Short answer: The WHO advises adults to eat less than 5 g of salt a day (under 2,000 mg of sodium), just under a teaspoon. US guidelines set the limit at less than 2,300 mg of sodium, about 5.8 g of salt. Salt = sodium × 2.5. On average, adults eat more than twice the WHO limit, much of it hidden in bread, processed meat, cheese, sauces and ready meals.
Most salt reaches you already inside food, labels use two different units, and the official limits don’t all match. This guide sorts out all three and shows how to eat less without losing flavor.
These limits are for healthy adults. If you have kidney disease, heart failure, high blood pressure or liver disease, take medicines that affect sodium or potassium, sweat heavily for long periods (endurance sport, physical work in the heat) or follow a medical diet, follow your doctor’s advice: your target may differ.
How much salt per day should you eat?
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults eat less than 2,000 mg of sodium a day, equivalent to less than 5 g of salt. It is a strong recommendation, aimed at lowering blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and stroke. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reached the same figure in 2019: 2.0 g of sodium a day is a safe and adequate intake for adults, including in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and lets most adults keep sodium in balance.
US advice is a little higher. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 say everyone aged 14 and over should eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, which is also the Daily Value on US food labels. The NHS sets no more than 6 g of salt a day for UK adults.
| Source | Sodium per day | As salt | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO | less than 2,000 mg | less than 5 g | Upper limit |
| EFSA (EU) | 2,000 mg | 5 g | Safe and adequate intake |
| US Dietary Guidelines | less than 2,300 mg | about 5.8 g | Upper limit from age 14; also the FDA Daily Value |
| US National Academies | 1,500 mg | about 3.8 g | Adequate intake; cut back if above 2,300 mg |
| NHS (UK) | about 2,400 mg | no more than 6 g | Upper limit; also the EU label reference intake |
Whichever you follow, the limit covers all the salt you eat – the shaker plus the salt already in bread, cheese and ready meals – and comes to no more than about a teaspoon.
Children need less: the US guidelines set less than 1,200 mg of sodium a day at ages 1–3, 1,500 mg at 4–8 and 1,800 mg at 9–13; the NHS sets 2 g of salt at 1–3, 3 g at 4–6 and 5 g at 7–10.
Salt vs sodium: what’s the difference?
Sodium is a mineral, one of the chemical elements in table salt (sodium chloride). Your body needs relatively small amounts to keep fluids in balance and muscles and nerves working, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains. By weight, salt is about 40% sodium: 1 g of salt holds about 400 mg of sodium.
To turn sodium into salt, multiply by 2.5 – the formula EU law uses for the “salt” line on labels; to go back, divide by 2.5. One teaspoon of table salt weighs about 6 g and holds about 2,300 mg of sodium, according to USDA FoodData Central.
| Sodium | Salt | For reference |
|---|---|---|
| 400 mg | 1 g | |
| 1,500 mg | 3.75 g | US adequate intake |
| 2,000 mg | 5 g | WHO limit |
| 2,300 mg | 5.75 g | US limit; about 1 teaspoon |
| 2,400 mg | 6 g | NHS limit |
Sodium also occurs naturally in milk, meat and shellfish and in additives such as sodium glutamate, the WHO notes; a label’s sodium figure counts it all.
How much salt do people actually eat?
Far more than the limits. The WHO puts the global average for adults at 4,278 mg of sodium a day in 2021, about 11 g of salt – more than double its recommendation. Americans average about 3,400 mg a day, the FDA says, and EFSA notes that typical intakes in Europe are also above 2.0 g. That matters because the main effect of a high-sodium diet is raised blood pressure, a major cause of heart disease and stroke; the WHO associates about 1.7 million deaths in 2023 with eating too much sodium.
Which foods are high in salt?
The WHO lists breads, processed meat, snack foods and condiments such as soy and fish sauce among the foods often high in sodium. In the US, more than 70% of sodium comes from packaged and prepared foods, the FDA says; in the UK, about three quarters comes from foods people buy, according to the NHS. Where most meals are cooked from scratch, salt added at home matters more.
Values below are rounded from USDA FoodData Central; salt is sodium × 2.5. Brands differ a lot, so check your own label.
| Food | Portion | Sodium | As salt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soy sauce | 1 tbsp, 16 g | 880 mg | 2.2 g |
| Chicken noodle soup, canned, prepared | 1 cup, 248 g (8.7 oz) | 830 mg | 2.1 g |
| Cheese pizza, restaurant chain | 1 slice, 107 g (3.8 oz) | 640 mg | 1.6 g |
| Turkey breast, sliced deli meat | 56 g (2 oz) | 500 mg | 1.3 g |
| Feta cheese | 28 g (1 oz) | 320 mg | 0.8 g |
| White bread | 2 slices, 58 g | 280 mg | 0.7 g |
| Dill pickle | 1 small spear, 35 g | 280 mg | 0.7 g |
| Green olives | 5 olives, 14 g | 210 mg | 0.5 g |
| Cheddar cheese | 28 g (1 oz) | 190 mg | 0.5 g |
| Potato chips, salted | 28 g (1 oz) | 150 mg | 0.4 g |
| Chicken breast, roasted, no salt added | 100 g (3.5 oz) | 70 mg | 0.2 g |
Two slices of white bread carry more sodium than a small bag of chips, and bread may come with every meal. And sauces are concentrated: one tablespoon of soy sauce is 44% of the WHO’s daily limit.
How to check salt and sodium on food labels
US labels list sodium in milligrams per serving and as a percentage of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. The FDA’s rule of thumb: 5% DV or less per serving is low, and 20% DV or more is high. “Low sodium” means 140 mg or less per serving, while “reduced sodium” only means at least 25% less than the regular product.
EU and UK labels show salt instead, per 100 g or 100 ml, often as a percentage of the 6 g reference intake; in the UK, more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g counts as high. For a full walkthrough, see how to read a nutrition label.
Potassium and salt substitutes
The WHO recommends getting more potassium from food to lower blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, suggests at least 3,510 mg a day for adults, and names beans and peas, nuts and green vegetables as good sources.
A 2025 WHO guideline covers lower-sodium salt substitutes, in which potassium chloride replaces part of the sodium chloride. If you use table salt, it suggests switching to one – a conditional recommendation, meaning the evidence is less certain. In the 26 trials it reviewed, systolic blood pressure was about 4.8 mmHg lower on average with a substitute than with regular salt. A substitute replaces the shaker, not the salt already in bread or ready meals.
How to cut back on salt
- Give your taste a few weeks. As you eat less sodium, your taste for it gradually decreases, the FDA notes.
- Season with something else: herbs, spices, black pepper, garlic, chili or lemon juice, as the NHS suggests. Keep the shaker off the table.
- Fix your everyday foods first. Compare bread, cheese, cold cuts and sauces by label and pick the lower one. In USDA data, low-sodium soy sauce has about a third less sodium per gram than regular.
- Drain and rinse canned foods. A can of red kidney beans holds about 1,120 mg of sodium with its liquid; the drained beans about 610 mg. Rinsing removes a little more.
- Treat salty foods as extras. Eat cured meats and fish, cheese, olives and pickles less often or in small amounts.
- Ask when eating out for no added salt and for sauces on the side.
Worked example: from about 3,800 mg to about 1,130 mg
Values are rounded from USDA FoodData Central and exclude salt added at home.
| Meal | Typical choice | Sodium | Swap | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 2 slices white bread, 28 g (1 oz) cheddar | 470 mg | 40 g (½ cup) oats cooked in 240 ml (1 cup) milk | 120 mg |
| Lunch | Turkey sandwich (2 slices bread, 56 g sliced turkey breast), dill pickle spear | 1,070 mg | Sandwich with 100 g (3.5 oz) unsalted roast chicken, no pickle | 360 mg |
| Snack | 28 g (1 oz) potato chips | 150 mg | 1 medium apple | 2 mg |
| Dinner | 1 cup canned chicken noodle soup, 2 slices cheese pizza | 2,110 mg | 1 slice cheese pizza, salad of 2 cups lettuce and a tomato with oil and vinegar | 650 mg |
| Total | about 3,800 mg (9.5 g salt) | about 1,130 mg (2.8 g salt) |
The typical day comes to nearly twice the WHO limit without a single pinch of salt from the kitchen. After the swaps, about 870 mg of sodium – roughly a third of a teaspoon of salt – is left under the WHO limit for cooking and the table.
How Portiva helps
Portiva’s Today summary card shows sugar, fiber and sodium at a glance. Tap it to open Nutrition details, free for everyone, for the day or the last 7 days, with sodium in milligrams against a 2,300 mg reference, the US Daily Value. If you follow the WHO limit, keep 2,000 mg in mind.
Barcode logging of packaged foods is free and unlimited, so label values go straight into your log.
Frequently asked questions
Is a teaspoon of salt a day too much?
A level teaspoon of table salt is about 6 g, with about 2,300 mg of sodium: above the WHO limit and right at the US one. Since the limits count all salt, including what is already in your food, a teaspoon on top of a typical diet is too much for most adults.
Can you eat too little sodium?
Your body does need sodium. The US National Academies set an adequate intake of 1,500 mg a day from age 14, and EFSA considers 2.0 g a day enough for most adults to stay in balance. The US guidelines note that very active people may benefit from more to replace sweat losses.
Does salt make you gain weight?
Salt has no calories, so it can’t add body fat. But sodium helps control how much fluid your body holds, so a salty meal can push the scale up for a while with water, not fat. Compare weekly averages instead of single weigh-ins – see why the scale jumps around.
Is sea salt or pink Himalayan salt healthier?
Not in any meaningful way. All salts are made of sodium chloride and their nutrient content varies only minimally, Harvard’s Nutrition Source explains. Coarse crystals give less sodium per teaspoon only because fewer fit in the spoon. Table salt is often iodized; kosher salt usually is not.
Sources
- Sodium reduction (fact sheet), World Health Organization (2026).
- Use of lower-sodium salt substitutes: WHO guideline, World Health Organization (2025).
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2026).
- Sodium in Your Diet, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024).
- Dietary reference values for sodium, EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens, EFSA Journal (2019).
- Sodium and Potassium Dietary Reference Intake Values Updated in New Report, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2019).
- Salt: the facts, NHS (2023).
- Food labels, NHS (2026).
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, European Union, EUR-Lex (2011).
- High potassium level, MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine (2025).
- Salt and Sodium, The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2023).
- FoodData Central (SR Legacy data), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (2018).