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Heart Health

How to stick to a low-salt diet when dining out

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Do a little research, follow a few rules, and make polite requests.

Going out for dinner can be a nice way to unwind with family or friends. But if you're watching your salt intake, restaurants aren't always so relaxing. Much of their fare is loaded with sodium, a main component of salt. In fact, some entrees at popular chains contain far more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium — the recommended limit for an entire day's worth of food (see "Super-salty entree examples").

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