Feeling Salty

In a world of fast and processed food, salt adds up quickly: 1 restaurant meal may contain a full day of sodium. High blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease and stroke can result from too much salt — many experts recommend no more than 1500 milligrams of sodium daily. So take some salty advice:

• Avoid processed foods such as luncheon meat, bacon, hot dogs, sausage, and ham
• Cook brown rice and whole grain pasta without adding salt
• Cut back on frozen and packaged meals, traditionally loaded with sodium
• Put the salt shaker away and try herbs, spices, and other seasonings
• Learn what the food labels mean:

  – Sodium free or no sodium = 5 milligrams of sodium or no sodium chloride in ingredients

  – Very low sodium = 35 milligrams or less of sodium

  – Low sodium = 140 milligrams or less of sodium

  – Reduced or less sodium = At least 25% less sodium than the regular product.