Low-Sodium Diet Guidelines
Sodium is a mineral found in many foods that helps keep normal fluids balanced in the human body. However, most people eat foods containing more sodium than they need, including some foods that contain high amounts even though they do not taste “salty.”
Dietary levels of sodium are important for people with a history of urinary stones because the excretion of calcium (a constituent of many stones) in the urine is directly related to sodium excretion. Moreover, sodium restriction reduces urinary calcium excretion.
Therefore, we recommend that your sodium intake should be less than 2 grams a day. This means more than just eliminating the salt shaker, and it is important to keep a record of the amount of sodium that you consume every day.
Comparison of Sodium in Common Foods:
Food Serving Amount of sodium
(in milligrams)
Shrimp 3 oz 190
T-bone steak 3.5 oz 66
Canned tuna 3 oz 300
American cheese 1 oz 443
Low-fat cottage cheese 1 cup 918
Milk, skim or 1% 1 cup 125
Plain yogurt 1 cup 115
Green beans 1 cup 4
Cooked broccoli ½ cup 20
Raw carrot 1 medium 25
Raw celery 1 stalk 35
Boiled corn ½ cup 14
Lettuce 1 leaf 2
Mushrooms (raw or cooked) ½ cup 1 – 2
Baked potato 1 7
Cooked spinach ½ cup 63
Tomato 1 small 11
Canned tomato juice ¾ cup 660
Bran flakes ¾ cup 220
Whole wheat bread 1 slice 159
White bread 1 slice 123
Instant cooked cereal 1 packet 250
Corn flakes 1 cup 290
Pancake 1 (7-inch round) 431
Canned soups 1 cup 600 – 1300
Frozen main dishes 8 oz 500 – 2570
Revised 10/8/2010 JMH
