So you’ve banished the saltshaker from your table, and you season your food with herbs and spices. But for some reason it doesn’t seem to be lowering your blood pressure.

The problem is that more than 75 percent of the sodium we consume comes not from the saltshaker, but from processed foods we buy at the supermarket.

Sodium is added to virtually everything: canned soups, salad dressings, cereals, breads. Look at any item in your cupboard, and it’s likely you’ll see added salt of one form or another.

Eating out is also to blame. According to the latest statistics, 83 percent of Americans visit fast food restaurants, and just over 68 percent visit casual dining eateries at least once a week.

Unfortunately, that’s bad news. A Duke University study showed that eating meals outside the home can raise blood pressure, even in healthy young adults.

Researchers surveyed 501 university-going young adults aged 18 to 40 years in Singapore, and took data on blood pressure, weight, activity levels, and meals eaten outside of the home.

They found that 27.4 percent of the population had prehypertension, meaning mildly elevated blood pressure.

They also found that 38 percent ate 12 meals away from home per week, and that those who did this more often were likely to weigh more, exercise less, smoke, and have higher blood pressure.

The researchers also found that the more the students ate out, the higher their blood pressure would be. In fact, eating just one meal out raised the odds of prehypertension by 6 percent.