Daily Intake of Sodium

Average Intake

In today’s hustle and bustle world, women juggle the responsibilities of work and home. Gone are the days of preparing and eating leisurely dinners together as a family. Women seek out meals that are quick and easy to prepare, or they opt to eat on the go, which means frequenting fast food establishments. A diet full of processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants provides an average sodium intake considerably higher than the recommendation. In fact, the average American consumes 3,436 milligrams of sodium per day, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Adequate Intake

The human body requires between 180 and 500 milligrams of sodium per day to support daily functions. Your body loses sodium through perspiration, and the kidneys naturally filter excess sodium from the blood to the urine. For these reasons, The Institute of Medicine sets the adequate intake, the amount of the nutrient expected to meet or exceed the needs for the majority of healthy people within a specific life-stage and gender group, higher than the amount the body requires. Women ages 14 to 50 should consume 1,500 milligrams a day, women ages 51 to 70 need 1,300 milligrams and women over 70 require 1,200 milligrams.

Tolerable Upper Level Intake

For those who consume closer to the average daily intake of more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day, cutting consumption to 1,500 milligrams seems like a daunting task. The good news is that the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans specify that only certain people, including those over 51 years of age or of African American decent and those with hypertension, diabetes or kidney disease, need to limit their intake to 1,500 milligrams or less per day. All others can consume up to the tolerable upper intake level set at 2,300 milligrams per day. The tolerable upper intake level represents the highest amount of the nutrient likely to pose no adverse effects.

Cut the Salt

Many foods, including fruits and vegetables, naturally contain sodium. Salting food while cooking or at the table also contributes to your intake because 1 teaspoon of table salt contains 2,000 milligrams of sodium. The major culprit of excess sodium, however, is hidden in the box, can or frozen food that you reach for when preparing that quick meal. If you need to get a handle on your daily intake of sodium, start by reading the nutrition labels on the foods you purchase. Look for ingredients like monosodium glutamate, baking soda, disodium phosphate, sodium alginate and sodium nitrate. Also, beware about claims on packages, because the ones that claim reduced sodium contain 25 percent less than the regular version, which can still be a lot of sodium.