It Seems That Many Low-Calorie Foods Have Lots Of Sodium. How Much Sodium Should I Be Eating?

Dr. Willett answers the question: 'How Much Sodium Should I Be Eating?'

By
Walter Willett, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Chairman, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health
December 22, 2008, 3:55 PM ET
1 min read

February 1, 2009 -- Question: It seems that many low-calorie foods have lots of sodium. How much sodium should I be eating?

Answer: The general idea is to keep sodium below 2500 milligrams a day (approximately 1 teaspoon of table salt). And a general rule of thumb is we should not have more than one milligram per calorie in foods that we eat, or not more than about 250 milligrams per serving.