Low-Sodium Meats: 30 Lowest per 100 g & per Serving
Per 100 g, the meats lowest in sodium are Pork belly (raw) (32 mg), Pork carcass (separable lean and fat, raw) (42 mg) and Chicken skin (raw) (51 mg). Per typical serving, Pork belly (raw) has the least: 4 oz (113 g) has 36 mg. 34 of the 42 meats ranked meet the FDA “low” limit (140 mg or less) in a typical serving.
Lowest in sodium per 100 g
30 of 42 ranked meats, least sodium first. % = share of the FDA Daily Value. n/r = not reported.
Least sodium per typical serving
The same meats ranked by what one typical USDA portion gives, which is what you eat. Only servings of 30 g or more are listed: a single leaf or a spoonful of peel would always be lowest.
| Rank | Food | Per 100 g | Typical portion | Per portion | Per 200 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pork belly (raw) | 32 mg1% DV | 4 oz113 g | 36 mg2% DV | 12 mg |
| 2 | Chicken skin (raw) | 51 mg2% DV | 4 oz113 g | 58 mg3% DV | 23 mg |
| 2 | Ground turkey (fat free, raw) | 51 mg2% DV | 4 oz113 g | 58 mg3% DV | 91 mg |
| 4 | Chicken giblets (raw) | 77 mg3% DV | 1 giblets75 g | 58 mg3% DV | 124 mg |
| 5 | Pork loin (tenderloin, separable lean only, raw) | 53 mg2% DV | 4 oz113 g | 60 mg3% DV | 97 mg |
| 6 | Lamb seam fat (Australian, imported, raw) | 55 mg2% DV | 4 oz113 g | 62 mg3% DV | 24 mg |
| 7 | Beef (top sirloin, steak, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/8" fat, select, raw) | 56 mg2% DV | 4 oz113 g | 63 mg3% DV | 88 mg |
| 8 | Chicken breast (meat only, cooked, roasted) | 74 mg3% DV | 1/2 breast86 g | 64 mg3% DV | 90 mg |
| 9 | Ground turkey (raw) | 58 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 66 mg3% DV | 78 mg |
| 10 | Ground chicken (raw) | 60 mg3% DV | 4 oz crumbled113 g | 68 mg3% DV | 84 mg |
| 11 | Ground beef (93% lean meat / 7% fat, raw) | 66 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 75 mg3% DV | 87 mg |
| 11 | Ground beef (95% lean meat / 5% fat, raw) | 66 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 75 mg3% DV | 96 mg |
| 11 | Ground beef (97% lean meat / 3% fat, raw) | 66 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 75 mg3% DV | 109 mg |
| 14 | Ground pork (96% lean / 4% fat, raw) | 67 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 76 mg3% DV | 111 mg |
| 15 | Beef (grass-fed, ground, raw) | 68 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 77 mg3% DV | 69 mg |
Least sodium per 200 kcal
Nutrient density: sodium for the same 200 calories of each food.
| Rank | Food | Per 100 g | Typical portion | Per portion | Per 200 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pork belly (raw) | 32 mg1% DV | 4 oz113 g | 36 mg2% DV | 12 mg |
| 2 | Pork carcass (separable lean and fat, raw) | 42 mg2% DV | 1 oz28 g | 12 mg1% DV | 22 mg |
| 3 | Chicken skin (raw) | 51 mg2% DV | 4 oz113 g | 58 mg3% DV | 23 mg |
| 4 | Lamb seam fat (Australian, imported, raw) | 55 mg2% DV | 4 oz113 g | 62 mg3% DV | 24 mg |
| 5 | Ground beef (70% lean meat / 30% fat, raw) | 66 mg3% DV | 1 oz28 g | 19 mg1% DV | 40 mg |
| 6 | Lamb loin (separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, choice, raw) | 59 mg3% DV | 1 oz28 g | 17 mg1% DV | 42 mg |
| 7 | Ground pork (raw) | 56 mg2% DV | 1 oz28 g | 16 mg1% DV | 43 mg |
| 8 | Ground pork (84% lean / 16% fat, raw) | 68 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 77 mg3% DV | 62 mg |
| 9 | Chicken (meat and skin, raw) | 70 mg3% DV | 1/2 chicken460 g | 322 mg14% DV | 65 mg |
| 10 | Beef (grass-fed, ground, raw) | 68 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 77 mg3% DV | 69 mg |
| 11 | Lamb foreshank (separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/4" fat, choice, raw) | 72 mg3% DV | 1 oz28 g | 20 mg1% DV | 72 mg |
| 11 | Lamb foreshank (separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, choice, raw) | 72 mg3% DV | 1 oz28 g | 20 mg1% DV | 72 mg |
| 13 | Pork backribs (separable lean and fat, raw) | 87 mg4% DV | 4 oz113 g | 98 mg4% DV | 78 mg |
| 14 | Ground turkey (raw) | 58 mg3% DV | 4 oz113 g | 66 mg3% DV | 78 mg |
| 15 | Ground chicken (raw) | 60 mg3% DV | 4 oz crumbled113 g | 68 mg3% DV | 84 mg |
Which foods are ranked
- The 42 meats on CalorieExplorer with a reported sodium value. They are generic USDA FoodData Central rows (Foundation Foods and SR Legacy) with a plain name: no branded products, restaurant items, survey mixed dishes, baby foods or regional specialty rows.
- Every reported value is ranked, 0 included (42 meats); a food with no reported value is left out, never counted as 0.
- Flours, crude brans, powders and dehydrated foods, juice concentrates, mixes, sugars and fortified foods are not ranked: per 100 g they beat every food eaten as is.
- Ties share a rank: foods with the same value per 100 g get the same number, and the next number is skipped.
- Typical portion = USDA's own serving weight for that food (a medium fruit, 1 cup, 1 oz…), as on its food page. Per 200 kcal shows how much you get for the same calories; foods under 5 kcal per 100 g are not ranked that way (–).
- % DV = share of the FDA Daily Value for sodium, 2,300 mg a day for adults and children 4 and older.
- FDA's “low” claim for sodium allows 140 mg or less per reference serving (21 CFR 101.60–101.62); applied here to the typical USDA portion.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central (Foundation Foods 2026-04-30; SR Legacy 2018-04). Values per 100 g as published in each food's record, at FDC's precision; serving weights from the same records, retrieved 2026-10-13. Each food page names its FDC ID.
% Daily Value: FDA Daily Values (2016 Nutrition Facts label rule, 21 CFR 101.9), adults and children 4+. How we calculate.
Last updated . Values are averages for the food as described; brands, varieties and cooking change them. Not medical advice.