Taking advice with a Grain of Salt...

Most Americans are now consuming an average of about 3400 milligrams of sodium a day, or about 1 1/2 teaspoons, WOW!  That is so far over what the daily intake should be - which is no more then 1500 milligrams a day!
You can't see it and we have become so accustomed to it that it is difficult to detect.  It is almost virtually impossible to limit yourself to such amounts if you often eat processed foods, prepared foods or fast food chains, hell don't even think about using the salt shaker in those incidents!  There are NO health benefits to a high sodium diet; it IS a major contributor to heart disease and stroke.

Here are some tips for lowering your sodium intake:
1. Chose fresh, frozen or canned food items that don't contain added salt.
2. Select unsalted nuts, seeds, dried beans, peas and lentils.
3. Limit salty snacks such as chips and pretzels.
4. Avoid adding salt and canned vegetables to homemade dishes.
5. Select unsalted, lower sodium or fat free broths, bouillons or soups.  MAKE YOUR OWN STOCKS - IT'S EASY!!!
6. Select low-sodium, low fat cheeses.
6. Add fresh lemon juice instead of salt to fish and vegetables.
7. Specify how you want your food prepared when dining out.  Ask for your dish to be prepared without salt.
8. Don't use the saltshaker!  Use the pepper mill or pepper shaker instead.
9. Learn to use spices and herbs to enhance the taste of your food.  Most spices contain very small amounts of sodium.