How can I use food labels to choose seasonings that are low in sodium?
Reading food labels is a good way to learn whether foods contain sodium and how much sodium they contain. The ingredient list on the food label will tell you if the seasoning or food contains sodium. The food contains sodium if an ingredient has Na (symbol for sodium), salt, soda, or sodium in its name. Food labels list the amount of sodium in the food in milligrams (mg). Following are some words about sodium that may appear on a label and what they mean. Ask your caregiver for more information about how to read food labels. • Sodium free or salt free: Less than five mg in each serving. • Very low sodium: Thirty-five (35) mg of sodium or less in each serving. • Low sodium: One-hundred and forty (140) mg of sodium or less in each serving. • Reduced or less sodium: At least 25 percent less sodium in each serving. For example, a food may have 800 mg of sodium in each serving. The same food made with reduced sodium would contain 600 mg of sodium. • Light in sodium: Fifty (50) percent less
