This is interesting.
I kinda figured some of these but not all of them.

The 20 saltiest foods in America exposed - Diet and nutrition - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24313369/?pg=21#TDY_MH_saltiestfoods)

This one made me laugh...
9: Saltiest Sandwich
Quiznos Turkey Bacon Guacamole Large Sub with Cheese and Reduced-Fat Ranch Dressing
# 4,670 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 49 g fat, 116 g carbs

First, skip the large sandwich. At Quiznos, few come in under 1,000 calories and 3,000 mg sodium. Next, abandon mozzarella for Swiss, which has a tenth of the sodium. Finally, choose one of the low-calorie subs at Quiznos--the Tuscan Turkey, or better yet, the Honey Bourbon Chicken.

Reduced fat in the name.... would imply to some that it'd reduced fat... 49 grams of fat is hardly reduced :) (yeah and i know it's just in the dressing that'd reduced fat and they probably amped up the sodium to replace the fat they took out.

16: Saltiest "Healthy" Food
Chili's Guiltless Grill Chicken Platter
# 2,780 mg sodium, 590 calories, 85 g carbs

Beware the bait and switch. Many restaurants and packaged-food producers advertise their dishes as being low in calories and fat, only to jack up the sugar and salt content. Case in point: This platter actually has more sodium than Chili's 1,890-calorie Country Fried Steak with sides, toast, and gravy. Stick with the Guiltless Salmon, the best choice on Chili's sometimes-healthy special menu.

this one really brings home the point that it's important to pay attention to more than just calories...

That article made me hungry! I love salt.

That article made me hungry! I love salt.

Salt tasty :D

19: Saltiest Dessert
Atlanta Bread Company Raspberry Scone
# 1,750 mg sodium, 360 calories

This fruit scone packs the same sodium load as seven servings of bacon at Atlanta Bread Company. If you need a sweet fix, opt instead for the pumpkin bread, which has a tenth of the sodium (160 mg).

I make scones a lot...

How the hell are they getting that much sodium in a single scone?

Salt tasty :D

Garlic tasty... Salt makes ring tight...

Garlic tasty... Salt makes ring tight...

Garlic loosens ring=able to eat more salt.

win, win situation:D

are you the reincarnation of Lot's wife? :D

Thats the one big problem I have with healthy eating. I just can't give up the salt. I buy Golden Flake corn chips instead of Fritos because the are more salty.

Plockys (http://www.plockys.com/) makes a really good hummus chip -in a few different flavors... that taste really salty - but don't have excessive amounts of salt in them...

Thats the one big problem I have with healthy eating. I just can't give up the salt. I buy Golden Flake corn chips instead of Fritos because the are more salty.

See, I actually find salt very easy to give up. The issue is the hidden salt in so many damn foods. I have no issue reducing it or eliminating it if necessary but it gets slipped into so many things.

It is worse than fat IMO.

They don't have those at the piggly wiggly mal. Thanks though.

They don't have those at the piggly wiggly mal. Thanks though.
amazon.com delivers -- even do alabama :D

Ok, maybe some one can answer this question for me. I understand that the more salt you eat the more water you will retain and the heaver you will be on the scale. Not what you want, but is it really all that bad? I also understand that if you have high blood pressure it's bad for you, too, but what if your blood pressure is fine? Is salt a real issue then?

Steve has talked about this somewhere -and i'm too lazy to actually search... I believe his take was - that if you don't have the predisposition to hypertension - then it's not really an issue...

HOWEVER, Auntie Mal says - staying under 2500mg of sodium a day isn't that hard to do - if you keep to mostly unprocessed foods - then why throw extra stuff into your body that you don't need... Most people do not need 5000mg of sodium a day... :D

That's basically what I thought. I try to avoid processed foods anyway, and add salt after cooking (more bang for the buck that way), but I don't worry about it for the most part.

salting after cooking you get much more flavor and if you use kosher salt which has a flufflier flake you use a lot less salt - or go even fancier - with pink salt or gray salt or celtic sea salt-- they all have slightly different salty flavors and intensities and you do not need a whole lot.

I refill my salt mill every two years or so - my pepper mill every 3 months :)

I never salted food before, I didn't love it. So I saw no use for it. I thought I was getting enough by eating just my foods without re-salt everything, and I was.. and more.

Then I went to the doctor and was informed I have a salt loosing disorder, that they have no clue what it is, it doesn't have a name! lol, but my doctor said it is similar to Addison's .. all she knows is , my body hates salt, and doesn't keep enough like it should. They tested everything, my kidneys, adrenals.. it was so annoying.

so now I have to re-salt everything I eat. :( If not I have to take sodium pills. I also have my blood drawn every month at my endo's office, to make sure I am getting enough and it isn't going to low again.. It's alot of trouble actually!

salting after cooking you get much more flavor and if you use kosher salt which has a flufflier flake you use a lot less salt - or go even fancier - with pink salt or gray salt or celtic sea salt-- they all have slightly different salty flavors and intensities and you do not need a whole lot.

I refill my salt mill every two years or so - my pepper mill every 3 months :)

I have so many different salts. I love the pink salt. It's so flaky and wonderful on the tongue. I use that on salads or anything where it doesn't disolve into the food. The celtic sea salt is hardier and goes great with eggs or meat. I love pulling out my salt collection to have people try the different flavors. When it's not just salt in a box it can be so much fun.

I love salt but I try to watch my intake for a few reasons:

1. I don't like feeling bloated
2. I've noticed it seems to hinder weight loss
3. Just part of eating a healthier diet

However, I have also noticed that if I don't get enough sodium my workouts suffer. I feel like I'm lacking energy or end up getting headaches. Like everything else, moderation is key.

I'm not a huge fan of salt. Or pepper. I avoid them as much as I can. And if theres a food thats too salty, I just dont eat it.

I'm the same way about butter. Hate the taste, hate the texture, hate it completely.

That pink salt sounds snazzy tho. Kinda makes me wanna buy it just to see how it tastes!

macaroni grill went out of business near my house...now i see why!

I just read that Caesar Salad is one of the saltiest foods but now I can't find that article. It has anchovies and parmesan cheese in the dressing. Then salty croutons and more parmesan cheese on top.

Don't they make a salt alternative?

I actually love the taste of the salt substitute but I'm not sure if it is any better for you that actual salt. Not because of the sodium level but because most of the time I have noticed that if something man made is made to replace something natural then the whole processing part and the unnatural ingredients makes the manufactured one just as bad or worse the the natural stuff. Wow does anyone undersand what I said? I have also heard that sea salt is the best way to go because it has the minerals and stuff still in it and it is naturally lower in sodium. Not sure on that though just heard it somewhere.

Table salt (same as sea salt) is sodium chloride. Salt substitute is potassium chloride, which is also a salt, chemically. If you are trying to avoid sodium for blood pressure or heart reasons, you should definitely talk to your doctor about salt substitutes. Potassium is something that the body needs, but as with everything, you do not want to over do it, and high dosages can be particularly harmful if you are on certain medications.

As for strictly water retention of salt vs. salt substitute, I don't know that anything has been determined, but I'd be inclined to think that potassium chloride would have a similar effect.