People Advised To Reduce Salt Intake

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A hidden danger to healthy eating is getting new attention. New recommendations are coming out about how much salt is safe to consume.

Pat Warren has more on the new targets set by health officials.

It's not the salt in your shaker; it's the processed products that pack a punch.

"We're not saying that salt is bad completely but there should be a limit," said Dr. Amir Najafi, Lifebridge Health.

Setting that limit is one thing. Maintaining it in your daily diet is tricky. The average American eats about 3,400 milligrams of salt a day. The new recommendations from the FDA is to gradually bring that down to 2,300 milligrams, or a little less than half a teaspoon.

"Salt is associated with a lot of ailments current society is afflicted with: high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, kidney issues," said Najafi.

Since most of the salt in our diets comes from processed foods, the FDA is asking manufacturers to voluntarily reduce sodium content. The CDC estimates reducing salt intake by 400 milligrams a day could prevent 32,000 heart attacks and 20,000 strokes a year.

"Remember the simple number of five. Less than 5% for the sodium and if you see it says 35%, you already know that's too much for you," Najafi said.

The good news is, once you get away from high sodium foods, you'll find you have less taste for them.

The food industry is gradually moving toward lower sodium in its products.