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Draft: not yet reviewed by a clinician

Use this page to prepare questions for your care team. It does not replace their advice. Your own targets and doses come from your nephrologist, diabetes team and renal dietitian.

Sodium

In short

Sodium holds water in the body. When the kidneys cannot get rid of it, the extra water raises blood pressure, causes swelling, increases protein in the urine and, on dialysis, makes you thirsty enough to break a fluid limit (KDOQI 2020; KDIGO 2024). Aim for under 2,000 mg a day at every stage. Most sodium comes from packaged and restaurant food, not the salt shaker. Salt substitutes contain potassium chloride and are not safe without your team's OK.

Your numbers

Starting points, not your prescription

These numbers are typical starting points from guidelines. Your nephrologist, diabetes team and renal dietitian set your own numbers from your blood tests, urine output and medicines, and change them as your labs change. If your lab report or your team says something different, they win.

Amount
Daily target under 2,000 mg sodium
1 teaspoon of table salt about 2,300 mg sodium
Average US intake about 3,400 mg a day
"Low sodium" on a label 140 mg or less per serving
A restaurant meal often 1,000–3,000 mg
Amount
Daily target under 2,000 mg sodium = under 90 mmol = under 5 g of salt
Salt on a UK or EU label salt (g) = sodium (g) × 2.5, so 1 g of salt has 400 mg sodium
1 teaspoon of table salt about 6 g of salt

Sources: KDIGO 2024 recommendation 3.3.2.1 and KDIGO 2022 (KDIGO 2024; KDIGO 2022); salt formula from EU regulation 1169/2011; teaspoon from FDC; US intake, label word and restaurant range from FDA, FDA claim definitions and Harvard Health. Some guidelines say under 2,300 mg (KDOQI 2020 statement 6.5.1; NIDDK; NKF on hemodialysis) (KDOQI 2020; NIDDK; NKF). The app uses 2,000 mg.

Why it works. In trials lasting up to 36 weeks, eating less sodium lowered blood pressure and albumin in the urine in people with CKD (KDIGO 2024). On hemodialysis, salt is the main driver of thirst, so it decides how much fluid you gain between sessions (DaVita; Fluid).

Where it comes from. More than 70 % of the sodium people eat comes from packaged and prepared food (FDA). The top sources in the US include deli-meat sandwiches, pizza, burritos and tacos, soups, savory snacks, poultry, pasta dishes, burgers and egg dishes (FDA). Your taste for salt fades over time as you eat less, "so eventually, you may not even miss it" (FDA).

Reading the label

On the label Means
5 % DV or less (115 mg or less) low
20 % DV or more (460 mg or more) high
"Sodium-free" under 5 mg per serving
"Very low sodium" 35 mg or less
"Low sodium" 140 mg or less
"Reduced sodium" 25 % less than the original, which can still be a lot

(FDA; FDA claim definitions; NIDDK.) NKF's rule of thumb: 240 mg or less per serving, and fewer milligrams of sodium than calories (NKF label guide). The label's Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg, more than your target. Outside the US, labels list salt: divide by 2.5 to get sodium (EU regulation 1169/2011).

Salt substitutes

"NoSalt", "Nu-Salt", "Lite Salt", "half salt" and many "low-sodium" soups and broths are made with potassium chloride. NoSalt lists 640 mg potassium per ¼ teaspoon, and its label tells people with diabetes or kidney disease to ask a doctor first; Nu-Salt lists 530 mg per labeled serving (NoSalt and Nu-Salt labels). Morton Lite Salt is half salt: 350 mg potassium plus 290 mg sodium per ¼ teaspoon, with a label warning against use on sodium- or potassium-restricted diets without a doctor's approval (Morton Lite Salt label). NKF lists salt substitutes and lite salt among high-potassium foods (NKF). Potassium from potassium chloride is about 90 % absorbed, far more than the potassium in fruit (KDIGO 2024). Kidney groups have opposed allowing potassium-chloride salt substitutes in standard foods for this reason (AAKP letter). NIDDK suggests spices, herbs and sodium-free seasonings instead (NIDDK); lemon and vinegar work too. Use garlic powder, not garlic salt.

What to do

  • Cook at home more often, from fresh food.
  • Take the salt shaker off the table; season with herbs, spices, pepper, lemon and vinegar.
  • Use a salt-free blend only if its label does not list potassium chloride.
  • Check the label: 140 mg or less per serving is "low sodium"; 460 mg or more is high.
  • Rinse canned vegetables, beans and tuna, and choose "no salt added" versions (FDA).
  • Cook rice, pasta and vegetables without salt.
  • Go easy on sauces: soy sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, gravy and bouillon cubes.
  • When eating out, ask for "no salt, please" and sauces on the side (Eating out).

Examples

Food Serving Sodium
Ramen noodles 1 packet 1,503 mg
Bouillon cube 1 864 mg
Soy sauce 1 tbsp 690–879 mg
Canned chicken noodle soup 1 cup 831 mg
Deli ham or turkey 2 oz 512–539 mg
Pretzels, salted / unsalted 1 oz 347 / 71 mg
White bread 1 slice 142 mg
Turkey breast you roast yourself 3 oz 84 mg

From the app's USDA-based food list and the diet guide's lists (FDC; Food lists).

One day, two ways (FDC; the recipes' own checked numbers):

Meal Packaged version Sodium Home version Sodium
Breakfast Egg, cheese and Canadian bacon English muffin 777 mg 2 egg whites scrambled, 1 slice toast, unsalted butter 254 mg
Lunch Canned chicken noodle soup, 1 cup, with 5 saltines 972 mg Home-made chicken noodle soup, 1½ cups, with 5 saltines 270 mg
Dinner Frozen cheese pizza, 2 slices 724 mg Lemon-garlic chicken with rice 68 mg
Snack Salted pretzels, 1 oz 347 mg Air-popped popcorn, 3 cups 2 mg
Day about 2,800 mg about 600 mg

The home day leaves well over 1,000 mg for bread, condiments and the foods you love.

In the app

The app marks a single food "medium" at 141–400 mg of sodium and "high" above 400 mg, and shows your day against your sodium target (architecture contract). Save a low-sodium meal you like as a meal so you can log it in one tap (Planning and menus).

Ask your care team

  1. Is my target under 2,000 mg or under 2,300 mg?
  2. Is my blood pressure where you want it? Should I check it at home?
  3. Is any salt substitute safe for me? (Usually the answer is no.)
  4. On dialysis: how much is my thirst affecting my fluid gains?

Get help now if…

Call 911 (or your local emergency number)

You are suddenly very short of breath, cannot lie flat, have a frothy cough or chest pain. These can be signs of fluid overload.

Call your care team today

New swelling of your legs or face, much less urine, or weight gain above your team's alarm number. Full list: Get help now.

Sources

Not yet reviewed by a clinician. Facts and sources last checked 2026-10-06.