Sodium in Kids’ Diets: What’s the Big Deal?

Salt is a micronutrient and electrolyte that plays a vital role in hydration, muscle contraction, nerve function, and overall fluid balance in the body. Too much or too little salt can be a cause for concern. High intake of salt over time can lead to certain health issues including cardiovascular disease, water retention (edema), and high blood pressure. However, too little salt can lead to dehydration, fatigue, and confusion. 

Contrary to popular belief, salt added to home cooked meals is not the only high source of salt in the American diet. Excess salt also comes from processed/ultra-processed foods and meals away from home (restaurants, fast food). Examples of specific foods that are typically high in salt are listed below. These foods also pose other health concerns other than their salt content. Most of the foods listed are either refined carbohydrates, ultra-processed, contain a high amount of saturated fat and/or have little to no fiber. These foods are very easy to eat in large amounts and therefore easy to eat too much salt.

Foods High in Salt

• Noodle (macaroni & cheese, ramen soup) and rice mixes

• Ready-to-eat cereals (more than 140 mg per serving)

• Canned vegetables and frozen vegetables with sauces

• Processed cheese

• Canned, smoked, or processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, deli meat)

• Sausage

• Some seasonings and spices (ketchup, soy sauce, onion/garlic/celery salt, seasoning packets or mixes

• TV dinners or frozen entrees

• Packaged lunches or pre-made lunch kits

• Canned soups, stews or chili

• Salted chips, pretzels, crackers or nuts

How much is too much? 

Most research has shown that Americans do not struggle with not getting enough salt, but rather too much. Most people consume over the Adequate Intake (AI) and Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intake recommendations. As mentioned earlier, one of the main contributors to excess salt intake is pre-packaged and ultra-processed foods. For children, an example of this would be pre-made lunch kits that can be purchased in the grocery store. Most lunch kits contain anywhere from around 450 mg- 700mg per serving/package. This would be about 56% -88% of a child’s recommended adequate intake of sodium for the day depending on their age (see chart below). 

The values listed in the chart are for healthy individuals and may differ from person to person. For example, if a child has a high activity level they may need more salt due to losing salt from sweat. There are also other things to consider when it comes to the amount of salt a child should eat so it is important to talk with your health care provider.

Label Reading 

All foods in the store have a nutrition facts label that lists how much of each nutrient is provided in a particular food. The amount of salt in a product will be listed as ‘sodium’ on a nutrition label and ingredient list. When reading a nutrition label, it is important to note the serving size, number of servings, and finally the amount of sodium in a serving. 

In the nutrition label listed below, ½ cup serving size has 90 mg of sodium. If you were to eat 1 cup (2 servings), you would be eating 180 mg of sodium. When looking at nutrition labels, foods that have 250 to 500 mg of sodium are high sources of sodium and foods with more than 500 mg are considered very high sodium. 

Tips for Cooking

• Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasonings to season your food.

• Focus on eating foods that are in their natural state (ex. fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables).

• Choose “no sodium added” canned goods if able, or rinse canned goods to remove some of the sodium.

• Limit pre-packaged foods, mixes, canned soups and frozen meals as these can have high amounts of sodium.