Sodium Intake Tracker
Track your daily sodium intake and compare it to the recommended 2,300mg limit.
See your health tier and get practical tips to reduce sodium.
Daily sodium intake tracking compares your actual consumption against health authority guidelines, calculates how much of your daily limit each food contributes, and identifies the largest sources in your diet.
Daily intake formula: Total Sodium (mg) = Σ (Food Sodium mg × Number of Servings)
Percentage of daily limit: % of Limit = (Total Sodium ÷ Daily Limit) × 100
Daily limits by health guideline:
- American Heart Association: 1,500 mg/day (ideal for heart health)
- US Dietary Guidelines: 2,300 mg/day (general population maximum)
- WHO: 2,000 mg/day
- Average American actual intake: 3,400 mg/day — 48% above the guideline
What each variable means:
- Sodium vs. salt — sodium is one component of table salt (NaCl); salt is 40% sodium by weight; 2,300 mg sodium = 5.75g salt = about 1 teaspoon
- Hidden sodium — most dietary sodium (70%+) comes not from the salt shaker but from processed foods, restaurant meals, bread, and canned goods
- Hypertension threshold — people with high blood pressure or kidney disease are often advised to stay under 1,500 mg/day
- Potassium balance — high potassium intake (bananas, potatoes, leafy greens) partially counteracts sodium’s blood-pressure-raising effect
Reference: high-sodium foods (mg per typical serving):
- Canned soup (1 cup): 700–1,200 mg
- Deli turkey (2 oz): 500–700 mg
- Soy sauce (1 tbsp): 900–1,000 mg
- Fast food burger: 800–1,500 mg
- Frozen pizza (1 slice): 700–1,000 mg
- Bread (2 slices): 250–400 mg
- Cheese (1 oz): 170–200 mg
Worked example: Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled (140mg), 2 slices toast (360mg), orange juice (0mg). Lunch: Turkey sandwich (700mg turkey + 360mg bread + 200mg cheese + condiments 300mg = 1,560mg). Dinner: Grilled chicken (75mg), canned green beans (400mg), brown rice (10mg).
- Total = 140 + 360 + 1,560 + 485 = 2,545 mg
- % of AHA limit (1,500 mg) = 170% — significantly over
- % of US Dietary Guideline (2,300 mg) = 110% — slightly over
Switching from canned beans (400mg) to fresh/frozen (15mg) alone saves 385 mg/day — a meaningful reduction.