In a perfect world, we'd all eat fresh fruit and veggies, low fat, high protein foods and fast foods would be non-existent.

But since we all live in the real world, fast food is a reality for nearly all of us.
Simply stated - Americans love fast food.

To answer the question of how much is too much, many nutritionists would say any amount is too much. Fast food is an overly processed collection of salty, saturated fats that offer little in terms of nutrition. And for the most part, the nutritionists are right.

By Randy Dotinga
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- Surprising new research suggests that a diet low in salt may be worse for your heart than eating lots of salt, but don't start eating potato chips just yet.

"No one should run out and buy a salt shaker to try to improve their cardiovascular health. But we think it's reasonable to say that different people have different needs," said study author Dr. Hillel W. Cohen, an associate professor of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Reducing children's salt intake may lower their consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and reduce their risk of obesity, high blood pressure and other health problems later in life, British researchers say.

Scientists at St. George's University of London analyzed data on more than 1,600 boys and girls, aged 4 to 18, in Great Britain, and found that those who ate a lower-salt diet drank less fluid. The researchers estimated that cutting 1 gram of salt from a child's daily diet would reduce the child's overall fluid intake by 100 grams per day.

Learn how salt (sodium) affects your health.

Discover the signs that you may be getting too much salt in your diet.

Find out what you can do to help decrease your salt intake.