Natural nutrition 101

Sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt, is only one source of sodium. Other major sources include baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), MSG (monosodium glutamate) and soy sauce.

Adults should limit overall sodium intake to a maximum of 2,000 mg a day. This is far lower than the average daily intake of 3,000 to 7,000 mg. Excess dietary intake of sodium may lead to hardening of the arteries and elevated blood pressure.

To put things into perspective, 1 teaspoon of table salt contains 2,300 mg of sodium.It is more likely the sodium in your diet is coming from hidden sources than from the salt you are adding to your food.

Some of these sources include :

3 pieces of KFC (original recipe) drumstick	1,020 mg sodium
1 Big Mac	742 mg
1 large dill pickle	1,137 mg
1/2 cup chicken noodle soup (condensed)	890 mg
2 slices Wonder Bread	180 mg
14 Lay's Potato Chips	230 mg
1 ounce Special K	220 mg
1 tbsp. ketchup	190 mg
1 cup milk	123 mg