One in four Americans has high blood pressure and a third of them don't even know it. Excessive salt in the diet can help cause high blood pressure in some people, which can lead to other complications.

22-year-old Travis Miller was shocked that he had to be put on medication for high blood pressure. He was also told to make some lifestyle changes. "One of the most important things they want you to do is cut salt out of your diet. Or not cut it out entirely but you know, limit it because, especially in America we use a lot of salt, especially in all of our foods."

If you're like most Americans, dietician Jeanne Struve says you're probably taking in more salt than current guidelines recommend. "The American Heart Association recommends no more than about 2400 milligrams of sodium. That's the amount of sodium that's in one teaspoon of salt. The average American probably gets 8 to 10 thousand milligrams of sodium a day."

Cutting back on salt cannot only bring high blood pressure under control, but it may reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. It may not be as hard as you think to begin salt reduction in your daily diet.

Jeanne also warns, "Salt is an acquired taste the more salt you have, the more salt you want. So, as you begin to cut back you actually crave less and less salt."

Even if you don't add salt to your food, keep in mind that someone else has added probably about 80% of your sodium intake to your food. Avoiding certain foods can help reduce that sodium intake. "Things that come in a can. Processed foods. Basically the closer it gets to your mouth, the more salts put in it."

For your best health, cook with herbs instead of salt and combine a low-salt diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Avoid processed foods as much as you can.

Reduced Sodium products are also available to help you cut down on your sodium.