Sodium is an element that the body needs to function properly. Sodium regulates blood pressure and blood volume. Sodium makes the body retain fluid so the heart has to work harder to pump the additional fluid. This is why sodium may lead to high blood pressure. A pinch of table salt here and there can add up to unhealthy levels. More worrisome is the salt used in high doses to preserve food, which adds up to the most sodium in your diet.
U.S. Guidelines are less than 2,300 mg per day (1 teaspoon of table salt). To help curb your salt intake, be aware of and limit these main processed and prepared foods that are typically high in salt: Canned vegetables can contain 30% of your daily sodium. Rinse the vegetables in water first, or buy "no salt added" and "low sodium" products. Frozen dinners average more than 30% of your daily sodium. Cold cuts can contain 15% of sodium in two slices of deli meat. Soups like canned chicken noodle, pack as much as 37% of sodium. Packaged rice, potatoes and pastas with "flavor packets". Fast Foods, including the condiments are high in sodium. Pasta sauce has about 26% of sodium in 1/2 cup.
Keep track of the foods you are consuming and the amount of sodium those foods contain and work towards reducing your overall daily sodium.