Americans eat too much salt

March 27, 8:34 AMWeight Loss ExaminerGail Gedan Spencer

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that 70 percent of Americans need to monitor their salt intake but very few people actually do.

The National Academy of Sciences recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily, roughly the amount in a teaspoon of salt. The target is lower -- 1,500 milligrams -- for the 145 million U.S. adults who are "salt sensitive" -- including those older than 40 and African Americans. A quote from The Associated Press story:

"I don't think 'alarming' is too strong" a term for describing the results, said Dr. Darwin Labarthe, director of the CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

Americans typically consume about 3,500 milligrams of sodium daily.

I've been cracking down on the stuff for years, and now find pretty much all restaurant food to be way too salty. And, nation of diners, nearly 80 percent of the salt the average American consumes comes from processed foods and restaurant meals. That is before you ever pick up any salt shaker.

Too much sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, not to mention the water retention.

So what can we do to shake the salt habit?

• The easiest way is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. That's where you'll find foods in their most natural state, without any added salt (not to mention fat, sugar and preservatives).
• Look for reduced-sodium and low-sodium items. They'll take some getting used to but even if you add a shake of salt it'll still be less salt than the regular version.
• Don't eat soup. That sounds severe but the sodium levels in pretty much any prepared soup is downright criminal.
• I don't even know where to begin at restaurants. Salt is ubiquitous is restaurant cuisine, so the only thing you can do is keep sauces to a minimum and drink lots of water to flush it out.
• Eat foods high in potassium, which help regulate fluid balance.