Next time you're checking out the nutrition label for a loaf
of bread, let your eyes wander down past "carbohydrates" and take a look at the
amount of sodium.
According to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, more than 40 percent of the sodium in a person's diet comes from ten
particular types of food. What's at the top of the list? Breads and rolls.
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The other nine foods that round out the top 10 (in order from 2 to 10) are: cold cuts and cured meats,
pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes
(such as meatloaf), and snacks like chips, pretzels, and popcorn. While
high levels of sodium in snack food isn't a new discovery, some of the other
foods on the list, like pasta and poultry, may surprise some people.
The CDC report states that the average American consumes
3,300 milligrams of sodium per day before adding any extra salt from the salt shaker. U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest a maximum of 2,300
mg a day for the average person and even less for groups with high blood
pressure, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes.
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Meals
The sodium intake problem stems from the fact that it's hard
to keep track of how much salt is in our food. According to the CDC, many foods
that otherwise seem healthy are actually very high in sodium. We don't expect
high sodium levels in foods like bread. Store-bought food makes up 65 percent of the
sodium in our diets and another 25 percent comes from restaurant food. Unfortunately,
high quantities of salt are added to processed foods as a preservative and to
make the item more addictive.
As these facts begin to surface, health groups have encouraged processed food companies to decrease sodium levels. Kraft foods stated in
2010 that it would begin reducing the sodium in its snacks, while Walmart also
promised to add less salt to packaged foods.
Which of the 10 sodium-high foods did you find most
surprising?
