By Amanda Stewart, Design & Trend
Federal health officials have said that most American children are consuming too much salt. By consuming too much sodium, kids are put at risk for high blood pressure and heart disease later in life.
A close view of salt being sprinkled, United States (Photo by Bruce Dale/National Geographic/Getty Images)
Reuters reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that nine out of 10 of American children (age six to 18) take in way too much salt daily.
Dietary guidelines call for less than 2,300 mg per day. The new study has shown that 90 percent of American children consume close to 3,300 mg of salt before it is even added at the table.
Many young people in the United States have elevated levels of blood pressure, which can lead to heart attack and stroke later in life.
The 10 popular foods among young Americans are pizza, cheeseburgers, pasta sauce, cheese, potato chips, chicken nuggets, tacos/burritos, bread and soup. All of these foods are extremely high in sodium.
“Some of these foods may not taste salty but they are top contributors because they do have significant sodium content, and children eat a lot of them,” says CDC Deputy Principal Director Ileana Arias.
Read the full article HERE.
