Sodium

A diet high in sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. If the long-term risks aren't enough to make you listen, too much sodium also makes you retain fluid, leading to major body bloat. The American Heart Association recommends a daily intake of 1,500 milligrams of sodium, but the average American currently consumes 3,436 milligrams per day. While soy sauce or a can of condensed soup are obvious high-sodium foods, there are some sneaky places where salt hides. Knowing which foods are hidden with high-sodium counts can help you plan ahead, limit consumption, and stay on top of your intake for the day.

Cottage cheese: Choosing nonfat cottage cheese cuts back on calories, but a half-cup holds 420 milligrams of sodium. If you're craving something creamy and convenient first thing in the morning, grab a container of Greek yogurt instead. It only has 80 milligrams total, less than one-fourth of cottage cheese's count.

Bread: Even if you're already steering clear of refined carbs, you must watch out for the salt levels in all bread varieties. Certain six-inch whole-wheat pitas can boast up to 340 milligrams, while two slices of rye contain 600 milligrams. Load sandwich toppings on lower-sodium options like a whole-wheat sandwich thin or whole-wheat hamburger bun. These little changes knock hundreds of milligrams off your plate.

Jarred red sauce: Marinara sauce is low in calories and high in fiber, but one half-cup of traditional pasta sauce has 540 milligrams of sodium. Always take no-salt-added varieties off the shelf at your grocery store when possible.

Cereal: A hearty cup of raisin bran might be your favorite breakfast, but you're setting yourself up for a sodium-filled day. One cup clocks in at 342 milligrams. Switch them out for amaranth flakes, and top your bowl with a handful of raisins; the flakes themselves have no sodium and a whole minibox of raisins contains just two milligrams.

Creamy salad dressing: Your go-to salad dressing might seem light, but just two tablespoons of zesty Italian dressing hold up to 520 milligrams. Look beyond the low-fat label, and check the sodium level. Shaking up your own homemade dressing in your kitchen takes just a few steps and is a far healthier — not to mention tastier — choice.

Keeping sodium levels in check will help keep the body healthy in the long haul, but even a minor slipup can have you feeling uncomfortable. If you're feeling bloated after a salty binge, each of these tips can have you feeling lighter.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Drinking water helps your body in so many ways, but it should be your new best friend after consuming too much salt. It may sound counterintuitive to drink a lot when feeling bloated, but it will help you feel better and move the salt out of your system sooner.

Load up on potassium: You can reach for supplements, but eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in potassium lowers sodium levels naturally. Chow down on a banana, potatoes, or some leafy greens to load up on this electrolyte.

Keep reading for two more tips after you've eaten too much salt.

By now you're probably familiar with MyPlate, the government's new food pyramid replacement; in case you hadn't heard, based on the updated guidelines, Americans are consuming far more sodium than they should. And new research suggests that overconsumption of salt affects cognitive function. High blood pressure, water retention, and stupidity? That's too much to bear. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to cut down on salt in the kitchen without impacting the deliciousness of your dinner. See a few easy steps, when you keep reading.

If you're craving something salty, don't reach for greasy potato chips. Here are 15 low-calorie healthy snacks that are sure to satisfy your salty desires.

1. Four-ounce snack-size container of low-fat cottage cheese: 81 calories, 459 mg of sodium
2. Salted cashews (16 nuts): 147 calories, 77 mg of sodium
3. One and a half cups of edamame in pods: 150 calories, 45 mg of sodium
4. Two and a half cups of oil-popped popcorn: 138 calories, 243 mg of sodium
5. A quarter of an avocado (80 calories, 4 mg of sodium) topped with one tablespoon salted sunflower seeds (47 calories, 33 mg of sodium): 127 calories, 37 mg of sodium

Continue reading to see 10 more salty snacks under 150 calories.

You may think your diet is right on track, but do you know how much fat, sugar, and salt you should be eating on an everyday basis? In honor of National Nutrition Month, we're taking a look at the dietary guidelines for some of the sneakiest health spoilers. Learn the recommended daily intake for fat, sugar, and salt based on a 2,000 calories-per-day diet and try to adjust your habits accordingly:

• Fat: The American Heart Association suggests that people consume 500 to 700 calories from fat each day, somewhere between 56 to 78 grams (or 25 to 35 percent of your total daily calories). Don't think of fat as the bad guy, though. Instead, try to eat more healthy fats, found in foods like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. You should also limit your saturated fat intake to less than 16 grams and keep unhealthy trans fats to less than two grams per day.
• Sugar: It's recommended that women eat 100 calories from added sugars each day, just five percent of their daily diet. Wondering what 100 calories of sugar looks like? About six teaspoons. That may seem like a lot, but sugar tends to turn up in some surprising sources, like bread and yogurt, so educate yourself on the sweet culprits and learn how to cut back on sugar. Since nutrition labels list both naturally occurring and added sugars, check the ingredient list for a more detailed account of which kind of sugars a food item may have; anything containing fruit or dairy will contain natural sugars.
• Salt: The recommended daily intake of salt is 1,500 milligrams to 2,300 milligrams (about a teaspoon), depending on your risk factors. Less than you expected? The overconsumption of sodium is linked to high-blood pressure and a range of other health issues, so monitor your salt intake and follow these tips to limit sodium.

Scrutinizing the amount of fat, sugar, and salt in every food you eat isn't realistic, but it's important to learn the proper health guidelines so you can aim for the recommended totals. Not sure where to start? Try checking the labels on some of your favorite foods to kick-start your awareness and tailor your nutrition as needed.

Source: Flickr User Momentcaptured1

Collectively, we really love our salt. We eat so much more than we should, often because of high levels of sodium hiding in many of our favorite foods. A new report released by the Centers For Disease Control identifies the top 10 saltiest foods, and some may surprise you.

Paying attention to the amount of salt hidden in your food is important because too much sodium in your diet can lead to diseases like hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. The recommended daily intake of salt is 1,500 milligrams to 2,300 milligrams (about a teaspoon), depending on your risk factors. But most Americans (about 90 percent of us) eat more than 3,300 milligrams a day. Want to know which foods are the worst to eat if you're watching your salt intake? Read the list below.

The 10 saltiest foods are:

10. Snacks like potato chips, popcorn, and pretzels
9. Meatloaf and other "meat-mixed" dishes
8. Pasta dishes
7. Cheese
6. Cheeseburgers and sandwiches

Read on for the top five saltiest foods.

Even if you aren't the type of person who reaches for the salt shaker at every meal, you still might be consuming too much sodium. If you're healthy and under 50 years old, you should aim to consume less than 2,300 milligrams of salt a day — about one teaspoon of the white stuff. The problems don't always come from the salt shaker — check out the list below to see which everyday foods pack in the sodium.

• One beef hot dog: 513 mg of sodium
• One cup of Italian style breadcrumbs: 548 mg of sodium
• One slice cheese pizza: 551 mg of sodium
• Three tablespoons of Heinz Organic Ketchup: 570 mg of sodium
• Three pretzel rods: 610 mg of sodium
• One everything-flavored bagel: 620 mg of sodium

Keep reading to see what foods contain close to 1,000 mg of sodium.