Health And Food: Shake Your Salt Habit

Even if you rarely season your food with it, you're probably still consuming too much salt, people at the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the group that recommends nutrient intake levels.

Thanks to processed foods, most of us eat double the upper limit of salt, raising the risk of hypertension, heart attack,stroke, kidney disease and - as a recent study suggests - stomach cancer.

The IOM has issued new guidelines. The per cent daily value of sodium on nutrition labels is based on an upper limit of 2400 mg a day.

The new recommended amount is 1500 mg for health nine- to 50-years old, and even less for others. But food labels may not reflect this change, so look for low-sodium eats, and cut back on foods like processed meat, dressing and canned soups.