HOUSTON – Warning: There may be salt lurking in your sandwich!
After recent warnings on the real danger of too much sodium, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came up with a list of the top 10 sources of salt in American's diets.
The CDC said most of the sodium consumed doesn't come from a shaker, but from processed and restaurant foods.
The report on sodium narrows the list of salty culprits to mainly 10 types of food:
- Luncheon meats, such as packaged ham or turkey
- Pizza
- Fresh and processed poultry
- Soups
- Sandwiches, such as cheeseburgers
- Cheese
- Pasta dishes
- Meat-mixed dishes, such as meat loaf with tomato sauce
- Snacks such as chips, pretzels and popcorn
- Bread and rolls
The report notes the average person consumes about 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day -- more than twice the recommended amount..Much of that comes from eating out.
"It's just a given that if you go out to eat your meal contains 1,000 milligrams of sodium or more in most cases," said Lisa Cimperman, a dietician at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland.
To reduce your salt intake, Cimperman suggests eating out less, eat more fresh foods and shop the "perimeter" at the grocery store.
"Along the perimeter we have our produce section, low-fat dairy products, frozen vegetables, fresh meats," she said.
The CDC is also calling on manufacturers and restaurants to produce foods with less sodium. Having a diet high in sodium is a known risk factor for high blood pressure, a condition that increases the chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke.