Elevated blood pressure readings. Be sure you and your health care provider monitor your blood pressure regularly. Sodium is normally recycled in the body and it is only necessary to eat enough sodium to replace your daily losses. Sodium may be lost by the body through perspiration, secretions, and normal excretory functions. To replace this loss, it is recommended that most people eat no more than 1-3 grams of sodium per day.
Sodium is a regular part of our food supply.
It is found naturally in meats, nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products in low amounts. Unfortunately, most of the sodium Americans eat today is added to food in the form of sodium chloride, or table salt. Table salt is added to food by the manufacturer in the process of preserving and processing, and it is widely used as a flavor enhancer. Sodium is also hidden as a part of other chemical additives, such as sodium nitrite, sodium benzoate saccharin, sodium, and monosodium glutamate. As a result, many Americans unknowingly consume three to five times more sodium than they need.