Foods high in Sodium, Na

Sodium is different from most of the nutrients on this site: for the large majority of people, the practical goal is to limit intake, not to seek out more of it. Sodium is genuinely essential for fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contraction, but it is so abundant in processed and prepared foods, mainly as added salt, that most people in the United States already consume well above the recommended ceiling. Research has linked that excess intake to higher blood pressure and, over time, higher risk of cardiovascular disease. People with high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, or heart failure, along with Black adults and adults over 50, are commonly advised to be especially attentive to keeping sodium intake down, since they may be more sensitive to its effects. So read the list below as a caution list rather than a shopping list: it ranks foods and ingredients by how much sodium they contain per the amount analyzed, and the foods and ingredients at the top, such as table salt itself, bouillon, soy sauce, and other concentrated seasonings and condiments, are the ones worth eating in smaller amounts or less often, not ones to seek out more of. True sodium deficiency from diet alone is uncommon in healthy people, since sodium is already so widespread in the food supply.