If you’re craving chips, takeout, or all things salty, you’re definitely not alone. But while your body needs some sodium to keep fluids balanced and your baby-to-be growing strong, too much can leave you feeling extra puffy and may raise your risk of high blood pressure. The tricky part? A lot of sodium hides in everyday foods that don’t even taste super salty. Here’s how to spot the sneaky sources — and find the right balance during pregnancy.
By paying attention to what you eat, you can keep your sodium intake on track. Here's what to watch for so you're getting the right amount while expecting (and beyond).
Why do I need sodium during pregnancy?
Sodium is a chemical element that helps regulate your body's fluid levels, temperature, and pH balance. Sodium is added to many foods and is one of the two elements (the other being chlorine) that make up table salt (aka sodium chloride).
Without enough sodium, your muscles, nerves, and organs wouldn’t function like they should. We need it — but only in the right amounts.
During pregnancy, your body’s volume of blood and other fluids increases — and sodium helps keep everything in balance. Monitoring your sodium intake is especially important if you're suffering from severe morning sickness or hyperemesis gravidarum. You'll need more fluids and electrolytes — including sodium — to prevent dehydration.
On top of that, iodine, which is added to some table salts, is critical for your baby’s brain and nervous system development. While iodine deficiency is rare in the United States, too little of this important mineral during pregnancy can cause serious problems, including miscarriage or abnormal brain development.
How much salt should you consume during pregnancy?
The American Heart Association recommends adults consume no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day, with an ideal target of less than 1,500 mg. The same guidelines apply during pregnancy.[1]
But because sodium is found in all sorts of prepared and packaged foods, most Americans still consume too much — more than 3,300 mg daily on average.
Keep track of your diet, appointments, weight, and other important pregnancy data in the My Journal section of our free What to Expect app.
Why is too much salt unhealthy?
Even before you were pregnant, you likely felt the side effects of too much sodium. Think about a time you ate a super-salty meal and felt overly full or bloated. That feeling happens because your body holds onto extra water to help flush out the excess sodium.
Swelling of the face, hands, legs, ankles, and feet — called edema — is already a very common pregnancy symptom. But overdoing the salt in your diet could kick edema into overdrive.
Beyond bloating and discomfort, too much sodium can contribute to serious health issues. Here’s how: Regularly consuming excess sodium causes your body to retain too much water, which increases the pressure of blood pumping through your veins and arteries.
Over time, that added strain can lead to high blood pressure, which raises the risk of stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, stomach cancer, and osteoporosis.
The tricky part is that most excess sodium comes not from the salt shaker, but from processed and restaurant foods where you might not expect it.
What are the sneaky places where salt is hiding?
You may already know that processed foods like canned soups and frozen dinners contain significant amounts of sodium, but these high-sodium sources may surprise you:
- Bread: One slice of white bread has almost 150 mg of sodium. That may not seem like much, but when you add up a bagel for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and a roll at dinner — the sodium can add up quickly.
- Condiments: What you put on your food can greatly affect your sodium intake, too. One tablespoon of ketchup has 154 mg of sodium, a tablespoon of barbecue sauce has 175 mg, a tablespoon of relish has 164 mg, and a tablespoon of soy sauce has a whopping 1,005 mg of sodium. Bottled salad dressings can also be high in sodium: Caesar has 178 mg, Italian 146 mg, and French dressing has 134 mg per tablespoon.
- Cereal: Your morning bowl of cereal may taste more sweet than salty, but some cereals are surprisingly salty. For instance, corn flakes contain 204 mg of sodium per one-cup serving. Individual servings of flavored oatmeal and instant grits can pack in sodium, too. A packet of maple and brown sugar oatmeal has 260 mg, and a packet of butter-flavored instant grits contains 340 mg.
- Sweet drinks: You wouldn't think that salt would be high on the list of ingredients for sugary drinks, but sometimes it is. Sixteen ounces of hot cocoa mix prepared with water has 280 mg. And because sodium is an electrolyte, some canned energy drinks can contain significant amounts of sodium, too.
You don't need to cut out these foods completely during pregnancy, but it's smart to keep their sodium content in mind when planning your meals and snacks.
"Sometimes, things that seem healthy have way more sodium than expected," says What to Expect Community member EdwardAllen. "I started using upfscan to check the sodium content in packaged foods before buying them, and it's been super helpful."
What are some healthier sources of sodium?
Sodium is found in most foods. Healthy natural sources include:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Milk
- Eggs
- Plain yogurt
- Fish
- Poultry
- Grains
- Unsalted nuts
Whenever possible, choose fresh foods over processed options. And try not to be too heavy-handed with the salt shaker, either while cooking or at the table. When buying table salt, choose iodized salt (rather than sea salt) to help meet your iodine needs during pregnancy.
How can I cut back on sodium?
If you're looking to reduce your sodium intake, these changes can help:
- Cook at home. Food cooked at home typically has less salt than processed foods and snacks or restaurant meals.
- Use less salt when cooking. Even though most sodium comes from processed foods, you can further lower your intake by cutting back on cooking salt. Flavor foods with spices, herbs, lemon, or other salt-free seasonings instead.
- Choose fresh snacks. Reach for fruit, vegetables, unsalted nuts, and yogurt instead of salty packaged treats.
- Read nutrition labels. Even foods that don’t taste salty can contain surprising amounts of sodium. Take the time to check out the nutrition label to see just how much salt is in a product.
While your body needs sodium to support a healthy pregnancy, most people get far more than they need — often without realizing it. Paying attention to packaged and restaurant foods, reading nutrition labels and choosing more fresh ingredients can help you keep your sodium intake in a healthy range. The goal isn’t to cut out salt completely, but to strike the right balance for both you and your growing baby.
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