Fifty percent less salt by 2016.

That's the recommendation the American Medical Association sent to the government in 2006. The goal is to push food manufacturers to halve the amount of salt in processed and restaurant foods to decrease the rate of heart disease -- the leading cause of death in the United States -- and high blood pressure.

Where's the salt?

Before you curse the little Morton Umbrella Girl, here are the facts. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 77 percent of the average American's salt intake comes from processed and restaurant foods. Compare that to only 6 percent added by the saltshaker, and you can see why doctors are going after food manufacturers. You could chuck your saltshakers out the window, but that wouldn't even make a dent in average salt intake.

Any food with more than 480 mg of sodium per serving is considered a high-sodium food and should be avoided. If you eat three meals a day, your total sodium intake at each meal should be less than 800 mg. Add the sodium from snacks, and it's easy to understand why most people get two to three times the recommended amount. Morton was right: When it rains, it pours.

Salt guidelines

The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium -- that's about one teaspoon of table salt (table salt is a combination of sodium and chloride, and it's the sodium that contributes to high blood pressure). In fact, the body needs only 200 mg of sodium daily.