What Should You Eat If Your Sodium Is Low? A Dietary Guide

October 16, 2025 •

4 min read

Hyponatremia, a condition characterized by low blood sodium, can cause symptoms like headache, fatigue, and muscle cramps. Understanding what should you eat if your sodium is low is a key step toward managing this condition and supporting overall health, often under medical guidance.

Quick Summary

Managing low sodium levels involves adjusting your diet to include specific high-sodium foods. This guide explores which processed items, dairy, sauces, and snacks can help raise your sodium, along with balancing fluid intake and recognizing when to consult a medical professional.

Key Points

Incorporate Processed Meats: Add cured meats like bacon and deli slices to your diet to increase sodium levels.
Choose Salty Snacks: Snacking on salted nuts, pretzels, or crackers is a quick and easy way to boost sodium intake.
Enhance with Sauces: Use condiments like soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and salty dressings to add a significant amount of sodium to your meals.
Opt for Canned Items: Select canned soups, broths, and fish, which are typically high in sodium for preservation.
Consider Electrolyte Drinks: For athletes or those losing significant fluids, sports drinks can help replenish lost sodium and other electrolytes.
Consult a Professional: Always seek medical advice before significantly altering your sodium intake, especially if you have a diagnosed condition.

Understanding Hyponatremia: The Dangers of Low Sodium

Hyponatremia is a serious condition where blood sodium levels fall too low, often due to a combination of underlying medical issues, certain medications, or simply excessive water intake. Symptoms can range from mild, such as headache and nausea, to severe, including confusion, seizures, and even coma. While a balanced intake of sodium is crucial for everyone, individuals with a diagnosed deficiency must take specific dietary steps to address their needs, always under the supervision of a healthcare professional. The average American diet often contains high levels of sodium, but those with specific health conditions or endurance athletes who sweat excessively and overhydrate with plain water are at risk.

High-Sodium Foods to Incorporate into Your Diet

For those needing to raise their sodium intake, focusing on certain foods can be an effective strategy. It's important to choose options that align with your overall health needs and medical advice. High-sodium foods are frequently processed, meaning they've had salt added for flavor and preservation.

Processed and Cured Meats

Cold cuts and deli meats: Items like bacon, ham, and sausages are packed with sodium due to the curing and processing involved.
Canned meats and fish: Sardines, anchovies, and other canned fish products often contain high levels of added salt.

Cheeses and Dairy Products

Cheeses: Many types of cheese are naturally high in sodium, including cheddar, feta, and parmesan.
Cottage cheese: This dairy product can be a significant source of sodium, depending on the brand and preparation.

Canned and Prepared Soups and Sauces

Canned soups and broths: These are notorious for their high sodium content, with a single serving often containing a large percentage of the daily recommended intake.
Sauces and condiments: Soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, salad dressings, ketchup, and mustard are all great ways to add a sodium boost to meals.

Salty Snacks and Condiments

Salted nuts, chips, and crackers: These snack foods are easy and convenient sources of sodium.
Pretzels: Both hard and soft pretzels are a classic salty snack option.
Pickled vegetables: Items like pickles, sauerkraut, and olives are preserved using salt, making them a high-sodium addition to your diet.

Electrolyte Beverages

Sports drinks: Formulated with electrolytes like sodium, these can help restore levels, especially for athletes or those who have lost significant fluids through sweat.
Vegetable juice: Regular versions of vegetable juices, such as V-8, can be a surprisingly high source of sodium.

How to Balance Sodium Intake: Practical Dietary Strategies

Besides selecting specific high-sodium foods, there are other strategies to help increase your sodium intake. Combining these methods with foods high in natural sodium, like fresh seafood or eggs, can create a comprehensive approach.

Add salt generously during cooking: While a low-sodium diet might involve limiting added salt, a diet designed to increase sodium can benefit from adding salt to recipes.
Use salty seasonings: Beyond basic table salt, consider using seasoned salts, bouillon, or broth concentrates when cooking soups, stews, and sauces.
Enhance flavors with condiments: A simple splash of soy sauce or a dollop of salted dressing can significantly increase the sodium content of a meal.
Snack on salty items: Having a handful of salted nuts or a few pretzels throughout the day can be a simple way to increase overall intake.

Comparison of Sodium Sources

It's useful to compare sodium sources to understand how much is in different types of food. This table highlights how processed foods typically provide a much larger sodium boost than whole, unprocessed foods.


Food Type	Example	Typical Sodium Content	Notes
Highly Processed	1 cup canned chicken broth	869mg	Can vary widely by brand.
Processed Meat	75g salami	1,418mg	Content can be very high due to curing.
Salty Snacks	1 small pretzel	338mg	Easy way to add sodium, but often high in calories.
Dairy	50g Cheddar cheese	322mg	Adds flavor and sodium to many dishes.
Seasoning	1 tsp soy sauce	291mg (approx)	A little can go a long way.
Whole Food (Cooked)	2 large eggs	125mg (without added salt)	A moderate, natural source of sodium.
Whole Food (Fresh)	Unsalted vegetables/fruits	Very low	Provides vitamins and minerals with minimal sodium.

When to Seek Medical Guidance

While a dietary approach can be effective for mild cases of low sodium, it is crucial to consult a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment. This is especially true for chronic or severe hyponatremia. An electrolyte imbalance could be a sign of a more serious underlying health issue, such as kidney disease, heart failure, or certain hormonal imbalances.

A doctor can provide a proper diagnosis and recommend a safe and effective plan, which might include temporary fluid restriction, specific medication, or other therapies in addition to dietary changes. Relying solely on a high-sodium diet without addressing the root cause could be ineffective or even dangerous. For information on managing electrolyte disorders, including hyponatremia, the National Institutes of Health provides valuable resources.

Conclusion

For individuals experiencing low sodium levels, strategic dietary choices are essential. Focusing on a variety of high-sodium foods, from processed meats and cheeses to salty snacks and sauces, can help restore balance. However, it is imperative that these dietary changes are made in consultation with a medical professional to ensure they are safe and appropriate for your specific health needs. By combining targeted dietary adjustments with expert medical guidance, you can effectively manage low sodium and support your overall well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

Symptoms of low sodium, or hyponatremia, can include headache, fatigue, low energy, nausea, muscle cramps, confusion, and restlessness.

While adding salt to your food can help, it's crucial to consult a doctor. Simply adding salt may not address the underlying cause of your low sodium, and you risk over-correction if not properly monitored.

Yes, sports drinks contain electrolytes, including sodium, and can be helpful for athletes or individuals who lose significant sodium through sweat. However, they are not a substitute for medical advice.

Many cheeses are high in sodium, including cheddar, feta, and parmesan. Cottage cheese can also be a significant source, depending on the brand.

Regular canned vegetables and juices are often high in sodium, as salt is added during the canning process. Look for low-sodium or unsalted versions if you need to limit intake, or choose regular if you need to increase it.

If you have a medically diagnosed low sodium level, you should focus on eating foods rich in sodium. Foods low in sodium or sodium-free include most fresh fruits, unsalted vegetables, and whole grains cooked without salt.

While some salts like Himalayan or sea salt are marketed differently, they all contain sodium chloride. For the purpose of increasing dietary sodium, any salt can be effective.