The primary way to determine the sodium content in food is by reading the Nutrition Facts label.
Here's how to find and understand the sodium information:
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Locate the Nutrition Facts Label: This label is required on most packaged foods.
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Find "Sodium": On the label, you'll see a line that lists the amount of sodium per serving, typically expressed in milligrams (mg).
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Check the Serving Size: The amount of sodium listed is for one serving. It's crucial to note the serving size because if you eat more or less than that, the amount of sodium you consume will change proportionally. For example, if the label indicates 200mg of sodium per 1 cup serving, and you eat 2 cups, you are consuming 400mg of sodium.
Here's an example of how sodium is displayed on a nutrition label:
| Nutrient | Amount per Serving |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | 1 cup (228g) |
| Sodium | 470mg |
In this example, one cup (228g) of the food contains 470mg of sodium.
Important Considerations:
- Prepared Foods & Restaurant Meals: Determining sodium content is more difficult for restaurant meals or foods made without nutrition labels. Some restaurants may provide nutritional information online or upon request. For foods made at home, you can calculate sodium content by adding up the sodium from each ingredient using nutrition labels.
- Sodium-Free, Low Sodium, Reduced Sodium: Pay attention to these terms as they have specific definitions set by the FDA. For instance, "sodium-free" means less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.
- Hidden Sources: Be aware that sodium can be found in unexpected places, like baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and certain preservatives.
