Why restaurant meals are high in salt

How much of the daily target a single meal out takes up, why noodles and rice bowls run highest, and what actually helps.

The daily target is under 7.5 g

Japan’s Dietary Reference Intakes (2020) set a daily salt target of under 7.5 g for adult men and under 6.5 g for adult women, tightening to 6.0 g where hypertension or chronic kidney disease is a concern. Split across three meals, that is roughly 2.5 g per meal.

A third of meals pass half the daily target in one item

Among the meal items where salt is published, the average is 3.9 g per item, and 44% contain 3.75 g or more — over half a man’s daily target in a single item. Combine two or three and one meal out can reach the whole day’s target.

Which genres run highest

Genre	Items	Avg kcal	Median	Avg salt (items)
Noodles	2,289	766	743	6.6 g(1,945)
Beef Bowls & Donburi	919	805	767	4.3 g(775)
Set Meals & Bento	1,749	726	717	4.2 g(1,418)
Family Restaurants	6,042	681	656	4.0 g(5,839)
Yakiniku & Shabu-shabu	745	662	595	3.5 g(745)
Convenience Stores	1,068	380	338	2.8 g(1,068)
Izakaya	223	349	297	2.8 g(104)
Burgers	497	500	429	2.7 g(393)
Cafes	1,073	483	402	2.3 g(779)
Meal Delivery & High-Protein	1,037	324	305	2.2 g(1,031)
Sweets & Donuts	20	399	336	1.9 g(16)
Sushi	1,574	218	128	1.5 g(546)

Anything served in broth carries salt in the liquid itself, and set meals stack up through sauce, miso soup and pickles. The figure in brackets is how many items in that genre actually publish a salt value.

Unlike calories, plenty of chains do not publish salt at all — the major conveyor-belt sushi and pizza chains among them. Genres where only one chain discloses salt are left out of the table above, so an absence here does not mean the food is low in salt.

What actually helps

Leave the broth — finishing ramen or udon soup swings a meal by 2–3 g
Skip table condiments — a teaspoon of soy sauce or dressing is 0.5–1 g
Drop the soup or pickles — together they are around 1.5 g in a set meal
Balance across the day — keep the other two meals light on salt

If a doctor has prescribed salt restriction, follow their guidance. This page is a general reference, not individual medical advice.

Sources：Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese, 2020 (MHLW)

Figures in this article are aggregated from the 30,399 items across 191 chains we publish (as of 2026-09-18). Reference values follow Japan’s Dietary Reference Intakes (2020).

Written by

Okazaemon (runs tabecal)

Sales job, late twenties. Lost 18 kg over three years without giving up eating out, with one rule: 20 g+ protein and 10 g or less fat per meal. Checks every chain’s officially published nutrition data daily. Not a nutrition professional — consult a doctor or dietitian for medical decisions. About the operator →

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