Salt is Sodium Chloride
Most adults consume two times more salt than is healthy. Improve your health by choosing foods low in salt.
Limit sodium to 2,300 mg (milligrams) or less a day. People with hypertension (high blood pressure), blacks, and middle aged and older adults should consume no more than 1,500 mg (milligrams) of sodium per day.
2,300 mg (milligrams) is approximately 1 teaspoon of salt.
The salt in our foods and table salt is made up of sodium and chloride.
Too much sodium is bad for your health and can increase your blood pressure and risk for a heart attack or stroke. Eating less sodium can help prevent, lower, or even control blood pressure.
Heart disease and stroke are the first and third killers of men and women in the United States each year.
Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed, store-bought and restaurants foods. Only about 5% comes from salt added during cooking and about 6% comes from being added at the table. You can find out how much sodium you are eating by checking the labels on food products and adding up the milligrams of sodium. If at a restaurant, ask for the nutritional information facts that include sodium.
Encourage Others
With two out of three adults at risk for health problems from too much sodium, you probably know someone who needs encouragement to change his or her diet. Send an eCard about lowering salt intake.
Heart Attack Symptoms
Major symptoms of a heart attack include chest discomfort, pain in upper body and shortness of breath. Call 911 immediately if your are having or see a heart attack.
Source: CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention