How to Read Labels for a Low Sodium Diet

Learning to read low sodium labels is not limited to the nutrition labels on the back of packages.

Many foods are labeled to let customers know they are a ‘healthy’ option, like sodium-free, low sodium or no salt added.

Federal regulations determine which products receive these labels and it’s important to know exactly what those low sodium labels mean.

The Food and Drug Administration has set the following guidelines for low sodium labeling.

Salt/Sodium-Free These products contain less than 5mgs of sodium per serving

In order to meet the guidelines for Very Low Sodium labeling a product has to contain 35mg of sodium or less per serving.

VERY

Products with a low sodium label contain 140mgs of sodium or less per serving.

Instead of relying on a specific number of milligrams per serving, products labeled Reduced Sodium must contain at least 25% less sodium than the regular version of the product.

A Reduced Sodium label may seem like a safe choice but that may not always be the case, especially if the regular version of the product is high in sodium.

Light in Sodium or Lightly Salted products must contain at least 50% less sodium than the regular version of the product.

Again, it’s important to check the exact number of milligrams of sodium in each serving before purchasing products with this label.

No-Salt-Added or Unsalted labels do not mean a product is sodium-free. It means no salt was added during processing so it’s important to check the label for the exact amount.

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