AUBURN - Common table salt, once a rare commodity, is now often overlooked as a high-risk heart health factor.

Salt is the most common seasoning added to foods. Many people prefer to add more salt when the food is already prepared and on the plate. Often, salt cannot be seen when shaken, and the recommended three teaspoons of dietary salt intake is consumed in just one meal.

According to Becky Crawford, community nutrition educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, one grilled chicken sandwich from McDonald's contains 1,600 milligrams of salt, and one triple thick vanilla milkshake, also from McDonald's contains 866 milligrams of salt. That alone is the recommended daily limit, she said.

"Too much salt in the diet is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure," Crawford told students during the eat smart men's health group last week at Cornell Cooperative Extension. Many of Crawfords students are attending the nutritional class as a part of an overall healthy living lifestyle change.

Vincent Estrada, a diabetic since he was a teenager, attends each class in hopes of changing his overall health.

"I enjoy cooking," he said. "I am an old, young man."

In addition to his choices in eating a healthier diet, Estrada is also trying to quit smoking.

Crawford told her students that too much sodium, robs calcium from the bones.

"When the body has too much salt, it uses calcium to help rid the body of unneeded sodium," Crawford said. She gave examples of how someone can tell if the body is holding too much sodium. "When the body has an overload of salt, the hands and wrists become swelled," she said. "If you wear jewelry and suddenly it doesn't seem to fit right, that is a sign that the body is retaining fluids caused from too much salt intake."

The students learn through each class how to make healthier eating and cooking choices, and are given hands on recipe lessons.

Last week, Crawford had her students shake the salt onto a paper napkin as if they were putting it on their plate. She then gathered the salt into a pile on a plate to show the class how much salt intake they're getting without even realizing it.

After the demonstration, students were given suggestions for seasoning foods without the sodium, such as alternative spice found inexpensively at your local supermarket.

"Fresh fruits and vegetables have no added salt," Crawford said.

"Canned fruits and vegetables are loaded with sodium. It is OK to eat them, but be sure to drain the fluids first." She advised the students not to cook with salt, but to add it after sitting down if it is still desired.

According to Crawford, if a person goes without the added salt for three days, they will not miss it so much in their diets after that. In fact, by taking this challenge, foods will seem a lot saltier after three days of going without it.

"The want for extra salt in the diet is psychological," Crawford said.

"You can eat salt to a point without harm. Yet, too much salt in the diet may lead to health issues."