# Use less salt across the day

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://healthy100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://healthy100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://healthy100.jock.pl/reduce-salt/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-27
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-28, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 8 of 100 in the list: https://healthy100.jock.pl/#reduce-salt

Lower sodium intake helps lower blood pressure and cardiovascular risk.

**The number:** Less than 5 g of salt daily from all sources ([WHO, 2026](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sodium-reduction))

## The evidence

- Evidence grade: A. Grade A: meta-analyses of randomised trials, or a major guideline consensus.
- Basis: WHO sodium reduction guidance and NIH dietary recommendations
- Outcome: adult total salt intake, stay below this amount
- Comparison: WHO guidance, including salt already in food
- Impact: 84/100. The impact score is an editorial prioritization heuristic for the general list, not a validated estimate of your personal risk.

## Why it matters

Excess sodium raises blood pressure, which damages blood vessels over time. WHO's current adult target is less than 5 g of salt per day, counting salt already in food. Reducing salty sauces and packaged foods often matters more than removing the salt shaker.

## How to do it

1. Compare salt or sodium labels on similar foods.
2. Use herbs, spices, garlic or lemon to flavor meals.
3. Choose lower salt stock, sauces and canned foods.
4. Taste food before adding salt and reduce added salt gradually.

## Talk to a clinician first

Potassium based salt substitutes need clinical advice if you have kidney disease or take medicines that raise potassium.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Name the salty sauce you use most and pick its replacement for your next meal: lemon, garlic, pepper or herbs.
- 5 minutes: Compare the salt content of two similar foods per 100 g, using packets or online labels; choose the lower salt option.
- 15 minutes: Check your usual bread, sauce and stock labels. Put one lower salt replacement on your next shopping list.
- 30 minutes: Prepare a familiar meal with herbs, garlic or lemon in place of some salty sauce; taste before adding salt.

### What it looks like

- Flavor vegetables with garlic and lemon instead of a salty stock cube.
- Choose canned beans in water instead of brine.
- Compare two sauces and choose the one with less salt per 100 g.

### Common mistakes

- Do not count only salt you add: check bread, sauces and ready meals too.
- Do not automatically use potassium salt substitutes: ask a clinician first if you have kidney disease or take relevant medicines.

### A structured start

**Reduce salt without losing flavor**

1. Week 1: Replace one frequently used sauce or stock with a lower salt version.
2. Week 2: Taste meals before salting and try a herb or spice you like.
3. Week 3: Check another staple, then keep the changes that work.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Salt in your diet](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/salt-in-your-diet/), NHS
- [Food labels](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/how-to-read-food-labels/), NHS

## In Germany

In Germany, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) gives an orientation value of up to 6 g of salt a day, about one teaspoon.

[Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung](https://www.dge.de/gesunde-ernaehrung/faq/speisesalz/), checked 2026-09-28

## In Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the Health Council advises adults to eat no more than 6 g of salt a day.

[Voedingscentrum](https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/encyclopedie/zout-en-natrium.aspx), checked 2026-09-28

## Sources

- [Sodium reduction](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sodium-reduction), WHO, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Heart Healthy Living: Choose Heart Healthy Foods](https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-healthy-living/healthy-foods), NIH NHLBI, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Healthy diet](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet), WHO, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)

---

General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.

Report an error: meet@jock.pl

Reuse: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/