Read between the lines: Menu choices designated as "healthier" may not be low in sodium.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Maybe instead of a tea party, we need to start a salt party. Americans eat way too much salt for our own good. That's no surprise, considering that restaurants and processed food manufacturers use it in everything from frozen peas to salted peanut caramel lattes. And the food industry has clearly glommed on to the fact that loading up food with salt causes us to eat it—and buy it—like there's no tomorrow. Now the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released a report finding that we not only eat too much, but that salt overdoses are even more prevalent among people who really need to be watching their daily salt intake in the first place.

THE DETAILS: The standard recommendation for salt intake is 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day. However, middle-aged adults, older adults, people with high blood pressure, and blacks should consume no more than 1,500 mg. Using data from the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, CDC scientists measured how much salt people ate in an average day, where it came from, and what their other risk factors were. They found that just 9.6 percent of Americans eat the recommended amount of salt, while just 5.5 percent of people who need to eat less than 1,500 mg per day eat within that recommended range. On average, people consumed 3,466 mg per day, with most of that coming from grain products, such as breads and processed food products in which grain is the main ingredient (burritos, pizzas, pasta dishes, soups with rice, and so forth). The second largest source came from processed meats, such as lunchmeats and sausages.

WHAT IT MEANS: It's been known for a while that the largest source of sodium in our diets isn't table salt, which makes up a mere 10 percent of daily salt intake; it's restaurant and processed foods, which account for 77 percent. With the holiday weekend fast approaching, it's likely you'll be eating a lot of both as you stop at fast-food joints on your road trip or indulge in some grilled sausages at your barbecue.