sodium and relaxing blood vessel walls. The WHO recommends adults consume at least 3,510 mg of potassium per day alongside keeping sodium under 2,000 mg. Having high sodium and low potassium at the same time raises cardiovascular risk more than either imbalance on its own. Good potassium sources include bananas, potatoes, beans, spinach, and yogurt.
Where All That Sodium Comes From
About 60% of the sodium in the average American diet comes from processed foods bought at grocery stores, not from the salt shaker at the table. The categories with the highest sodium per serving may surprise you. Soups average 688 mg per labeled serving. Mixed dishes like frozen meals and boxed dinners average 672 mg. Processed meats come in at 460 mg, and canned legumes at 439 mg.
Even foods that don’t taste salty can be significant contributors. Bread and bakery products average around 197 mg per serving, but most people eat multiple servings per day. Sauces, dips, and condiments average 291 mg per serving, and a few tablespoons of soy sauce or hot sauce can easily exceed that. Snack foods like chips and crackers average 236 mg per serving. These numbers add up fast when you’re eating several processed items throughout the day.
Cooking at home with whole ingredients gives you far more control. Fresh vegetables, unprocessed meats, grains, and fruits are all naturally low in sodium. When you do buy packaged foods, comparing the percent Daily Value on the label is the fastest way to gauge sodium content. Five percent DV or less per serving is considered low; 20% or more is high.
Athletes and Heavy Sweaters
People who exercise intensely lose meaningful amounts of sodium through sweat, and their needs differ from the general population. A study of over 1,300 athletes found that sweat rates and sodium losses vary considerably by sport. American football players lost the most, sweating an average of 1.5 liters per hour with substantial sodium in that fluid. Endurance athletes (runners, cyclists, triathletes) were close behind. Basketball and soccer players lost less, and baseball players lost the least among the sports studied.
For someone doing a hard two-hour training session in the heat, sodium losses can easily reach 1,000 mg or more. In these cases, sticking rigidly to 2,300 mg may not be enough to replace what’s lost. Sports drinks, electrolyte tablets, or slightly saltier meals around training can help. This doesn’t mean athletes should eat freely from processed foods; it means their replacement needs are higher on training days, and they should adjust accordingly.
Practical Ways to Stay in Range
Tracking every milligram of sodium is impractical for most people, but a few habits make a noticeable difference. Reading labels consistently is the single most effective step, especially on bread, canned goods, sauces, and deli meats. Choosing “low sodium” or “no salt added” versions of canned vegetables, beans, and broth can cut hundreds of milligrams from a single meal. Rinsing canned beans and vegetables under water before cooking removes a portion of the added sodium.
Seasoning food with herbs, spices, citrus juice, or vinegar instead of salt lets you reduce sodium without making meals bland. When eating out, sodium intake tends to spike because restaurants use salt liberally for flavor. Asking for sauces on the side or choosing grilled over fried options helps, though restaurant meals will almost always be higher in sodium than what you’d make at home.
If you currently eat around 3,400 mg per day, cutting down to 2,300 mg represents roughly a one-third reduction. Most people’s taste buds adjust to lower sodium within a few weeks, and foods that once tasted normal start to taste noticeably salty.