Can you spot the salt? A new federal report says high levels of sodium is hiding in foods we least suspect. For African Americans and others who face elevated risks of stroke and heart disease, that's especially bad news.

Reducing the amount of sodium you consume may be tougher than you think.

A new federal report issued Tuesday said that most Americans each day take in more than twice the recommended limit for sodium – and the culprit is not your favorite salty snacks or even that beloved salt shaker.

Rather, according to the report, issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, copious amounts of salt are often lurking inside foods you might least suspect – typically processed foods bought in stores or cooked foods served in restaurants.

Ten types of foods are responsible for more than 40 percent of our sodium intake, according to the CDC. The biggest offenders are:

1. Breads and rolls
2. Luncheon meat such as deli ham or turkey
3. Pizza
4. Poultry
5. Soups
6. Cheeseburgers and other sandwiches
7. Cheese
8. Pasta dishes
9. Meat dishes such as meat loaf
10. Snack foods such as potato chips, pretzels and popcorn.

Only a small fraction of sodium consumed by most Americans actually comes from salt added at the dinner table, CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., told reporters.

Frieden said the findings, which cover the years 2007 and 2008, were troubling given the well-known link between high sodium intake and increased incidents of stroke and heart disease. These diseases, he said, kill more than 800,000 Americans each year and contribute an estimated $273 billion in health care costs.

“The bottom line here is that heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death, disability and health care spending in this country,” he said. “It's possible to greatly reduce the number of people with high blood pressure by reducing the amount of sodium in our diets.”

But reducing sodium levels is not easy, Frieden said, so long as restaurants and food companies continue to add large amounts of salt before the food reaches consumers.

The report noted that the average person consumes about 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, not including salt added at the table. Meanwhile, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day. The recommended limit is even lower (1,500 milligrams per day) for African Americans, people aged 51 and older, and anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.

Frieden noted that high levels of sodium can even be found in foods such as breakfast cereals. And salty snacks such as potato chips, pretzels and popcorn, he said, typically contain less sodium than breads, meats and pizza.

The good news, Frieden said, is that some of the nation’s major food companies are starting to impose voluntary limits on the amount of sodium they add to foods. He noted in particular Kraft Foods, which has committed to an average 10 percent reduction of sodium in their products over a two-year period, and Leprino Foods, the leading supplier of cheese for pizza.

“We think reducing sodium in processed foods is critically important,” Frieden said. “We encourage salting to taste. We are not saying to take away anybody’s salt shaker. Quite the opposite. We want people to have the option of adding salt at the table but fundamentally want to ensure that they’ve got the options to have low sodium food by not having that come to the table heavily salted.”

Editor's Note: For more health-related stories, visit our new Health Page.

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