Why it's easy to consume too much salt

If you’re interested in food and its impact on your health then you are probably aware that a high salt intake may lead to a number of health problems such as high blood pressure which triples your risk of heart disease and stroke. But how do you know whether you’re eating too much?

Well if your typical diet includes packaged foods such as bread, cheese, breakfast cereals, pizza and baked beans with perhaps the odd packet of crisps or salted nuts then you are likely to be eating more salt than your body needs. In fact in the UK we consume a daily average of 9-12 grams which is well above the government target of just 6g (equivalent to just over a teaspoon) for a healthy adult.

The good news is, however, that many of the food manufacturers as well as a number of our major supermarkets are beginning to bow to the pressure from consumer groups and are reducing the salt content of their products. There is still more work to be done but the likes of food companies such as Kelloggs have reduced the salt in some of their most popular products, cornflakes being one.

Strangely it is these staple foods (such as breakfast cereals and bread) which may not even taste salty that are major contributors to our daily salt intake. Did you know that by eating six slices of bread you’ll be consuming a third or more of your recommended daily salt intake? And amazingly some breakfast cereals contain more salt per 100g than the equivalent amount of crisps!

So what can you do to keep your salt levels in check?  Well, first and foremost read the food label! Salt is sodium and chloride, but you may notice that many food manufacturers refer only to sodium on their labels. In order to get the salt equivalent you simply multiple by 2.5.

In terms of the amount per 100g. 0.5g of sodium and 1.25 of salt is a high level while 0.1g of sodium and 0.25 of salt is a reasonable amount.

Top Tips for reducing your salt intake

• Be sensible with your snacks and choose unsalted varieties of nuts and seeds as well as unsalted popcorn, rice cakes or opt for “Salt'n'Shake” crisps where you can control the amount of salt you use.

• Avoid canned foods such as vegetables which are often in salted water and choose fresh or frozen varieties instead. If you do need to use the canned variety rinse and drain them thoroughly.

• Watch out for the salt levels in canned and packet soups and sauces. It's better to make your own
  

• Choose breakfast cereals such as Shredded Wheat which have no salt added
  

• Reduce the amount of salted meats (bacon, gammon, ham) and meat products (pies and nuggets) that you eat.

• Use fresh, frozen or dried herbs, spices, lemon or lime juice; vinegar and flavourful foods such as onion, garlic, ginger or chilli to season your food rather than salt
  

• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables which are good sources of potassium, the mineral that works with sodium in the body.
  

• Omit the salt when boiling vegetables, reduce your use of stock cubes, gravy browning or soy sauce and ketchup and don’t add salt at the table.

For more information about salt look at the Food Standards Agency’s website www.salt.gov.uk