Under salting food is just as much a crime as over salting it is but if it seems that as of recent the food you've ordered from restaurants or even some of the pre-packaged meals you've picked up from the grocery store have been drowning in salt, you're not wrong.

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Current dietary guidelines recommend that adults consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day which is about one teaspoon of table salt. However, we know that Americans as a whole are ingesting way more than that on a daily basis.

Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and sodium plays a large role in heart problems including hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. According to the FDA, the amount of sodium the average American consumes on a daily basis is closer to 3,400 milligrams and that amount isn't just coming from the salt shaker on the table - it's coming from processed food.

In an attempt to reduce the amount of sodium Americans consume on an average day, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked food manufacturers and restaurants to start cutting back on the amount of salt in their products with the ultimate goal of reducing the overall sodium intake of Americans by 12 percent.

Kimberly Stetson, a resident of Brackney, Pennsylvania lost her father to a heart attack. As a matter of fact, heart attacks run in her family, having claimed the lives of a handful of loved ones all before they were able to reach the age of 65. Stetson backs the FDA's recommendation, telling Townsquare Media that restaurants and manufacturers know exactly what they're doing when they load food with salt and sugar, and not only is it completely unnecessary but Stetson believes the overabundance of sodium has played a big role in the United States being the most unhealthy country in the world and that it's time something is done about it.

The request from the FDA is just that though - a request which means that companies aren't required by law to reduce the amount of sodium in their foods but some experts say it really should be a requirement in order to help prolong the lives of Americans.

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