Cutting Back on Salt

The USDA recommends 2,300 mg or less of sodium (salt) a day. If you need to limit the amount of salt and sodium in your diet, here are some suggestions from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:

• Read the food labels to help you pick foods lower in sodium.

• Pay attention to the serving size listed on the label. If you eat two cups of a food, but the serving size is one cup, you'll need to double the amount of sodium listed.

• Look for foods that use one of these terms on the label: sodium-free, very low sodium, low sodium, reduced sodium, light in sodium or unsalted.