Ideas in this flowchart

• Sodium in the diet comes from processed foods, natural sources, additives, and seasoning choices.
• Most sodium in the typical American diet comes from processed and prepared foods.
• Manufacturers add salt to improve texture and flavor and to preserve foods.
• Meat, poultry, and dairy foods contain naturally occurring sodium, which provides less than 12 percent of typical dietary intake.
• One cup of low-fat milk contains 107 milligrams of sodium.
• Sodium levels vary widely among similar and different food products.
• Examples of higher-sodium foods include reconstituted tomato soup, a chicken fast-food dinner, soy sauce, and a fast-food burger.
• Examples of lower-sodium foods include fresh tuna, steak, pork, and tap water.
• Nutrition Facts labels are required to list sodium in milligrams.
• The ingredients list can reveal sources of added sodium.
• Food additives such as monosodium glutamate, baking soda, baking powder, and sodium nitrate or nitrite can contain substantial sodium.
• To reduce sodium intake, read labels, choose lower-salt foods, avoid processed foods when possible, and control seasoning.
• Eating less salty food diminishes salt cravings, but adapting to a lower-sodium diet may take one or two weeks.
• Salt substitutes often replace sodium with potassium.
• People with kidney or liver disorders should avoid potassium-containing salt substitutes because they may have difficulty regulating or eliminating excess potassium.