What's Causing Rising Salt Intake? Pizza

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pinpointed bread as the largest contributor of salt to America's diet, but a new study finds that ordinary dinner rolls aren't to be blamed. Instead, blame pizza.

Studies from researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle found that pizza was the leading source of sodium for 6 to 11 year olds, contributing 8.3 percent of intake. For teenagers 12 to 19 years old, pizza accounted for 10.3 percent of their sodium intake, while for adults 20 to 50, pizza accounted for 6.4 percent of sodium intake.

The next highest source of sodium? Yeast breads, followed by pasta and pasta dishes, and chicken dishes, the study found.

In terms of location, however, the study found that most of America's salt comes from food purchased in stores, whether they're raw ingredients or pre-prepared foods from grocery stores, surprising considering the emphasis put on fast-food consumption. Perhaps it's time to focus more on how we cook at home, and the salt-ridden canned foods we may buy?