Lower Sodium Intake, Lower Risk of Stroke

You may only need to cut your daily sodium intake by a mere half teaspoon to see a benefit to your heart and brain.

In a dramatic study, researchers estimate that cutting out just 3 grams a day (about half a teaspoon of salt) could prevent up to 99,000 heart attacks and 66,000 strokes a year.

Unseen Sodium
So what's half a teaspoon? It's the amount most of us probably put in our pasta water. Still, it's unlikely that your pasta water is putting you over the limit. Research suggests we get up to 75% of our daily sodium intake from processed foods and restaurant meals. In fact, packaged and processed foods have so much sodium that most of us end up eating 8 to 11 grams of salt a day -- more than twice what's recommended.

Lick the Salt Habit
Time to get serious about your sodium intake. Try these tips and tricks for kicking salt to the curb:

• Freeze that fast-food fix. Instead of going out, eat in with one of these lower-sodium but tastes-like-takeout frozen entrees.
• Boost your sodium IQ. Find out where the sodium's lurking in your diet with this eye-opening quiz.
• Cook with less salt but more flavor. This cheat sheet shows you how.