How close are you to Health Canada’s sodium ceiling?
Add up the high-sodium foods you eat in a typical day and compare against the 1,500 mg AI and 2,300 mg chronic-disease ceiling. Informational reference, not a personal target.
~2,760 mg/day — average Canadian intake (Statistics Canada CCHS)
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Informational only — not a prescription
UnityLife is a lifestyle publication, not a medical one. The Health Canada references are population-level guidance, not personal targets. People with hypertension, heart failure, kidney disease, or who take diuretics or certain other medications need individualised sodium guidance from a clinician or registered dietitian. Athletes who sweat heavily (especially in summer) often need more sodium than the AI, not less.
Source: Health Canada — Sodium in Canada (2017 update). Per-food values are average figures from the Canadian Nutrient File and published industry tables; real-world content varies considerably by brand and recipe.
The two numbers that matter
Health Canada uses two reference values for sodium in healthy adults:
Adequate Intake (AI): 1,500 mg/day — the amount considered sufficient for most healthy adults.
Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR): 2,300 mg/day — above this level, reducing intake is associated with reduced risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
The average Canadian adult eats roughly 2,760 mg/day per Statistics Canada’s national nutrition survey — well above the chronic-disease ceiling.
Where it actually comes from
Roughly three-quarters of dietary sodium in Canada doesn’t come from a salt shaker — it comes baked into packaged foods, restaurant meals, and condiments. The Canadian government’s industry-wide sodium-reduction targets focus on bread, processed meats, cheese, canned soups, frozen entrees and condiments because those categories dominate population intake.
What this isn’t
People with hypertension, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, or who take loop or thiazide diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or aldosterone antagonists need individualised sodium guidance from their clinician or registered Canadian dietitian. Some patients benefit from reductions well below the AI; others (e.g. patients on certain heart-failure regimens) can be at risk of hyponatraemia if they go too low.
Athletes losing > 1 L of sweat per training session in summer often need more sodium than the population AI, not less, especially during prolonged endurance activity.
This tool is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a licensed Canadian healthcare professional. Read our full disclaimer.