What it is
Sodium keeps your fluid balance and nerve signals running, working as a pair with potassium. Nobody needs to chase it — the modern problem runs entirely the other way.
How much
Common guidance caps sodium around 2000–2300 mg a day (a teaspoon of salt, all-in). Higher intakes make sense for heavy sweaters — long training in heat genuinely changes the math — while people managing blood pressure may be given stricter numbers that override any general guideline.
How well it's tracked
Very well — sodium is on virtually every label and stored with every diary entry, making it one of the most trustworthy lines in your data. One systematic gap: salt added by hand at the table or stove goes uncounted unless you log it.
Too much, too little
Chronically high sodium is a lever on blood pressure — the reason the guideline exists. Too little is vanishingly rare from diet; acute cases come from extreme sweating plus water without electrolytes, not from skipping the salt shaker.
Food sources
Here's the useful surprise: most sodium isn't from your salt shaker — it's from processed and restaurant food. Bread, cheese, cured meats, sauces, soups, and takeout do the accumulating quietly.
In the app
Sodium's card in Insights is where top contributors shines brightest — the day's biggest source is rarely the food you'd guess. Set a custom ceiling if you're working to a prescribed limit.