More than 75 percent of excessive salt consumption is due to restaurant meals and other packaged foods, the CDC states, with minimal sodium intake coming from the dinner table salt shaker.
"Although sodium density and concentration differed little by region, fewer than half of selected food products met Food and Drug Administration sodium-per-serving conditions for labeling as 'healthy,'" authors of a recent CDC study wrote.
According to a CDC fact sheet on salt (sodium) intake, a diet high in sodium raises blood pressure, and hypertension is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke - the nation's first and fourth leading causes of death. Dietary guidelines suggest a maximum limit of 2,300 mg of sodium per day, with that amount dropping to 1,500 mg for individuals over the age of 51. The reality for Americans over the age of 2: more than 3,400 mg of sodium per individual per day (not counting the salt shaker).
"Most of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants," according to the CDC. "When sodium is added to processed foods, it cannot be removed. More than 40% of sodium intake comes from the following 10 types of foods:
1. Breads and rolls
2. Cold cuts and cured meats such as deli or packaged ham or turkey
3. Pizza
4. Fresh and processed poultry
5. Soups
6. Sandwiches such as cheeseburgers
7. Cheese
8. Pasta dishes (not including macaroni and cheese)
9. Meat-mixed dishes such as meat loaf with tomato sauce
10. Snacks such as chips, pretzels, and popcorn"
