More than 2,400 people in eastern Ontario die each year as a result of cardiovascular disease.

Research shows that reducing the average person's salt intake by less than a teaspoon a day could reduce the amount of high-blood-pressure cases in Canada by 30 per cent, which in turn would reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

"As salt intake increases, so does blood pressure. And as blood pressure increases, so do the rates of heart disease and stroke," said Dr. Andrew Pipe of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

As a typical university student, 22-year-old Victoria Ptashnick usually grabs soup and bread from the university cafeteria for her lunch.

"Very rarely will I eat things that are typically bad," she said.

For her supper, it's usually a frozen dinner, and later a snack of peanut butter and crackers.

It seems pretty healthy.

But in fact there is a lot of salt in those foods. With those meals she was getting double the recommended daily dose of sodium.

Fully 77 per cent of the salt we consume comes from processed foods.

"The sodium that most people eat is hidden in most foods. It's already added. It's not salt added at the table," said Kathleen Turner, a dietician at the Ottawa Heart Institute.

Simple changes can make a big difference, Turner said.

"[The] typical hamburger that has ketchup, mustard, relish and dill pickles on it has about 1,200 mg of sodium. So, if you were to change that slightly and use a teaspoon of those condiments, get rid of the dill pickles, and use something like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado, you can get it down to 400 or 500 mg of sodium in that hamburger," she said.

When you are shopping, read the labels and look at the sodium content, Turner said.

"Ideally you're looking for something less than 10 per cent."

She had some other helpful hints:

• If you use canned vegetables, rinse and drain them first.
• If you eat a lot of deli meats, try using tuna or egg instead.
• Look for items that have reduced sodium or low sodium on the label.