Sauces and condiments: counting salt per serving

To calculate the salt in a serving of sauce, multiply the amount listed per 100 g by the amount you eat, then divide by 100. For example, a sauce containing 6 g of salt per 100 g provides 0.9 g of salt in a 15 g serving. Include other seasonings in the meal too, such as stock used in cooking, sauce and condiments added at the table.

You do not need to weigh every meal forever. Measuring your usual serving a few times gives you a more reliable reference than pouring a “small drizzle” straight onto your plate.

Read the label according to your serving size

Compare sauces on the same basis

Find the “salt” line in the nutrition table, then check whether the value is given per 100 g or per 100 ml. To compare two sauces, use the same unit. A value given per serving is useful only if that serving matches the amount you actually use.

At the same salt concentration, doubling the serving doubles the amount of salt. A sauce with less salt per 100 g can still contribute more to your meal if you use much more of it. The product and the amount you serve both matter.

Also check products described as “light”. The term alone does not tell you how much salt they contain. Use the nutrition information for your calculation.

Weigh your usual serving

Place a small bowl on a kitchen scale, tare it, then add the amount of sauce you would normally use. The scale will show the weight without including the bowl.

A spoon can give you a useful reference, but its contents vary with the texture of the condiment and whether it is level or heaped. Do not assume that every sauce weighs the same. If the label gives values per 100 ml, measure the volume instead. Grams and millilitres are not automatically equivalent.

A sample meal: adding stock, sauce and condiments

Imagine a bowl of rice, vegetables and chicken prepared with stock, then served with soy sauce and a second sauce. The figures in this article are fictional. They illustrate the calculations and do not represent a brand or a recommended serving.

In this table, each amount corresponds to the portion eaten by one person, and all the stock used is retained in the dish.

Counting only the last sauce leaves out salt from the other seasonings. In this example, the stock and soy sauce provide 1.60 g of salt between them. The total of 1.75 g does not include salt from the other ingredients or any added during cooking.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume less than 5 g of salt per day from all foods combined. It lists soy and fish sauces among the condiments that can contain a lot of sodium. The recommendation applies to the whole day, not just to seasonings.

For more on the subject, you can read our article on salt and its effects on the body. Here, we count the salt from seasonings you add while cooking.

Calculate the salt in a shared preparation

Calculate the total before dividing it

For a homemade sauce, calculate the salt provided by each salty ingredient, such as mustard, stock and ready-made sauce. Add any salt added directly, then divide the total between the servings.

A sauce containing 2.4 g of salt and divided equally between four plates provides 0.6 g per person. If the servings differ, weigh the finished sauce and the amount served. A serving that represents one quarter of the total weight contains one quarter of the salt, provided the preparation is well mixed.

Check the stock instructions

With a stock cube, powder or concentrated stock, check whether the nutrition table refers to the product as sold or to the prepared stock. A value per 100 g of powder does not apply to the weight of the water added.

Diluting stock reduces its concentration, but not the total amount of salt if you consume the entire preparation. If you discard some of the cooking liquid, the calculation becomes less precise because the amount added may no longer match the amount consumed.

Avoid seasonings that add up

Before changing all your products, look for combinations that repeat the same source of salt, such as stock with added salt, soy sauce with another salty condiment, or vinaigrette with a topping that is already salted. Keep one salty seasoning, taste the dish, then add other flavours as needed.

• Serve the sauce separately so you can adjust the amount.
• Add lemon, vinegar, garlic or herbs according to the dish.
• Check spice blends, which may contain salt.
• Note the portion you enjoy instead of automatically using the amount suggested on the packaging.

Our salt-free recipe ideas can help you vary your flavours. “No added salt” does not mean salt-free. The salt in the ingredients still counts.

To help organise your meals, the Weight Loss Guide — 110 recipes offers a downloadable PDF with recipes for meals and different occasions, as well as customisable programmes. Use it for preparation ideas, then review the ingredients and adjust the seasonings. It is not a certified low-sodium guide. The calculation depends on the products and quantities you use.

If you are counting salt because you feel swollen, our article on food and water retention explores the subject further. Counting salt cannot identify the cause of sudden, painful or persistent swelling, which warrants medical advice.

FAQ: measuring and calculating without confusion

How do you calculate salt when the label is per 100 ml?

Use this formula: salt per 100 ml × volume consumed in ml ÷ 100. A sauce containing 4 g of salt per 100 ml provides 0.4 g of salt if you consume 10 ml.

Do you need to count a small amount of mustard or ketchup?

Yes, if you want to estimate the total from all your seasonings. For example, 15 g of a condiment containing 2 g of salt per 100 g provides 0.3 g of salt. The actual serving determines its contribution.

Does adding lemon to a sauce reduce its salt content?

Not if you consume all the original sauce. Its salt is still there. Replacing part of the sauce with lemon or herbs can reduce your intake because you are using less of the salty product.

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