Think about this next time you have dinner in a restaurant.

A new study finds that a single menu item from a sit-down restaurant can have almost 100 per cent of the daily recommended amount of sodium.

University of Toronto scientists say the sodium in some sandwiches and even salads from fast food or sit-down restaurants are off the chart.

The daily recommended amount of sodium is 1500 milligrams and no more than 2300 milligrams per day.

The researchers say the average Canadian consumes 3400 milligrams a day.

They estimate that reducing dietary sodium intake by 18oo milligrams a day would result in an annual health-care savings of $2.3 billion.