The typical American diet is very high in sodium and the majority of the sodium does not come from the salt shaker, but rather from processed and restaurant foods. Foods that don’t even taste salty can still have very high sodium content. The average amount of sodium in the American diet is around 4,000 mg and sometimes much higher.

So what is a good amount of sodium? Many physicians and health authorities think a better level of sodium in the diet is around 2,400 mg per day. People with severe heart disease may have a further sodium restriction of 1,000 mg a day which can be a real challenge. Excess sodium is thought to increase blood pressure and contribute to cardiovascular disease.

At BistroMD, we work very diligently to limit the amount of sodium in our meals while still keeping them moist and tasty. We recommend you add salt (or a salt substitute) to our lower-sodium entrees rather than having high amounts in the food that you cannot adjust.