There's always lots of talk about salt. Let's take a detailed look at salt and its health effects.

What Is Salt?

Salt is sodium chloride (NaCl), which consists of 40% sodium and 60% chloride by weight. It is harvested primarily from salt mines or by evaporating sea water or other mineral-rich water. Salt is by far the biggest dietary source of sodium. Some varieties of salt may contain trace amounts of other elements such as potassium, calcium and zinc. Table salt often contains added iodine.

Salt in the American Diet

Sodium is an essential nutrient necessary for maintenance of plasma volume, acid-base balance, transmission of nerve impulses and normal cell function.

The American Heart Association recommends that adults should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. This amounts to about one teaspoon of salt. However, about 90% of adults in the United States consume considerably more salt per day than the recommended amount. The average intake of sodium for adults is about 3,400 mg per day, with a range of about 2,000 to 5,000 mg per day.

Sodium is used in many ways, including for curing meat, baking, as a thickening agent, as a flavor enhancer and as a preservative. The typical American diet is replete with packaged and processed foods, which contain high amounts of salt. In fact, about 75% of the salt in the American diet comes from processed foods, such as salted snacks, canned soups, pickled foods and processed meat. For example, one 1-ounce bag of Rold Gold tiny pretzel twists has 450 mg of sodium, 20% of the recommended daily allowance of salt. Similarly, one serving of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup contains about 800 mg of sodium, 35% of the recommended daily allowance.

Let's not forget about restaurant foods. When you eat out, you cannot be certain how foods are prepared. Salt makes food taste good, and your favorite restaurant menu items may be packing enough sodium to last you for several days. Here's a fan favorite: The Cheesecake Factory's spicy cashew chicken. This popular dish features chicken smothered in green onions and roasted cashews and contains more than 4,000 mg of sodium! If you love it, eat it — but not too often. How about the McDonald's Big Mac? This popular burger contains 1,007 mg of sodium; that's close to half of the daily allowance.

Some foods that are not considered salty also contain high amounts of sodium. A 3-ounce serving of frozen shrimp may contain as much as 800 mg of sodium; a 1/2-cup serving of cottage cheese averages 350 mg of sodium; and an 8-inch flour tortilla averages 390 mg of sodium, to name a few.

Health Risks of Consuming Too Much Sodium

Consuming too much sodium is a risk factor for high blood pressure, which in turn can lead to stroke and heart disease. At least half of people with hypertension have blood pressure that's affected by sodium consumption — meaning they're salt-sensitive. In addition, the risk for salt sensitivity increases with age. Reducing salt intake, especially for people with salt-sensitive hypertension, can lower blood pressure and improve effectiveness of antihypertensive medications.

Strategies to Lower Sodium Intake

Most Americans consume too much salt in their diets. Here are eight strategies that will help you lower your sodium intake:

No. 1: Cook at home more often.

No. 2: Before dining out, do some research. Visit the restaurant's website, as the nutritional content of various dishes may be listed. Alternatively, you can request that the meal you order be prepared without added salt.

No. 3: Read nutrition labels and choose products with less sodium, reduced sodium or no-salt-added.

No. 4: Flavor foods with herbs and spices instead of salt.

No. 5: Eat fresh fruits and vegetables; they are naturally low in sodium.

No. 6: Eat more fish. Salmon, cod, halibut, tuna, flounder and snapper are naturally low in sodium, with about 40 to 80 mg of sodium per serving.

No. 7: Use fresh meats rather than packaged. Fresh cuts of beef, chicken or pork contain natural sodium, but the content is much less than in processed products such as bacon or ham.

No. 8: Use salt-free seasonings. My favorite is Dash Original Salt-Free Seasoning Blend.

To find out more about Julie Rosenberg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Daria-Yakovleva at Pixabay