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Tips for Choosing Low Sodium Foods

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  • Remember that unprocessed fresh foods like fruits and vegetables contain lots of nutrients and are naturally low in sodium.
  • Choose products with less than 200 mg of sodium per serving, or less than 10% Daily Value.
  • Avoid products with more than 400 mg of sodium per serving. Limit products that contain between 200-400 mg of sodium per serving.
  • Pay attention to serving size. How big is the portion in comparison to how many servings you will actually eat? For example, breads and cereals are a significant source of sodium in our diets because we consume many servings a day.
  • All salts (table, Kosher, rock, sea, Himalayan) contain approximately 100% sodium chloride. One teaspoon of salt is about 2300 mg of sodium. The Hypertension Guidelines recommend reducing sodium intake to less than 2000 mg each day.​
  • In restaurants, ask about lower sodium options and request no salt be added if possible. Be wary of soups made with salty broths and salads with lots of toppings and dressing.
  • Think about how you can prepare traditionally salty foods with less sodium. For example, kosher meat contains more salt than non-kosher meat. To reduce the amount of sodium you get from eating kosher meat you may consider:
    • soaking kosher meat overnight in water before cooking
    • not adding extra salt to other foods eaten at the same meal as kosher meat
    • eating kosher meat less often

Adapted from sodium101.ca (opens in new window)

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