What are common sources of dietary sodium?
Up to 20% of the sodium Americans consume comes from salt added to food during preparation or at the table. Between 35% and 80% of dietary sodium comes from processed foods. Convenience foods contain the most sodium in the form of salt and food additives. High amounts of salt are found in processed meats such as bacon, sausage and ham, in canned soups and vegetables, and in many frozen foods. Most restaurant food is also high in sodium. Sodium occurs naturally in most foods and is even present in drinking water (Krause’s Food, Nutrition, and Diet Therapy; edited by L. Kathleen Mahan, Sylvia Escott-Stump. – 10th ed. W.B. Saunders Co., 2000).
