Are You Getting Too Much Salt?

Recent data from the CDC shows that a whopping 90% of Americans get too much salt in their diet.  In a study of 5,000 U.S. adults, it was found that those adults consumed an average of almost 3,500 milligrams of sodium a day. That's approximately 1200 milligrams more than current dietary guidelines recommend. What's more, a government advisory panel recently recommended that the recommended daily sodium limit should be reduced even further to 1,500 milligrams.

However, for most of us the salt isn't coming from using our salt shakers. It's estimated that over three-fourths actually comes from the sodium found in restaurant or processed foods.  This makes salt more difficult to cut out of our diet, and often most of us don't realize how much we're really getting.

While most of what we eat contains sodium, certain foods are bigger culprits than others.  The CDC report identified five foods that provide the most salt in our diets: pizza, pasta dishes, cold cuts, yeast breads and chicken.  Surprisingly, grains contribute almost 40% to our daily sodium intake.

Too much sodium can lead to elevated blood pressure which in turn increases our risk of stroke, kidney disease and heart disease.  That said, what can be done?  First and foremost, it's always a good idea to add more fresh vegetables and fruit to your diet.  Also, try avoiding most processed foods and check food labels to see how much sodium they contain.

The Institute of Medicine has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt added to foods in order to help Americans cut down on their salt intake.  The FDA has not decided whether to make food companies cut salt amounts; however, the good news is that many have begun voluntarily cutting the salt from their foods on their own.