List of Common Everyday Foods That Contain Dangerously High Levels of Salt

There is too much salt in food nowadays. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tried to find out the sodium levels in different food items. They found that the biggest high sodium food offenders were pizzas, pastas and meats, and 75 percent of such food items were more than the normal sodium levels. Moreover, over half of cold cuts, soups and sandwiches also contained high levels of sodium, according to abcnews.

To arrive at conclusions, the scientists looked into almost 4,000 brands at three different regions. The probe was published in the journal, 'Preventing Chronic Disease'.

If food has to be termed healthy by the Food and Drug Administration, then each item should contain 600 milligrams of sodium per serving for meals or less than 480 milligrams of sodium per serving of individual food items, each being less than a quarter teaspoon of salt. High sodium intake leads to hypertension, or high blood pressure.

Check out this site for a list of foods with the highest salt levels.

"The most important thing for consumers to know is that they should be reading labels, comparing food products, and looking for low or no sodium food options at the grocery store," said Linda Schieb, a lead researcher on the study. She added that the study shows how people tend to over-indulge in salt through the present types of food.

The sodium intake, though, could be varied depending on the individual. Keith Ayoob, registered dietitian and associate clinical professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, said the findings should be keep in mind every individual's health risk.

"People just need to make a mental note of where they want to spend their sodium allowance," he said. "Better education and gradual lowering of salt in foods may be the way to go."

Noting that most US foods are subjected to heavy sodium content, Schieb said that it was important to reduce the risk of the high salt. "We are working with the FDA and USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] on guidelines for manufacturers to reduce sodium content," Schieb said. "Everything we can do to reduce the risk of high salt is important."

It was also noted that the study recorded only a few, not all the grocery stores in the United States, and gave information only on the sales of foods with high amounts of sodium, not individual consumption.

Hence, it is important for consumers to read the labels carefully, and go for those which contain sodium within the required levels.