Eat Less Salt - Information Pack

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Eat less salt – what’s it all about?

Salt is the common name for the chemical compound sodium chloride, which is made up of two elements – sodium and chloride. Some salt is found naturally in food, while most of it is added. Sodium also forms part of other substances found in food, for example monosodium glutamate (MSG or ‘taste powder’), however 90% of the sodium we eat is in salt. It is the sodium in salt, MSG etc. that can be bad for your heart if you have too much.

Although salt does have a role in the functioning of our bodies, for example in maintaining fluid levels in our bodies, and in the transmission of nerve impulses, eating too much salt can result in you having raised blood pressure. High blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack and stroke by three times, whatever your age.

How much salt should we have?

Adults and children. It is recommended that adults and children age 11 and over should eat no more than 6g salt each day (on average we eat 9-12g each a day!). 6g is about a teaspoonful, which is not much, especially when you consider that 75% of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy.

Children of 11 years and under should eat less salt than adults. According to their age it is recommended that children should have no more than:

2 g salt a day for children age 1 to 3 years
3 g salt a day for children age 4 to 6 years
5 g salt a day for children age 7 to 10 years
6 g salt a day for children age 11 years and over

If you have too much salt as a child or young adult, this could affect your health in the future. Also, eating too much salt as a child can give you a taste for salty food, which means you are more likely to continue to eat too much salt as an adult. It is better to cut down on salt early on in life, even though the effects of salt may not seem immediately apparent.

Babies. Too much salt can be dangerous for babies because their kidneys cannot cope with large amounts of salt. Babies need only a very small amount of salt – less than 1g a day for babies up to 12 months old.. Babies will get the right amount of salt they need in breast milk or formula milk. You should not add salt to the food you make for your baby and if you’re using any food products not aimed at babies, such as breakfast cereals remember that many can be high in salt.

Older people are at greater risk of high blood pressure, so it is important to cut down on salt as you get older, to reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack.

It is easy to eat too much salt without knowing you are

About 75% of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, including processed foods (which have been prepared and cooked in some way before you buy them). They tend to be higher in salt because it is often added in the manufacturing process. Always check the label and choose the one lower in salt.

Foods where some brands/recipes are high in salt- check the label and choose the one lower in salt:

Baked beans
Breakfast cereals
Bread products
Cooking/pasta sauces
Crisps
Pizza
Ready meals
Soup
Sandwiches
Sausages
Tomato ketchup
Mayonnaise

Foods that are often high in salt check the label and choose the one lower in salt or if lower salt alternatives can’t be found then eat these less often or in smaller amounts:

Anchovies
Bacon
Cheese
Chips (if salt added)
Gravy granules
Ham
Olives
Pickles
Prawns
Salami & other sausages
Salted & dry roasted nuts
Salt fish
Smoked meat and fish
Soy sauce
Stock cubes
Yeast extract

How you can reduce the amount of salt in your diet

There are lots of simple ways to reduce the amount of salt you eat, whether you’re cooking, eating out or choosing food at the shops. Take a look at our salt tips to see what you can do.

• Check the label to help you choose healthier breakfast cereals. Try puffed wheat, wheat biscuits or muesli with no added salt.
• Choose unprocessed meat [not sure ‘unprocessed meat’ works as a definition here, need to give examples, such as chicken or beef] over processed (e.g. sausages, ham, bacon) whenever you can.
• When you’re buying bread, compare the amount of salt in different types and choose the lower one.
• If having smoked foods such as smoked meat and fish, try having just a small amount or eat them less often, because these can be high in salt.
• Go for tinned vegetables and pulses (beans, lentils, chick peas) without added salt.
• Snack on fruit, plain popcorn or unsalted nuts and seeds, instead of crisps or crackers.
• If you’re choosing a ready meal or a ready-made pasta sauce, compare different types and choose the one that is lower in salt.
• Go easy with ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, pickles and mayonnaise – these can all be high in salt.
• Try not to add salt automatically when you're cooking or about to eat. Often people only use salt out of habit.

Eating out

If you’re eating in a restaurant or café, or ordering a takeaway, you can still eat less salt by making some smart choices.

• When you order a pizza, choose vegetable or chicken toppings instead of pepperoni, bacon, or extra cheese.
• At the sandwich bar, go for fillings such as chicken salad or poached salmon, instead of ham or cheese and pickle, which are usually higher in salt.
• If you’re having a Chinese or Indian meal, go for plain rice
because this is lower in salt than egg-fried rice or pilau rice.
• Try not to have salty chips too often – you could have a jacket potato instead.
• When you have a salad, ask for the dressing on the side, so you only have as much as you need. Some dressings can be high in salt, as well as fat.
Cooking

There are lots of ways to add flavour to your cooking without using any salt.

• Add fresh herbs to pasta dishes, vegetables and meat.
• Marinate meat and fish in advance to give them more flavour.
• Use garlic, ginger, chilli and lime in stir fries.
• Add red wine to stews and casseroles, and white wine to risottos and sauces for chicken.
• Make your own stock and gravy, instead of using cubes or granules, or look out for reduced-salt varieties.

• Roast vegetables such as red peppers, courgettes, fennel, parsnips and squash to bring out their flavour.
• Squeeze lemon juice onto fish or seafood.
• Try using different types of onion - brown, red, white, spring onions, shallots.
• Make sauces using ripe flavoursome tomatoes and garlic.
• Use black pepper as seasoning on pasta, scrambled egg etc instead of salt.

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