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Find the salt

Eating less sodium (salt) helps lower blood pressure. Most of it is already in the food when you buy it. Here is how to spot it on the label in 10 seconds, at the store, on any phone.

1. Look at one number: % Daily Value

On the Nutrition Facts label, find Sodium. Read the %DV on the right of that line.

Sodium %DV, per serving	What it means
5% or less	Low in sodium
6% to 19%	In between
20% or more	High in sodium

Check the serving size too. If you eat two servings, you get twice the sodium. Source: FDA

The Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 mg a day. Americans eat about 3,400 mg a day on average. Source: FDA

Taste does not tell you. Some foods that do not taste salty, like cereals and pastries, can still be high in sodium. Source: FDA

2. What the words on the front mean

The package says	It means (per serving)
Salt-free or sodium-free	Less than 5 mg
Low sodium	140 mg or less
Reduced sodium	At least 25% less than the regular product
Light in sodium	At least 50% less than the regular product
No salt added	No salt was added while making it, but it may still have sodium. Check the label.

Source: FDA

3. Where the salt comes from

More than 70% of the sodium people eat comes from packaged and prepared food, not the salt shaker. Source: FDA

CDC lists the foods that give Americans about 40% of their sodium: deli meat sandwiches, pizza, burritos and tacos, soups, savory snacks like chips and crackers, chicken and other poultry, pasta dishes, burgers, and egg dishes. Source: FDA, citing CDC

4. Swaps that work in any kitchen

Cook at home when you can. Use fewer boxed mixes and seasoning packets.
Season with herbs and spices instead of salt: garlic, onion, pepper, lemon or lime, chile, cumin, ginger, whatever your family already cooks with.
Rinse canned food like beans and vegetables before you use it.
Pick fresh meat, chicken and fish over cured, smoked or processed ones.
Pick lower-sodium sauces and condiments. Soy sauce, hot sauce, ketchup, seasoning cubes and spice blends: compare the %DV and take the lower one.
Pick lower-sodium snacks, and eat smaller portions.
Eating out: ask for less salt, and ask for sauces and dressings on the side.

These are FDA’s tips, in our words; the examples are ours. Source: FDA

What this page is

This explains; your clinician decides. General guidance, not medical advice. If your clinician has given you a special diet, follow it. Ask your clinician or pharmacist before you use a salt substitute.
A reading page. Nothing to fill in. No account needed.

Next stops

The seven-day weekLog morning and evening readings and see your average.Bring every pill bottleMedicines and supplements that can push blood pressure up.A page to hand outOne printed page for a senior center, congregation or food bank to copy.

Sources

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Sodium in Your Diet (content current as of 03/05/2024; checked 2026-10-27). The %DV rule, the package words, the 70% figure, CDC’s food list and the tips are all from this page.