Sodium intake calculator

Sodium on the label, salt in the shaker

US labels list sodium in milligrams, while recipes and the shaker deal in salt, which is sodium chloride. Only about 39 percent of salt is sodium, so a limit of 2,300 mg of sodium is about 5.8 g of salt, not 2.3 g. People who switch between the two numbers often get this wrong by a factor of two and a half. Most of the sodium in the American diet is already in the food when you buy it: more than 70 percent comes from packaged, prepared and restaurant foods, according to both the FDA and the American Heart Association.

How much sodium is in a teaspoon of salt?

The FDA says the daily limit of 2,300 mg of sodium is equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt, and this calculator uses that figure: 2,300 mg per teaspoon. Measured by weight, 2,300 mg of sodium is 5.8 g of salt. A teaspoon of coarse kosher salt weighs less than a teaspoon of fine table salt, so the volume rule only fits table salt.

How do I convert sodium to salt?

Multiply the sodium by 2.54: salt (sodium chloride) is 39.3 percent sodium by weight. So 1 g of sodium is 2.54 g of salt, the common rule "multiply by 2.5", and 5 g of salt contains 1,967 mg of sodium. The derivation is ours, from the standard atomic weights of sodium and chlorine, not a figure printed by the FDA.

What is the daily sodium limit?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 (January 2026) say people age 14 and older should consume less than 2,300 mg a day. Children: less than 1,200 mg at ages 1 to 3, 1,500 mg at 4 to 8 and 1,800 mg at 9 to 13. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg and an optimal goal of 1,500 mg a day for most adults. The Nutrition Facts Daily Value is also 2,300 mg.

What is the difference between 1,500 mg and 2,300 mg?

They answer different questions. In the National Academies' 2019 report the adequate intake for adults is 1,500 mg a day: an intake level expected to meet needs. The chronic disease risk reduction level is 2,300 mg: the committee advises reducing intake if you are above it. The AHA's 1,500 mg is its ideal target for most adults and its 2,300 mg is the upper limit. The 2,300 mg figure in the Dietary Guidelines and on labels is the same number.

Where does most of the sodium in the American diet come from?

Packaged, prepared and restaurant foods. Both the FDA and the American Heart Association say more than 70 percent of the sodium Americans eat comes from them, not from the saltshaker. The FDA gives the average intake as about 3,400 mg a day, while the AHA page says over 3,100 mg; the sources use different surveys, so treat both as 'well above the limit'.

Do athletes or hot-weather workers need more sodium?

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines say sodium and electrolytes are essential for hydration and that highly active individuals may benefit from increased sodium intake to offset sweat losses. This page compares your total with the general limits and does not set a sweat-loss plan. If you have high blood pressure, kidney or heart disease, ask your clinician before changing your intake in either direction.

How the calculation works

In meals mode the calculator multiplies the sodium per serving by the servings for each card and adds the cards. It reports the total, the salt that contains that much sodium (milligrams ÷ 1,000 ÷ 0.393), the teaspoons at 2,300 mg each, and the shares of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, of the group's Dietary Guidelines limit and, for adults, of the AHA goal of 1,500 mg. The limits are "less than" values, so reaching the number counts as being at the limit. In convert mode the same factor works in either direction; teaspoons use the FDA's rounded figure and therefore assume table salt.

Worked example

Suppose breakfast has 450 mg of sodium, a lunch sandwich 1,100 mg and dinner 900 mg: a total of 2,450 mg. That is 107 percent of the 2,300 mg limit for ages 14 and up, 150 mg over it, and 163 percent of the AHA's 1,500 mg goal. In salt terms it is 6.2 g, or 1.07 teaspoons. For a 6-year-old the limit is 1,500 mg and the same day is 163 percent of it. For comparison, a daily intake exactly at the AHA goal of 1,500 mg corresponds to 3.8 g of salt. Cutting this day by 1,000 mg is the size of change the AHA says can improve blood pressure for most people.

Common mistakes

• Comparing salt grams with the sodium limit. 2,300 is milligrams of sodium. The same limit is 5.8 g of salt.
• Ignoring the serving size. The AHA warns that if your portion is two servings you are eating twice the listed sodium.
• Counting only the shaker. Most sodium is added before the food reaches you; preservatives and flavorings such as MSG, sodium nitrate or sodium benzoate also count, and the label total includes them.
• Trusting a front-of-pack word. According to the AHA, "low sodium" means 140 mg or less per serving, "very low sodium" 35 mg or less and "reduced sodium" at least 25 percent less than the usual product, which can still be high.
• Applying the adult limit to children. The Dietary Guidelines set lower limits for ages 1 to 13.

Limits of this method

The label figure can differ from the food you actually eat, restaurant servings vary, and the calculator does not know your medicines, blood pressure or kidney function. Where the sources differ, we show both: the AHA's 1,500 mg ideal against the 2,300 mg limit used by the Dietary Guidelines, the FDA and the National Academies' risk-reduction level. The National Academies' report also sets potassium values; we left them out because we did not open the report tables for them.

Sources and related calculators

Sources, read October 28, 2026: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (January 2026), cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf, section "Sodium"; US Food and Drug Administration, “Sodium in Your Diet” (about 1 teaspoon, average intake, 70 percent); American Heart Association, “How Much Sodium Should I Eat Per Day?”; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019), the sodium chapter on the chronic disease risk reduction intake (adequate intake 1,500 mg and 2,300 mg); 21 CFR 101.9(c)(9) (Daily Value). This page is not endorsed by or affiliated with the FDA, AHA or National Academies. Related: added sugar calculator, water intake calculator, fiber intake calculator and calorie calculator.

For general information only — not medical advice. Talk with your doctor or another health professional about your own health. How we check our calculators.