75% of Americans Want Less Sodium in Processed and Restaurant Foods Infographic
On average, Americans eat more than 3,400 mg of sodium daily, but 97% do not know or underestimate their intake.
Americans estimate their sodium consumption per day at:
- Do not know - 35%
- 500mg - 12%
- 1,000mg - 17%
- 1,500mg - 14%
- 2,000mg - 11%
- 2,500mg - 5%
- 3,000mg - 3%
- 3,500mg - 2% (average intake)
- 4,000mg - 1%
Americans’ sodium intake comes from*:
- Processed and restaurant foods 77%
- Naturally occurring 12%
- Added while eating 6%
- Added while cooking 5%
58% have tried to reduce the amount of sodium in their diet.
57% want more choice or control over the sodium content in their food.
56% think the government should play a role in reducing sodium in foods by setting mandatory (31%) or voluntary (25%) limits
21% incorrectly believe that there are already limits on how much sodium can be added to processed foods
15% incorrectly believe there are already limits for restaurant foods
Heart.org/sodium
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Results from an American Heart Association survey of 1,000 U.S. adults in November 2013 *Mattes and Donnelly, J Am Coll Nutr. 1991; 10:383-393
