CDC: Bread beats out chips as major salt source

By Fran Jeffries

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Trying to cut down on salt? Then push away the bread basket.

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AP This photo illustration shows a salt shaker in a plate with a sandwich and potato chips in Miami on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Nearly all Americans consume much more sodium than they should, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Most of the sodium comes from common restaurant or grocery store items. Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as snacks like potato chips and pretzels. That surprising finding includes a list of the top 10 sources of sodium. Salty snacks actually came in at the bottom of the list compiled by the CDC.

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Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, even more of a culprit than potato chips and pretzels, according to a new report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday.

It's an issue of volume. Breads and rolls aren't saltier than many of the other foods on the CDC list, but people tend to eat a lot of them.

Salt is the main source of sodium, and excess sodium can increase the risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. But don't blame the salt shaker. Most of our salt intake comes from processed and restaurant foods, the report notes.

It finds that 10 types of foods are responsible for more than 40 percent of people’s sodium intake. The most common sources are:  breads and rolls; luncheon meat, such as deli ham or turkey; pizza; poultry; soups; cheeseburgers and other sandwiches; cheese; pasta dishes; meat dishes such as meat loaf; and snack foods such as potato chips, pretzels and popcorn.

Some foods we eat several times a day, such as bread, add up to a lot of sodium even though each serving is not high in sodium, CDC researchers said.

CDC officials say most people should eat no more than 2,300 milligrams -- about a teaspoon of salt a day. But most people in the U.S. actually eat  around 3,300 milligrams daily, the CDC study found. Only 1 in 10 Americans meets the teaspoon guideline.

The amount of sodium in food types can vary. For example, a slice of white bread can have between 80 and 230 milligrams of sodium. One cup of canned chicken noodle soup has between 100 and 940 milligrams. And 3 ounces of luncheon meat has between 450 and 1,050 milligrams.

The new CDC report is based on surveys of more than 7,200 people in 2007 and 2008. products. Other findings:

-- About 90 percent of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet.

-- Reducing the sodium Americans eat by 1,200 mg per day on average could save up to $20 billion a year in medical costs.

-- Different brands of the same foods may have different sodium levels. For example, sodium in chicken noodle soup can vary by as much as 840 milligrams per serving.

-- About 65 percent of sodium comes from food bought at retail stores, so look for lower-sodium choices. About 25 percent comes from restaurants, and it can be hard for a person to tell how much sodium is in restaurant foods.