Salty Bread? (is it a problem?)

++  The news media recently carried a story reporting that people get a lot of the sodium in their diets from bread and rolls.  Although these foods don't taste salty, the amounts add up because we eat them a lot.

Many people don't think about the salt they get in "regular" foods.  A slice of bread averages about 130 mg. of sodium per slice (5% of the daily recommendation for a healthy adult).  At this rate, a sandwich is 260 mg., plus the filling.  That can add up - even a tablespoon of peanut butter has 150 mg.  For comparison, snack foods like crackers and granola bars range from about 125 mg per serving to nearly 200 mg.  Of course, obviously salty foods like chips would have more - and people don't limit themselves to one "official" serving.  Do you know how your helping-size compares to the serving size listed on the nutrition facts panel? 

Balance this against what else is in the food.  Chips don't have much to recommend them in the way of nutrients.  Bread has a variety of vitamins.  Enriched bread also has a little iron.  Whole grain bread has traces of several minerals.  Also, whole grain bread has fiber, which Americans tend to be low in.  Read the fine print on the whole grain/whole wheat bread, though.  If it doesn't say 100% whole wheat, it could be white bread with food coloring and a teaspoon of whole wheat flour (white flour is made from wheat, too).  Or, a loaf of 7-grain bread could have a tablespoon of flour from each of 6 of the grains and 3 cups of white flour.

Bottom lines:
1)  Eat thoughtfully.  If a food has 5% of your daily need of sodium, but 7% of your requirement for fiber and 6-8% of several of the B-vitamins, it's worth keeping that food in your diet.
2)  Eat various foods, in moderation and balance.  "My Plate" is a good guide.  According to that, about 1/4 of your daily intake would be grain foods, including not only bread, but crackers, pasta, rice, cereal, etc.