Sodium is a mineral that is essential for life. It is found in your diet in the form of sodium chloride which we call table salt. A little bit of sodium is necessary for all of us, but most of us eat far more salt than we need. We have learned that too much sodium seems to be related to high blood pressure. We know that high blood pressure can cause heart disease and strokes. Persons with high blood pressure should definitely decrease the amount of salt they eat. The rest of us would probably be better off if we did so as well.

Fresh foods prepared without salt contain enough sodium for a normal person. To reduce the amount of sodium in your diet, you can take three steps:
* Do not add salt to foods as they are cooking.
* Do not add salt at the table.
* Avoid salty prepared foods.

Many people do not realize how much salt is added at the time foods are processed. Certain foods, such as bacon, potato chips, as soy sauce taste salty and should be eaten in moderation, if at all. Other foods, such as bread, prepared hamburgers, cheese and canned soups usually have a great deal of salt added to them and should also be eaten in moderation.

There are now many ways a person can reduce salt in their diet. Most food packages will tell how much sodium is in a serving. A healthy diet can have 2 to 3 grams of sodium per day, unless a doctor recommends even lower amounts. This is 1 to 1 and one half teaspoons of table salt. Fresh fruits, vegetables and meats contain very little sodium and can be eaten often as long as salt is not added in cooking. There are a number of spices you can use to flavor food that do not have salt in them. Lemon or lime juice and vinegar can help brighten up the taste of foods without adding sodium. Lastly, there are now many low-salt or reduced salt products at your market. These can be substituted for high sodium products. If you have kidney problems, or are taking medicines, be sure to ask your doctor before you use products called "salt substitutes". When people begin to lower the salt in their diet, their taste begins to change. After a while, food begins to taste better without salt than it did with it.

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