Why our salt addiction is hard to kick

(Health.com) -- Americans love salt. And we eat too much of it. So much so that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is thinking about limiting the amount of sodium in packaged foods.

Cutting back on sodium would almost certainly be good for the country's health. The average American consumes nearly 50 percent more sodium than experts recommend, most of it from processed foods.

Though it adds flavor and helps preserve food, all that sodium can cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other health problems. (Sodium is a component of table salt, but they're not the same thing.)