Why should someone eat foods with lower sodium?

According to USCF Medical Center, the average American eats five or more teaspoons of salt each day. This is about 20 times as much as the body needs. In fact, your body needs only one quarter of a teaspoon of salt every day.

What happens if your sodium intake is high? Too much sodium in your diet can cause your body to retain excess fluid. This excess fluid can collect in your hands, ankles, belly, and lungs. This is especially important for patients with liver, heart, or kidney disease.

There are also other health problems that high sodium intake can cause or aggravate (source: Menzies Research Institute):

Prehypertension, hypertension, severe premenstrual syndrome, vertigo of Meniere's disorder, congestive heart failure, diabetic retinitis, calcium kidney/bladder stones, stomach cancer, and more...

You do not have to suffer from one of these problems to be on a low sodium diet. Please read this informative article about the importance of low salt diet for your health: Salt intake brings new level of alarm, published at USAToday.

How to follow a low sodium diet

Here are fews tip on following a low sodium diet:

Eat fewer processed foods such as potato chips, frozen dinners and cured meats. Instead, eat more unprocessed, fresh foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, poultry, fish and unprocessed grains.

Choose foods labeled "low sodium" or "reduced sodium." Also do not rely on the labels and check the nutrition chart of every product you buy or use. Note sodium and portion size information.

Don't add salt to your food. Instead, use herbs and spices to flavor foods.

Do not drink water from water softeners as many water softeners use salt to get rid of the 'hardness' in water.