Sodium is a mineral your body needs to balance fluids and help your nerves and muscles work the right way. While everyone needs some sodium to stay healthy, too much sodium can raise your risk for high blood pressure and serious, even life-threatening problems like stroke. Sodium is found in table salt and in many types of foods. Some foods naturally contain sodium, but others have sodium added in when they are processed. It’s important to know that foods don’t have to taste salty to be high in sodium. Bread, soups, cold cuts, and many other processed and prepared foods, including food in restaurants, have much more sodium than you might think. According to the American Heart Association, most people get more sodium from processed and packaged foods than they do from table salt.