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Low-Sodium Restaurant Orders: How to Eat Out With High Blood Pressure

For low-sodium restaurant orders, choose grilled or steamed food with no added salt and sauce on the side. Chain soups run 910-1,290 mg, so pick carefully.

Reviewed by Menu Scan Editorial TeamLast reviewed 10 min read

Published

The short answer

To eat out on a low-sodium diet, order simply prepared fresh food (grilled, roasted or steamed) and ask for no added salt with sauces and dressings on the side. Limit the saltiest categories: soups, cured meats, pizza, sandwiches and soy-based sauces. Most adults should stay under 2,300 mg of sodium a day, and the American Heart Association's ideal limit is 1,500 mg, so check chain nutrition info when it's available.

Your doctor just told you to cut back on salt. You've stopped using the shaker, you read the labels at the grocery store, and then Friday comes around and someone suggests ramen, pizza or the sandwich place down the street. Suddenly you have no idea how much sodium is on your plate, and the menu doesn't say.

You don't have to give up eating out. You just need to know where restaurant sodium hides and a few simple ways to ask for less of it. Here's a practical guide, based on what the research and health agencies actually say.

How much sodium should you eat in a day?#

Most adults should eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, and many people with high blood pressure benefit from aiming lower. The FDA sets the limit at less than 2,300 mg per day for people 14 and older, which is about one teaspoon of table salt. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg and moving toward an ideal limit of 1,500 mg for most adults.

Meanwhile, the average American eats about 3,400 mg a day, according to the FDA, and around 90% of people go over the recommended limit.

Why it matters: in the landmark DASH-Sodium trial, cutting sodium lowered blood pressure in people with and without hypertension. Combined with the DASH eating pattern, a low-sodium diet lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 11.5 mm Hg in participants with hypertension, compared with a typical high-sodium American diet.

If you have high blood pressure, heart failure or kidney disease, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about the right target for you. Your number may be different.

Why is restaurant food so salty?#

Because salt is cheap, it makes food taste good, and it's added at almost every step before your plate reaches the table. A 2017 study in Circulation tracked 450 adults in three U.S. regions and found that about 71% of their sodium came from salt added to food outside the home, in commercial processing and restaurants. Salt added while cooking at home was only about 5.6%, and salt from the shaker at the table about 4.9%.

That means the shaker isn't the problem. The kitchen is. Salt goes in at every stage: brines, stocks, sauces, bread, cheese and finishing salt.

Portions make it worse. An analysis of nearly 22,000 menu items from 66 large U.S. chains, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that sodium stayed high from 2012 to 2016, and the researchers reported that the average main course alone had more than half of the 2,300 mg daily limit. Add an appetizer, bread or a side, and one meal can cover a full day. (Bigger portions also mean more calories; here's why restaurant meals have more calories.)

The FDA's voluntary sodium reduction targets for packaged and restaurant foods aim to bring average intake down to about 3,000 mg a day (Phase I), then about 2,750 mg (draft Phase II, 2024). That's still above 2,300 mg, so for now, ordering smart is up to you.

Which restaurant foods are highest in sodium?#

The biggest offenders are soups, sauces, cured meats, pizza, sandwiches and soy-based dishes. The American Heart Association calls its version of this list the Salty Six: breads and rolls, pizza, sandwiches and burgers, cold cuts and cured meats, soup, and burritos and tacos. The CDC lists a similar set of top sources for adults, including deli meat sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, soups, pasta dishes, breads and cheese.

Here's how those categories show up on menus, with easy swaps:

Saltiest category Why it's salty Lower-sodium swap
Soups and broths Stock bases, bouillon, often a large bowl A small cup, or a side salad instead
Sauces and gravies Stocks, cheese, soy sauce, seasoning blends Sauce on the side, or olive oil and lemon
Cold cuts and cured meats Salt is part of curing (ham, bacon, salami, deli turkey) Freshly grilled or roasted chicken, fish or steak
Pizza Salty crust, sauce, cheese and toppings stack up Fewer slices, veggie toppings, side salad
Sandwiches and burgers Bread, cheese, deli meat, pickles and condiments Half a sandwich with salad, or a plate without the bun
Soy-based dishes Soy, teriyaki, oyster and fish sauces Steamed dishes with sauce on the side

Soy sauce deserves its own warning. According to Harvard's Nutrition Source, one tablespoon of regular soy sauce has about 1,000 mg of sodium, and even the "less-sodium" version has about 550 mg. A stir-fry made with a few tablespoons of soy-based sauce can go past a day's limit before you add any rice.

What should you ask for at a restaurant?#

Ask for your food to be cooked without added salt and for sauces and dressings on the side. The FDA recommends exactly this, plus asking whether nutrition information is available. Most kitchens are used to these requests:

  • "Can the chef cook this without added salt?" Works best for grilled, roasted and steamed proteins and vegetables, which are cooked to order.
  • "Can I get the sauce or dressing on the side?" Then dip your fork rather than pouring it on.
  • "Can I swap the fries for steamed vegetables or a side salad?" Fries are usually salted right out of the fryer.
  • "Can you leave off the cheese, bacon or pickles?" Each one adds sodium on its own.
  • "Is this dish made with a pre-made sauce or broth?" If yes, it can't easily be made low-salt, so pick something else.
  • "Can I get oil and vinegar or a lemon wedge?" Acid and herbs add flavor without salt.

What are the best low-sodium orders by cuisine?#

The best low-sodium orders are simple, freshly cooked proteins and vegetables, with sauces controlled by you. Here's what that looks like at common restaurants:

  • American or steakhouse: grilled steak, chicken or fish with no added salt, a plain baked potato (add your own butter or sour cream, skip the bacon bits), and steamed vegetables. Skip the soup and the bread basket.
  • Mexican: fajitas with chicken, shrimp or steak and extra vegetables, corn tortillas, and fresh pico de gallo and guacamole instead of queso and sour cream. Go easy on the chips and salsa, and skip the refried beans if you can get whole beans instead.
  • Italian: grilled fish or chicken with vegetables, or a smaller portion of pasta with olive oil, garlic and vegetables. Cured meats like prosciutto and pancetta, plus lots of parmesan, pile up fast.
  • Chinese and Thai: steamed chicken, shrimp or tofu with vegetables and plain rice, sauce on the side. Skip soups, fried rice and dishes drowned in soy, oyster or fish sauce. See healthy Chinese and Thai takeout for more.
  • Japanese: sashimi or simple nigiri with just a light dip of low-sodium soy sauce, plus a seaweed or cucumber salad. Miso soup, ramen and teriyaki dishes are among the saltiest options.
  • Breakfast spots: eggs cooked to order, fresh fruit, oatmeal and plain toast. Bacon, sausage, ham and hash browns are the big sodium sources here.

How do you select low-sodium soup choices at chains?#

To select a low-sodium soup at a chain, check the posted sodium, order the smallest size, and treat the soup as the salty part of the meal. Every chain soup we checked had 910 to 1,290 mg per serving, about 40% to 56% of the 2,300 mg daily limit, and broth-based isn't automatically lower:

Chain soup Serving Calories Sodium
Subway Loaded Baked Potato with Bacon 8 oz bowl 200 910 mg
Subway Broccoli Cheddar 8 oz bowl 200 960 mg
Wendy's Chili Wendy's listed serving 280 1,050 mg
Subway Chicken Noodle 8 oz bowl 70 1,160 mg
Chick-fil-A Chicken Noodle Soup Chick-fil-A's listed serving 190 1,290 mg

From Subway's U.S. nutrition information (October 2026), Wendy's and Chick-fil-A. Subway soups are at participating locations. Check the chain's site for current numbers.

Pair the soup with something simple and unsalted, like a side salad with dressing on the side or fruit, rather than a sandwich or chips, which bring their own sodium.

How do you use chain nutrition info to check sodium?#

Look up the restaurant's nutrition information before you go. Under FDA menu labeling rules, chains with 20 or more locations must post calories, and on request they must provide written nutrition information for standard menu items, including sodium. Most chains also publish it on their website or app.

A few tips for reading it:

  • Compare dishes side by side. Two similar chicken entrées at the same chain can differ by hundreds of milligrams or more.
  • Add up the whole meal. Entrée, side, sauce, bread and drink all count.
  • Use the % Daily Value as a guide. The FDA says 5% DV or less of sodium per serving is low and 20% DV or more is high. Since the Daily Value is 2,300 mg, 20% works out to 460 mg.
  • Set a meal budget. If you're aiming for 1,500 mg a day, a dinner around 500 to 600 mg leaves room for the rest of your day.

Independent restaurants usually don't publish sodium, so you'll need to rely on dish style and the questions above. That's where Menu Scan AI can help. Snap a photo of the menu, and it estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat for each dish, flags allergens and ingredients you want to avoid, and ranks dishes against your goals. It doesn't measure sodium, but it makes it easier to spot dish styles and ingredients like cured meats, soy-based sauces or creamy soups, and to compare options quickly. For chain restaurants, pair it with the chain's published nutrition info to check the sodium number.

Frequently asked questions#

How much sodium is in a typical restaurant meal?#

Often more than half a day's limit in the entrée alone. A study of nearly 22,000 menu items from 66 large U.S. chains reported that the average main course had more than half of the 2,300 mg daily limit, before sides, bread or drinks. Soups, sandwiches, pizza and soy-based dishes tend to run highest.

What is the lowest-sodium thing to order at a restaurant?#

Freshly grilled, roasted or steamed fish, chicken, steak or tofu with plain vegetables and a plain potato or rice, cooked without added salt. Ask for any sauce or dressing on the side. Simple food cooked to order is the easiest for a kitchen to make with less salt.

Can you ask a restaurant to cook without salt?#

Yes, and the FDA recommends doing it. Most kitchens can leave salt off dishes cooked to order, like grilled proteins and vegetables. Dishes made with pre-made sauces, broths or marinades are harder to change, so choose a simpler dish when the server says the sauce is made in advance.

Is eating out bad if you have high blood pressure?#

Not if you order carefully and balance the rest of your day. Pick simply prepared dishes, limit soups, cured meats, pizza and soy-based sauces, and keep the rest of your meals lower in sodium. Talk to your doctor about your personal sodium target, especially if you also take blood pressure medication.

Which chain soups are lowest in sodium?#

Of the chain soups we checked, Subway's Loaded Baked Potato with Bacon (910 mg per 8 oz bowl) and Broccoli Cheddar (960 mg) were lowest, and Chick-fil-A's Chicken Noodle Soup was highest at 1,290 mg. Every one was over 900 mg, so treat soup as the salty part of the meal and keep the rest of the order simple.

Sources#

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