How Much Salt Per Day Is Healthy?

The human body needs a certain amount of salt to function. However, a certain upper limit per day should not be exceeded for salt intake. On average, we consume around 6.5 to 9 g of salt per day, but the recommended daily amount is a maximum of 6 g – this corresponds to about the amount of a level teaspoon.

Long-term excessive salt consumption can lead to cardiovascular disorders and high blood pressure, which is why the DASH diet, which lowers blood pressure, relies on a low salt intake. The kidneys can also be affected because they are designed to manage salt carefully instead of excreting excess amounts. The “hidden” salt in industrially processed food and ready-made products is usually more problematic than seasoning home-cooked dishes with a salt shaker, since too large amounts of the seasoning are often added here. The salt content of foods such as bread, cheese and other dairy products should not be underestimated either.

A healthy amount of salt ensures that the pressure in the blood and tissues is maintained and that water and nutrients are distributed correctly in the human body. It is also involved in the transmission of signals from one nerve cell to the next. The sodium contained in table salt is also required by the transport cells in the intestine, liver, and kidneys to bind and transport nutrients.

In order to reduce your daily salt intake, you should use ready-made meals as little as possible and use fresh herbs and spices when you taste food.

Remember that salts are also lost through sweating. For example, if you do intensive sport at high temperatures and lose a lot of fluids in the process, you should make sure not only to drink enough, but also to replenish the lost salt.