HealthyPIG Magazine

People need a small amount of sodium to work properly, but too much sodium may be harmful to your health. According to the American Dietary Guidelines, a high-sodium diet increases the risk of high blood pressure, which is the main cause of stroke and heart disease.

Most dietary sodium (over 70%) comes from edible packaging and prepared foods, not from salt added during cooking or eating. Many foods contain too much sodium, so the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cooperates with the food industry to reasonably reduce the sodium content in various foods. Even though sodium may already be contained in many packaged foods at the time of purchase, you can still use the nutrition label to reduce your daily sodium intake.