Salt is essential to human life. But, like most good things, too much can be a killer. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute blame excess sodium (salt) as a major reason for the high blood pressure that causes 400 daily American deaths from heart attacks and stroke. These deaths are equivalent to a jet airliner crashing every single day.

The National Institutes of Health recommends less than 1.5 grams of sodium a day. The average American gets about 4 grams and consuming up to 15 grams a day is not uncommon. Limiting daily sodium to less than 1.5 grams can lower systolic blood pressure (the upper number) by as much as 5 to 10 points, which significantly reduces a person