Where does all the sodium in the diet come from? It's not the salt shaker. It's processed foods. Sixty to eighty percent of the sodium in our diets comes from sodium products added during processing. Label sleuths…get out your magnifying glasses; it's time to read the fine print! Reading labels for sodium content is key to finding all the hidden sodium.

Look for the ‘reduced sodium' alternatives:

• Soups
• Soy sauce
• Ketchup
• Frozen and canned veggies
• Chips and pretzels
• Deli meats
• Frozen dinners

More tips to cut the sodium in your diet:

• Switch to kosher salt. The crystal size is larger and more coarse so a teaspoon of kosher salt contains almost 25% less sodium than regular table salt.
• Eat smaller portions of high sodium foods; offset a high sodium food with low sodium ones or whole, fresh foods without sodium.
• Choose whole, unprocessed foods.
• If you like to cook, cooking from scratch is a great way to control the salt and sodium you add.
• Remove or decrease salt from recipes. Most main dishes won't miss the salt but baked goods need it. Try cutting the amount in half.
• Increase fruit and veggie consumption as potassium has a lowering effect on blood pressure.
• Use more lemon, lime and citrus for flavor along with fresh herbs and spices and a variety of vinegars. It's fun to grow herbs to use in your dishes too.
• In packaged mixes for soups, rice and pasta use only half of the seasoning packet and kick up the flavor with herbs and spices.
• Rinse tuna, bean and canned veggies to lower the sodium content.