How much salt per day?
Adults: no more than 6g of salt a day. That’s about a level teaspoon, or 2.4g of sodium. But you can skip the shaker and still go over. Most is already in your food.
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How much salt per day can an adult have?
The NHS says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day. That’s around 1 level teaspoon. That’s 2.4g of sodium.
It counts every bit of salt: what’s already in your food, plus what you add while cooking or at the table. The limit is the same for men and women.
Think of 6g as a daily budget. Toast, cereal and a ham sandwich all spend from it before you pick up the salt shaker.
Why keep to it? Too much salt can cause high blood pressure. That raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- Below 5 gWithin NHS and WHO advice.
- 5 up to 6 gWithin the NHS limit.
- Above 6 gOver the NHS limit for adults.
The World Health Organization sets a lower bar: less than 5g of salt a day for adults. The UK limit is 6g.
Your first step: look at the salt line on the packs you eat most often.
How much sodium per day is that?
No more than 2.4g, which is 2,400mg. The BHF gives this as the daily sodium limit.
Sodium is the part of salt that raises blood pressure. Some labels, often on imported food, list sodium instead of salt.
To turn sodium into salt, multiply by 2.5. A label with 0.4g of sodium has 1g of salt.
| Label colour | Salt per 100g | Sodium per 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Green (low) | 0.3g or less | 0.1g or less |
| Amber (medium) | More than 0.3g, up to 1.5g | More than 0.1g, up to 0.6g |
| Red (high) | More than 1.5g | More than 0.6g |
Sources: NHS; Blood Pressure UK
Drinks use different rules. For food, pick more greens and ambers. Any red means eat it less often and in small amounts.
How much salt do we actually eat?
About 8.4g a day. That’s the average for adults aged 19 to 64 in England, from a national survey that tested 24-hour urine.
In that survey, 69% of the estimates were over 6g. Men averaged more than women.
Sources: NDNS 2018/19; NHS
So where does it come from? Around three quarters is in food you buy, such as bread, breakfast cereals, meat products and ready meals. Takeaways and café meals add more.
Three quarters of 8.4g is about 6.3g. That alone is over the whole limit.
That’s the salt already in your food. It’s why skipping the shaker isn’t enough.
Brands differ a lot. Blood Pressure UK found two similar loaves: one had 1g of salt per slice, the other half that. So compare labels on the bread and cereal you buy every week.
Recommended salt and sodium intake by age
| Age | Salt (NHS) | Sodium (salt ÷ 2.5) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 and over | No more than 6g | No more than 2.4g |
| 7 to 10 | No more than 5g | No more than 2g |
| 4 to 6 | No more than 3g | No more than 1.2g |
| 1 to 3 | No more than 2g | No more than 0.8g |
| Under 1 | Less than 1g | Less than 0.4g |
Babies shouldn’t have much salt, as their kidneys can’t yet process it.
Packing a child’s lunch? Bread, ham and cheese all spend from a smaller budget, so check the labels.
How to cut down on salt
Six NHS ways to eat less salt
- Flavour food with herbs, spices, black pepper, garlic, chilli or lemon juice instead of salt.
- Taste your food before you add any salt, and keep salt off the table.
- Buy tinned vegetables, pulses or fish in water, not brine.
- Try low or reduced-salt soy sauce, stock cubes and sauces.
- Have cured meats and fish, cheese, olives and pickles less often or in small amounts.
- Snack on plain rice cakes, fruit, vegetable sticks or unsalted nuts.
Source: NHS: salt in your diet
Food may taste bland at first. Blood Pressure UK says your taste buds adjust after a few weeks.
It’s worth it. In a review of trials, eating about 4.4g less salt a day lowered blood pressure a little on average. It fell more in people with high blood pressure.
Pink salt and rock salt are no healthier than table salt, says the BHF.
Low-sodium salt swaps swap some of the salt for potassium, another mineral. NICE says they shouldn’t be used by older people, pregnant women, people with diabetes or kidney disease, or people on some blood pressure tablets. See salt substitute safety.
Some dissolving tablets, such as painkillers, vitamins or prescription medicines, may be high in salt. Speak to your GP before changing any medicine. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine without your prescriber.
When to speak to a GP
High blood pressure does not usually cause symptoms, and a diet high in salt makes it more likely. Get help if:
- You’re 40 or over and haven’t had your blood pressure checked for more than 5 years, or you think you may be at risk. A pharmacy or GP surgery can check it.
- Your reading is 140/90 or higher at the surgery, or 135/85 or higher at home. That usually counts as high blood pressure.
- You often get headaches or blurred vision, have chest pain that comes and goes, or have other symptoms you’re worried could be caused by high blood pressure. Call NHS 111.
- You get sudden chest pain or discomfort that doesn’t go away, pain spreading to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headed or short of breath. Call 999.
Checking at home? See how to measure blood pressure at home and what a normal reading is.
Sodium on a blood test is a different thing from the salt you eat. See sodium blood test results.