How much salt is too much?

[TroyBurger]

Does anyone know how much salt you should get in a day? How much is too much? I'm sure I have too much salt in my diet, but I don't even know what the recommended amount is. Also, does anyone have an tips on how to reduce salt intake aside from not shaking slat on your food?

[Freddy]

I think the average adult is suppose to consume no more than 2500 mg of salt per day, but that's on the high end of things. It is better to have less than that.

[Tony1968]

I think the average adult is suppose to consume no more than 2500 mg of salt per day, but that's on the high end of things. It is better to have less than that.

Actually 2,500mg is too much. Technically adults should be taking in 1500 mg of sodium daily and shouldn't go over the upper limit of 2,300 mg per day. To reduce your salt intake, ya, for starters don't EVER shake the stuff on your food. Secondly, avoid eating salty treats like my favourite - bacon. Lots of processed foods are really high in sodium. Ever look at the nutrition label on a can of cola? You'd be blown backwards at the amount of sodium it contains. Yes, even stuff that tastes sweet is riddled with salt. Whenever possible, always choose "low-sodium" "reduced sodium" or "no sodium" options. Also, drink plenty of water to flush it out of your system. This will help to stop you from blimping up.

[Whirlybird]

I think that a healthy adult is doing fine at around 2,300 or less. If you've already got high blood pressure, though, then you should take 1,000 mg off that upper limit. So if you're already on blood pressure pills (or you should be) then you will really need to do a lot to get your sodium levels down

[Freddy]

Woah I was way off LOL. Thanks for the correction Tony1968.

[TeensyTiff]

It's really a good idea to try and stay as close to 1,500 mg daily as much as you can. There will be days when you blow your salt intake, but on the whole it's a good idea to watch how much salt you eat. Of course, not adding salt to food is a good way to avoid extra, but also stay away from all the processed, pre-packaged, canned and fast foods. Preservatives tend to have lots of sugar and salt. Just check out the nutrition label on the back of foods and you'll be shocked at how much sodium is in the foods you eat. Also, be sure to drink a lot of water to flush salt and other toxins out of your system.

[TroyBurger]

Woah! After reading this and checking out a lot of the product labels in my pantry I'm ingesting WAYYY to much salt. Yikes! Alright. Well that certainly puts a few things into perspective. Thanks guys!