Avoid Salt guide
Sources and editorial standards
Avoid Salt uses authoritative public-health, regulatory and food-composition sources for factual health and nutrition statements. Calculator arithmetic is kept transparent so visitors can distinguish sourced guidance from mathematical output.
Primary sources
Core references include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and American Heart Association. USDA FoodData Central is the preferred basis for future food-composition datasets.
How we handle different reference values
Different organizations publish different population-level reference values. Avoid Salt identifies the organization and number rather than blending them into one supposedly universal target.
How calculator outputs are separated from medical guidance
Calculators perform arithmetic on values entered by the visitor or clearly identified public references. They do not diagnose conditions or determine an individualized sodium prescription.
How food and ingredient data are handled
Ingredient tools identify documented sodium-containing terms but do not infer unknown ingredient quantities. Future food-comparison datasets should record the food source, serving basis and verification date so that values can be reviewed when databases or formulations change.
Verification dates
Important changing claims have a recorded source, URL, supported claim and verification date. Verification dates reflect actual checks rather than artificial freshness updates.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The Daily Value for sodium on U.S. Nutrition Facts labels is 2,300 mg. FDA guidance describes 5% Daily Value or less per serving as low and 20% or more as high.
Verified 2026-08-10 - U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA consumer guidance explains sodium sources, serving-size arithmetic, sodium-containing additives and common sodium nutrient-content claims.
Verified 2026-08-10 - U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA regulates nutrient-content claims such as sodium-free, low sodium, reduced sodium and related comparative claims.
Verified 2026-08-10 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The body needs a small amount of sodium; excess sodium can raise blood pressure; most U.S. sodium intake comes from packaged and restaurant foods; federal guidance recommends less than 2,300 mg daily for teens and adults.
Verified 2026-08-10 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC recommends comparing labels, choosing lower-sodium options, preparing foods from basic ingredients when practical and asking for nutrition information or less added salt when eating out.
Verified 2026-08-10 - World Health Organization
WHO recommends adults consume less than 2,000 mg sodium per day, equivalent to less than 5 g salt per day.
Verified 2026-08-10 - American Heart Association
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg sodium per day and an optimal goal of no more than 1,500 mg for most adults.
Verified 2026-08-10 - USDA FoodData Central
FoodData Central is USDA's food-composition data system. Avoid Salt's local food explorer uses sodium values from the April 2026 Foundation Foods release, normalizes the displayed comparison basis to milligrams per 100 grams and preserves FoodData Central record identifiers for traceability.
Verified 2026-08-14