SODIUM INTAKE
CALCULATOR
Calculate your recommended daily sodium intake based on your health status.
What This Calculator Does
This tool estimates a recommended daily sodium intake target based on the health profile, age, and activity level you enter. It applies published thresholds from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association (AHA) rather than a single fixed number, since safe sodium intake varies by health status — someone with hypertension or kidney disease generally needs a lower ceiling than a healthy, highly active adult who loses sodium through sweat. The result is a general educational estimate, not a personalized medical prescription.
Sodium and Health
Sodium is an essential mineral for fluid balance, nerve signaling, and muscle contraction — the body cannot function without it. The issue for most people isn't too little sodium but too much: high sodium intake is associated with elevated blood pressure in salt-sensitive individuals, which over time is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The WHO recommends under 2,000mg (2g) of sodium per day for adults. The American Heart Association recommends under 2,300mg for most adults, with an ideal target of 1,500mg for people with high blood pressure, heart disease, or kidney disease. Estimated average sodium intake is around 4,310mg/day worldwide and roughly 3,400mg/day in the United States — in both cases, well above the recommended ceiling.
How Sodium Needs Are Calculated
The calculator starts from a baseline target tied to your selected health status (for example, 1,500mg for hypertension or kidney disease, 2,000mg for a healthy adult), then adds an allowance for physical activity, since sweating increases electrolyte losses that active people need to replace. The combined figure is capped at a conservative upper bound so the estimate never exceeds levels associated with elevated cardiovascular risk. The mg figure is also converted to an equivalent amount of table salt (sodium chloride), since food labels and recipes often list salt rather than sodium directly.
How to Reduce Sodium Intake
Because most dietary sodium comes from processed and restaurant food rather than the salt shaker, the most effective changes usually involve reading nutrition labels, choosing fresh or minimally processed ingredients, rinsing canned vegetables and beans, and being mindful of high-sodium staples like bread, deli meats, canned soups, condiments, and packaged snacks. Anyone with hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, or another condition affected by sodium intake should follow the specific guidance given by their doctor or registered dietitian rather than relying on a general calculator.