Bread, Not Chips, Is America's Biggest Salt Source

According to the CDC, the top source of sodium in America's diet isn't potato chips or pretzels; rather, the culprit is bread.

The report, released Tuesday, finds that 90 percent of Americans eat more sodium than recommended.

Forty-four percent of sodium consumed comes from just a few items in our diet: breads and rolls, cold cuts and deli meats, pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches, meat dishes, and chips, pretzels, and popcorn.

"Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn — which we think of as the saltiest foods in our diet — are only No. 10," CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden told AP. Bread and rolls aren't necessarily saltier than all the other foods; Americans just eat a lot of the staple.

The study also finds that 65 percent of soidum comes from retail-prepared foods, and about 25 percent come from restaurant foods.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.