Most health organizations urge us to reduce our salt intake as a wise public health measure. But if you have high blood pressure, congestive heart failure or kidney disease, cutting down on salt is a crucial part of treatment. How much is too much? Aiming for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium (equivalent to about a teaspoon of salt) is advised for most of us. For those with heart or kidney disease, dietary sodium should be further reduced to 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams, depending on your health status. Salt is about 60 percent sodium, but the salt shaker isn’t your biggest enemy. Our love of processed foods means that 77 percent of sodium comes from processed and prepared foods, 12 percent from naturally occurring sodium in foods (for example, 1 cup of milk has 120 milligrams of sodium), 6 percent is added while eating, and 5 percent is added during cooking.

Sodium is listed on the nutrition label found on packaged foods, but eating away from home can be challenging for those who need to reduce salt. The American Heart Association recommends these tips while eating out:

Have a question of general interest? E-mail Chris Rosenbloom Fit to Eat columns Get out of rut: Try new fruits and vegetables  Three questions: Organic produce, iron and iodine, and tryptophan  Setting the record straight on some food myths         More Fit to Eat • Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University Related: • Carolyn O'Neil: Think of add-ons as accessories  Good links: • Evening Edge • AJC Food & Drink • AJC Health Channel • Diet and Nutrition headlines, resources • Atlanta Restaurant reviews and search • Low fat/ heart healthy recipes • Search recipes

• Use pepper liberally, but don’t touch the salt shaker;

• Talk to the waitstaff about how a dish is prepared and ask that your food be prepared without added salt;

• Ask for all sauces and dressing to be served on the side so you can control how much you use;

• Avoid high-sodium condiments (ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, liquid smoke) and ask for fresh lemon to squeeze over fish, chicken or veggies.

Saltiest Foods

Men’s Health magazine names these foods among the saltiest:

• Pizza Hut’s Meat Lover’s Stuffed Crust Pizza (3 slices) = 5,070 milligrams of sodium (equal to the salt in 49 pretzel twists)

• Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas = 5,690 milligrams of sodium (equal to the salt in 55 pretzel twists)

• Papa John’s Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce = 6,700 milligrams of sodium (equal to 65 pretzel twists)

• And the saltiest dish in America? Romano’s Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello with 7,300 milligrams (equal to 71 pretzels twists)

Regular salt or sea salt?

Salt is salt — some comes from the earth and some comes from the sea, but both contain the same amount of sodium. Sea salt is usually coarser than table salt so on a teaspoon basis, sea salt contains slightly less sodium (2,240 milligrams of sodium, compared to 2,300 milligrams in a teaspoon of table salt). Table salt is fortified with iodine, but not sea salt. Iodine is a mineral needed for healthy thyroid functioning. If you prefer the taste of sea salt, don’t worry about iodine. You get plenty of this mineral from iodine-based dough conditioners used to make bread.

Be savvy with spices

Spices and herbs are sodium-free, so they make a delicious substitute for salt. Make sure to buy garlic powder or onion powder instead of garlic or onion salt. Read the ingredients before buying blends of herbs and spices. Lemon pepper may contain salt, so always check the ingredient list before purchasing.

Low-sodium cooking

For tasty low-sodium recipes, visit the Web site of the National Institutes of Health at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/ktb_recipebk/index.htm for a free download of “Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes,” or order a hard copy for $4 through the Web site or from the NHLBI Information Center at P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105.

Black Skillet Beef with Greens and Red Potatoes

6 (7-ounce) servings

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 65 minutes

1 pound top round beef

1 tablespoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon red pepper

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

8 red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed clean and halved

3 cups finely chopped onion

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into very thin 2 1/2-inch strips

2 bunches (one half pound) mustard greens, kale, or turnip greens, stems removed, and coarsely torn

Nonstick cooking spray

Partially freeze beef. Thinly slice across the grain into long strips about 1/8 inch thick and 3 inches wide. In a bowl, combine paprika, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper and dry mustard. Coat strips of meat with spice mixture.

Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray. Preheat pan over high heat. Add meat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Reduce to medium heat and add potatoes, onion, beef broth and garlic, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in carrots, lay greens over top, and cook covered until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve in large bowls with crusty bread for dunking.

— From: “Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes”

Per serving: 340 calories (percent calories from fat, 13), 30 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (2 grams saturated fat), 65 milligrams cholesterol, 109 milligrams of sodium.

Nutritional Bonus Points: This dish also provides over 1,200 milligrams of potassium, a nutrient needed to lower blood pressure.