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Most adults should take in less than 2,300 mg (~1 tsp of salt) of sodium per day and that’s combining the sodium content of everything you consume. Choose and prepare foods with little salt because meals/foods you purchase generally contain plenty of sodium. Also, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables to help blunt the adverse blood pressure effects of salt intake and reduce the risk of kidney stones.

People with hypertension, African Americans, and middle-aged and older adults should try to consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day, and do all you can to meet the potassium recommendation (4,700 mg/day) with food. Athletes need more sodium than others due to their sweat loses. The more you sweat, the more sodium is needed along with the fluids, which is why sports drinks contain sodium.