9 out of 10 Americans consume too much salt in their diet.
How does too much salt in the diet get there? Most people probably think we get too much salt from using the salt shaker while at the table. While that of course does add salt, that is not the number one source of salt in the diet for most Americans.

Bread is the #1 source of salt in the diet for most Americans according to the CDC
That may come as a surprise to most people, mainly because they don't consider bread to be a salty food, but that's what the U.S. Center for Disease Control has determined. In fact, most of the salt we consume on a daily basis comes from food sources that don't have a salty taste, so we are consuming salt without really realizing it.

Check the labels of packaged food products for sodium
The only way to know for sure how much salt is in a particular food product is to read the label. You will probably be very surprised to find that almost all manufactured food products (food that comes in packages, cans, etc.) has added salt.

Salt in food that doesn't come with a label
The report released by the CDC Tuesday says that lunch and other cured meats, pizza, soups and fast food hamburgers are all major contributors of salt in the American diet. It's very easy to eat too much salt if you regularly visit fast food outlets or other sit down or takes out restaurants.

The recommended amount of sodium in the diet
According to The Institute of Health, most of us need a minimum of 180-500mg of sodium a day. The recommendation is 1500mg of sodium daily for adults. They also say we should consume no more that 2300mg a day. Unfortunately, the average American over the age two consumes over 3400mg every day.

The dangers of too much salt in the diet
Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and increased risk of having a stroke, heat attack and other vascular diseases. The CDC estimates that 1000's of American lives could be saved every year if we could stop consuming too much salt.

How to reduce your daily sodium intake
Make more of your meals at home using whole foods so you know what is in the food you are eating. Substitute spices for salt. If you must add salt, don't add it while cooking, instead add it at the table because a smaller amount will provide the same salt taste. If you use packaged food products while cooking, make sure you buy products labeled as having no salt or no salt. If you dine out a lot, choose restaurants that promote low salt food or have such items on the menu. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables because they all nearly salt free.

Lowering your sodium intake will take some effort because the typical food choices available to Americans today, has far more salt than food did in the 1970's and earlier. Avoiding the increase in the risk of bad health is worth the effort.