Sodium keeps normal fluids balanced in the body. Most people eat foods containing more sodium than they need. Eating too much sodium causes the body to keep or retain too much water.

Control the sodium in your diet

Decrease the total amount of sodium you consume to 2 gm per day. A low-sodium diet means more than just eliminating the salt shaker from the table! However, that is a good start since one teaspoon salt = 2gm of sodium.

Learn to read food labels

Nutrition labels and an ingredient list -- including Sodium content - are required on most foods labels -- so you can make the best selection for a healthy lifestyle.