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Photo:Virojt Changyencham/Getty Images
Virojt Changyencham/Getty Images
Salt. It makes food taste good and is also used as a preservative. And while there’s nothing like a salty, crunchy chip and dip for your tailgate or the occasional fast food burger, most of us are getting too much salt in our diets on a regular basis. Because of this, the Food and Drug Administration is working to reduce the amount of salt in the American food supply.
What Actually Is Sodium—and How Does It Affect Your Health?
The FDA’s draft of their voluntary initiative to reduce the amount ofsodium—which is a major component of salt—in the U.S. food supply, updated on August 15, 2024, outlines the goals for manufacturers of processed, packaged and prepared foods, including restaurants.
According to the FDA, 90% of Americans are eating more sodium than is recommended, which is no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. Currently, the average intake is 3,400 mg per day, and most of it—over 70%—is coming from processed, packaged and prepared foods, not from the saltshaker at home.
Why is sodium being targeted? Sodium is linked tohigh blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in both men and women. Yet, many risk factors for heart disease are controllable—including how much sodium you ingest.
Here’s the thing, though. Sodium is also a necessary mineral thatacts as an electrolyte, so we do need a small amount of it. But too much of it is unnecessary and can have unwanted consequences, including water retention and high blood pressure.
4 Ways to Help Flush Out Excess Sodium from Your Body
Regarding the FDA’s initiative, they are essentially asking food manufacturers and restaurants to begin to reformulate their recipes to include less sodium. The FDA is asking them to do so gradually over the next three years, to allow consumers to adjust to lower levels of sodium and allow manufacturers time to adjust their recipes. According to the FDA, people usually don’t notice a small reduction in sodium. So consumers’ taste buds will more easily adjust if the reductions happen in small increments over time.
The current initiative is Phase II of a larger initiative that began with Phase I, issued in October 2021. Phase II contains three-year sodium reduction targets for 163 food categories. If goals are met, Phase I and II targets will result in about a 20% reduction in sodium intake in the U.S. food supply. This will reduce the average American’s sodium intake to about 2,750 mg per day—still higher than the recommended amount, but a big improvement that could result in large public health benefits.
While Phase I started in 2021, the big-picture initiative began in 2018 when the FDA required manufacturers to start including specific nutrition information on their labels, including sodium content and the clear naming of it in the ingredients list. They also outlined what products must contain and not contain to be able to put “healthy” on their labels—for example, limiting sodium, added sugar and saturated fat.
What You Can Do Now to Reduce Your Sodium Intake
Become a label-reader if you’re not already.Sodium is sneaky and can be found in foodsthat might surprise you—like yogurt, salad dressing and bread.
If you tend to grab packaged energy bars, drinks or chips for snacks, consider swapping in some whole foods. A handful of no-salt-added nuts and a piece of fruit or reduced-salt nut butter with carrots and celery will go a long way toward getting you through to your next meal—without unnecessary added salt and other ingredients likeadded sugar. Or try making your ownenergy ballsandsmoothiesso you know exactly what’s going into them.
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who, according to the FDA, eat about one-third of their food calories outside the home, consider eating at home more often. You’ll be able to better control how much sodium is in your food—and might save a buck or two. We have lots ofmeal plans and recipes that are lower in sodiumto help get you started.
8 Better for You Breakfast Bars
If time is an issue concerning meal prep and cooking, we’ve got solutions for that, too. Try one of ourlower-sodium dinner recipes that come together in just 30 minutestonight. Convenience foods can save time in the kitchen but also need to be monitored for sodium content. For example,rotisserie chickenis a big timesaver but can be high in sodium since it’s usually brined or injected with a saline solution. If you regularly eat rotisserie chicken, consider alternating it with ourBest Poached Chicken, which is perfect for recipes that require shredded chicken and is super easy and quick to make.
Getting creative withherbs and spicescan help your taste buds more quickly adjust to less salt in recipes, too. And they come with health benefits when used regularly, including adding antioxidants to your dishes.
The Bottom Line
There are things you can do now to start reducing your sodium intake, including eating less highly processed, packaged and restaurant foods, reading labels, choosing lower-sodium options and cooking at home. If this feels overwhelming, choose one of these areas to start with and add more over time.
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Sodium reduction in the food supply.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Daily value on the nutrition and supplement facts labels.
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Sodium reduction in the food supply.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Daily value on the nutrition and supplement facts labels.
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Sodium reduction in the food supply.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Daily value on the nutrition and supplement facts labels.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Sodium reduction in the food supply.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Daily value on the nutrition and supplement facts labels.
