I don t think there is a magic number here. Some say that your body needs about 1500mg/day of sodium, but I have to believe that number varies dramatically, depending on how much you might sweat out and how your kidneys are functioning. Rather than shooting for any particular target, my wife just watches it and tries to avoid foods with more than, say, 100mg/serving. (Her doctor recommended keeping it under 2000mg/day for her heart failure.) Once you start doing this, and avoiding addition of extra salt, your taste buds will adjust and you will be able to spot unexpectedly salthy foods in restaurants with relative ease. You might want to increase your potassium intake, as well. (Sodium and Potassium act in opposite directions when it comes to BP.) Fruits such as oranges and bananas are great sources of potassium. I also recommend getting a home digital BP cuff, if you don t already have one. Your pharmacist should be able to recommend one for around $50. Taking your BP every day can help you keep tabs on what does and doesn t work! Good luck with the weight loss. It sounds like you re taking the right steps to avoid BP medications (a very good thing, IMO).