decrease sodium intake

High Dietary Salt Equals High Blood Pressure

Earlier this month (February 2012), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report showing that nine out of ten adults eat too much salt daily.

This excess salt is not the salt you are adding with the salt shaker. The high salt diet comes from processed foods and restaurant meals.

A diet high in sodium (salt) leads to high blood pressure. This equals an increased risk for developing heart disease and having a stroke.

According to CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden, heart disease and strokes are responsible for the deaths of more than 800,000 Americans annually and add approximately $273 BILLION dollars to health care costs.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend salt be limited to no more than 2300 milligrams per day. This recommendation may be even lower (no more than 1500 milligrams per day) depending on your ethnicity, age, and medical history.
The average adult in the U.S. consumes more than 3300 milligrams of salt each day.

10 Foods Contributing the Most Sodium
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