Sodium Intake CalculatorSalt to Sodium Converter & Daily Sodium Counter
Convert grams of salt to milligrams of sodium, add up a day of typical foods, and see how you compare with the FDA, WHO and AHA limits, ranked by the food contributing most.
Built & medically reviewed by Manzoor Ahmad, Pharmacist & Calculator Developer · Updated
Limits from the FDA, WHO and American Heart Association. Food values from USDA FoodData Central.
How much sodium should you have a day?
Keep sodium under 2,300 mg a day, about 1 teaspoon of salt. The WHO advises under 2,000 mg (5 g of salt), and the AHA’s ideal is 1,500 mg for people with high blood pressure. To convert, 1 g of salt = 393 mg of sodium. The average American eats about 3,400 mg, mostly from packaged and restaurant foods.
Count your sodium
= 5.5 g of salt · 95% of your 2,300 mg limit
Where it came from
How much sodium per day? Salt vs sodium explained
Salt (sodium chloride) is about 40% sodium. 1 g of salt = 393 mg of sodium. 1 teaspoon of salt (about 6 g) = about 2,325 mg of sodium.
| Guideline | Sodium / day | Salt equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| FDA / Dietary Guidelines (age 14+) | < 2,300 mg | ≈ 5.8 g (1 tsp) |
| WHO | < 2,000 mg | 5 g |
| AHA ideal, high blood pressure | < 1,500 mg | ≈ 3.8 g |
| Average US intake | ≈ 3,400 mg | ≈ 8.6 g |
| Minimum physiological need | ≈ 500 mg | ≈ 1.3 g |
How we add it up
Per-item values are typical US figures from USDA FoodData Central. Brands vary a lot. A cup of canned soup ranges from 400 to over 900 mg, so use the “other” box for exact label numbers.
An ordinary day
- 2 slices of bread: 300 mg
- 1 slice of pizza: 640 mg
- 1 oz cheese: 180 mg
- Labelled snacks and sauces: 400 mg
- Total: 1,520 mg ≈ 3.9 g salt, or 66% of 2,300 mg. Add one pack of instant noodles and it jumps to 3,120 mg (136%).
The hidden sodium in your medicine cabinet
Effervescent and dispersible tablets (soluble paracetamol, vitamin C fizz, some aspirin) can each contain 300–450 mg of sodium. Eight soluble paracetamol tablets a day can add more than 3,000 mg. If you have high blood pressure or heart failure, ask for the standard tablet version.
“Low-sodium” salt substitutes swap sodium for potassium. That’s good for blood pressure, but it can be dangerous if you take ACE inhibitors, ARBs, spironolactone or potassium-sparing diuretics, or have kidney disease. Check with your pharmacist first.
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Sodium Intake calculator FAQs
The FDA and Dietary Guidelines recommend less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day for people aged 14 and over. The WHO advises under 2,000 mg (5 g of salt). The American Heart Association’s ideal limit is 1,500 mg, especially for people with high blood pressure.
Multiply grams of salt by 393 to get milligrams of sodium. 5 g of salt ≈ 1,967 mg of sodium. To go the other way, divide milligrams of sodium by 393 to get grams of salt.
About 2,325 mg. One level teaspoon of table salt (about 6 g) on its own reaches the daily 2,300 mg limit.
The biggest sources in US diets are bread and rolls, pizza, sandwiches, deli and cured meats, soups, burritos and tacos, savoury snacks, chicken dishes, cheese and egg dishes. Restaurant and packaged foods supply about 70% of sodium.
It’s rare on a normal diet, but possible with heavy sweating in endurance events, some diuretics, or very low-salt diets combined with drinking a lot of water. Low blood sodium (hyponatremia) causes headache, confusion and nausea.
Yes. Cutting about 1,000 mg a day lowers systolic blood pressure by roughly 3–6 mmHg on average, and more in people with hypertension. The DASH-Sodium trial showed the largest benefit at 1,500 mg combined with a potassium-rich diet.
Manzoor Ahmad
Pharmacist · Supplement & Nutrition Writer (9+ yrs) · Calculator Developer (13+ yrs)
I’m a practising pharmacist and DexoCalc’s developer. One thing I warn blood-pressure and heart-failure patients about is the sodium in fizzy soluble tablets and potassium-based salt substitutes. That’s why this counter covers your medicine cabinet as well as your plate.
References
- FDA. Sodium in Your Diet.
- WHO. Salt reduction fact sheet.
- Sacks FM, et al. Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the DASH diet. N Engl J Med. 2001;344(1):3–10. PubMed
- George J, et al. Association between cardiovascular events and sodium-containing effervescent, dispersible, and soluble drugs. BMJ. 2013;347:f6954. PubMed
- USDA. FoodData Central.
Medical disclaimer: Sodium values are typical averages. Check labels. If you have heart failure, kidney disease or high blood pressure, follow your doctor’s sodium and potassium advice.