Sodium: Reduce to 1500mg
Current dietary guidelines recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. However, if you are in the following population groups, you should consume no more than 1,500 mg per day:
- You are 40 years of age or older.
- You are African American.
- You have high blood pressure.
A new CDC report shows that two out of three (69%) adults in the United States fall into these three groups who are at especially high risk for health problems from consuming too much sodium. Eating less sodium can help prevent, lower, or even control blood pressure. Most people eat about 4,000 mg of sodium per day. About 77%?of that comes from processed and restaurant food. If everyone could cut out most of their high-sodium restaurant meals and high-sodium processed foods, it would be easy to get to 1,500 mg of sodium or even less per day. 4,000 - 77% = 920 mg. Reading food labels in the grocery store and choosing mostly fresh foods and foods with 5% or less of the daily value for sodium is key. See our chart on the right for a list of restaurant meals that can help you achieve your goal of 1,500 mg of sodium or less.
