How Much Sodium is in Low Sodium Chicken Broth?

Chicken broth is a versatile ingredient used in many recipes to enhance flavor and texture. While regular chicken broth contains a considerable amount of sodium, low sodium options provide a way to reduce sodium intake. But how much less sodium is actually in low sodium chicken broth compared to regular broth? Let’s take a closer look.

What is Chicken Broth?

Chicken broth is made by simmering chicken bones, meat, and vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions in water. This simmering process extracts flavor, nutrients, and gelatin from the ingredients, resulting in a tasty and nutritious broth.

Broth can be consumed on its own as a soup or used as a base for cooking grains, beans, vegetables, and meat It adds moisture and enhances the flavor of dishes Store-bought chicken broth provides the convenience of skipping the lengthy process of making homemade broth.

Sodium in Regular Chicken Broth

On average, one 8 oz cup of regular canned or boxed chicken broth contains around:

• 550-950 mg of sodium

So if you consume one cup of regular chicken broth you’re getting about 25% to 40% of the American Heart Association’s recommended daily limit of 1500 mg of sodium.

The high amount of sodium in regular chicken broth comes from 2 sources:

1. Naturally occurring sodium: The bones, meat, and vegetables used to make the broth contain some sodium naturally. Simmering extracts this sodium into the broth.

2. Added salt: Most commercial chicken broth has salt added during processing to boost flavor. Broth without added salt is labeled “no salt added” or “unsalted.”

Benefits of Low Sodium Broth

Consuming high amounts of sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. That’s why health experts recommend limiting sodium intake.

Chicken broth and other canned soups and stocks are surprisingly high in sodium. Using low sodium versions helps reduce total daily sodium consumption.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than 2300 mg of sodium per day. Low sodium chicken broth can help meet this goal, especially for those who rely on broth for regular cooking.

How Companies Reduce Sodium in Chicken Broth

Chicken broth manufacturers use various methods to reduce the sodium content in low sodium versions:

• Using chicken and vegetables naturally lower in sodium
• Reducing or eliminating added salt
• Substituting some sodium chloride (table salt) with potassium chloride
• Diluting higher sodium broth with water to lower overall sodium

By combining these strategies, companies are able to offer low sodium broth with around 30% to 50% less sodium than regular broth.

Sodium Content in Low Sodium Chicken Broth

The exact sodium content can vary between brands, but most low sodium chicken broth options contain around:

• 140-350 mg of sodium per 8 oz cup

So low sodium chicken broth generally contains 300-600 mg less sodium than regular chicken broth per cup.

Here are the sodium contents for some popular low sodium chicken broth brands:

• Swanson Low Sodium Chicken Broth – 140 mg per cup
• Campbell’s Healthy Request Low Sodium Chicken Broth – 150 mg per cup
• Progresso Low Sodium Chicken Broth -180 mg per cup
• College Inn Low Sodium Chicken Broth – 200 mg per cup
• Pacific Low Sodium Chicken Bone Broth – 350 mg per cup

Is Low Sodium Chicken Broth Healthier?

Lower sodium intake is associated with health benefits like lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Since chicken broth can account for a substantial amount of daily sodium intake, low sodium versions are a healthier choice.

However, low sodium broths may contain other additives like flavor enhancers to compensate for the lack of saltiness. It’s important to check the ingredient list and nutrition labels to evaluate the overall health profile of low sodium broth options.

Homemade chicken broth made without adding salt offers full control over sodium content for the healthiest choice. But for a convenient option, low sodium chicken broth can be a better choice than regular broth.

Tips for Using Low Sodium Chicken Broth

• Start with low sodium broth and only add salt to taste at the end when cooking. It’s easy to increase saltiness but difficult to reduce it.

• Combine low sodium broth and regular broth at a 1:1 ratio to cut overall sodium levels by about 25%

• Use low sodium broth as the base for dishes but add regular broth to things like gravy or sauces where you want a salty punch.

• Boost flavor of low sodium broth with herbs, spices, lemon, and other seasoning rather than reaching for the salt shaker.

• Look for low sodium broth without artificial flavors, preservatives, and other questionable additives.

• Make and freeze homemade chicken broth in bulk so you always have a very low sodium broth option available.

The Bottom Line

Low sodium chicken broth contains around 140-350 mg of sodium per cup, delivering a 30% to 50% reduction compared to regular chicken broth. Transitioning to low sodium options can help reduce daily sodium intake, especially for those who cook frequently with broth. But be sure to compare brands and read labels to find the healthiest low sodium chicken broth products.

Soup, chicken broth, low sodium, canned, 1 cup