How much salt should I eat per day?

The WHO recommends less than 5 grams of salt per day (about 2,000mg of sodium). The Australian Suggested Dietary Target is less than 4g of salt (1,600mg sodium). The average Australian eats about 9g of salt per day — nearly double the recommended amount. Most of this comes from processed and packaged foods, not from the salt shaker.

What are the signs of eating too much salt?

Common signs include persistent thirst, bloating and puffiness (especially in the hands, feet, and face in the morning), frequent headaches, high blood pressure (often no symptoms until checked), needing to urinate frequently, and feeling generally unwell after salty meals. However, many people eating too much salt have no obvious symptoms — high blood pressure is often called the silent killer because it usually has no symptoms until damage is done.

Too Much Salt

Signs you're eating too much, what it does to your body, and 10 ways to cut down.

📋 Source: WHO guideline: Sodium intake for adults and children (2012). NHMRC Suggested Dietary Target for sodium (<2,000mg/day). Heart Foundation of Australia — salt and blood pressure. CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet — Australian salt intake data.
Your doctor or healthcare provider knows your history and circumstances — always follow their personalised advice over general information.

🌏 Works for all countries

How much is too much?

<5g

WHO recommended
salt per day

= 2,000mg sodium

~9g

Average Australian
intake per day

= ~3,600mg sodium

75%

comes from
processed foods

not the shaker

Most of the salt you eat is hidden in packaged and processed foods — bread, cereals, sauces, cheese, deli meats, and takeaway. The salt shaker is only about 15-25% of your total intake.

Signs you might be eating too much salt

🥤Constant thirst — sodium makes your body hold water, triggering thirst to dilute it 🫧Bloating and puffiness — swollen fingers, puffy face in the morning, tight rings, shoes feeling snug 🤕Frequent headaches — high sodium can raise blood pressure, causing headaches 🚽Frequent urination — your kidneys work harder to flush the excess sodium ❤️High blood pressure — often no symptoms until your GP checks it. This is the big one.

Important: Many people eating too much salt feel perfectly fine. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms — it's found on routine checks. If you haven't had your blood pressure checked in the last 2 years, ask your GP next time you visit.

Health risks of too much salt

🧠Stroke — high blood pressure is the #1 risk factor for stroke. Reducing salt by 3g/day lowers stroke risk by ~22%. ❤️Heart disease and heart failure — excess salt increases blood volume, making the heart work harder. Reduces heart disease risk by ~16% with a 3g/day reduction. 🫘Kidney disease — high sodium accelerates kidney damage, especially if you already have kidney disease or diabetes. 🦴Osteoporosis — salt increases calcium loss in urine, weakening bones over time. 🤢Stomach cancer — high salt diets are linked to increased risk of stomach cancer, particularly with preserved and pickled foods. 💎Kidney stones — excess sodium increases calcium in the urine, promoting stone formation.

Check your daily salt intake

Use our calculator to estimate your daily sodium from common foods and compare it to the guidelines.

Estimate my salt intake →

10 ways to reduce your salt intake

1Check the label — look for sodium per 100g. Low salt = less than 120mg sodium per 100g. Compare brands — there can be a 10x difference between products. 2Cook from scratch more often — home-cooked meals have far less salt than packaged or takeaway food. You control what goes in. 3Reduce bread intake or choose low-salt bread — bread is the #1 source of hidden salt in the Australian diet. Some brands have half the sodium of others. 4Swap sauces — soy sauce, tomato sauce, stock cubes, and pasta sauces are extremely high in sodium. Use herbs, spices, lemon, garlic, and vinegar for flavour instead. 5Rinse canned foods — rinsing canned beans, lentils, and vegetables under water removes up to 40% of the added sodium. 6Remove the salt shaker from the table — if it's not there, you won't use it. Season with pepper, herbs, or lemon instead. 7Choose fresh over processed — fresh meat instead of deli meats, fresh cheese instead of processed cheese, fresh vegetables instead of canned. 8Eat more potassium — potassium helps your kidneys excrete sodium. Good sources: bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach, avocado, beans. Check your potassium intake → 9Limit takeaway to once a week — a single fast food meal can contain your entire daily sodium allowance. 10Give it 2-3 weeks — your taste buds adapt. Food will taste bland for about 2 weeks, then you'll start noticing flavours you didn't before. After a month, salty food will taste too salty.

Salt is sodium chloride (NaCl). Sodium is one part of salt — it's the part that affects your blood pressure.

To convert: Salt (g) = Sodium (g) × 2.5. So 2g sodium = 5g salt.

Food labels in Australia show sodium per 100g and per serve. The daily target is less than 2,000mg sodium (= 5g salt). Use our converter →

No. Sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, rock salt, and table salt all contain roughly the same amount of sodium by weight. The trace minerals in sea salt and Himalayan salt are present in amounts too small to have any health benefit. Your body cannot tell the difference. If you use salt, use less of whichever type you prefer.

Very rarely. Sodium is essential — your body needs about 460–920mg per day to function. But the average diet provides far more than this without adding any salt. Low sodium (hyponatraemia) is almost always caused by a medical condition or medication, not by eating too little salt. If your doctor has told you to restrict salt, follow their advice — your healthcare provider knows your individual situation.

Sister tool

Checking a real packet? Try FoodLabelReader →

Scan or paste a label and get the sodium content decoded automatically — including hidden names like "sodium caseinate" and additive codes. Free, no install.