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Health TopicsWellnessNutrition and Weight Loss
question

What do low-sodium or sodium-free food labels mean?

American Diabetes Association
American Diabetes Association
answer
  • Low-sodium foods contain 140 milligrams or less of ­sodium per serving and per 100 grams of food. Ordinary table salt (sodium chloride) is not the only source of ­sodium. It is also found in monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and sodium nitrate and occurs naturally in some foods.
  • Very low sodium means that a food contains 35 milligrams or less of sodium per serving and per 100 grams of food.
  • Sodium free or salt free items have less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving.
  • Light in salt means that the food has 50% less ­sodium than the regular version.  

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