Salt in the diet

Salt is an essential nutrient and the UK Government recommends that an average adult should consume 6g or less of salt per day. But only one in three women and a mere one in six men achieve this. The rest of the UK population, according to the latest National Diet & Nutrition Survey, consume too much salt. Women average 8.1g per day while men take in a staggering 11.0g per day. And all age ranges are involved; from late teenagers all the way through to those entitled to a free bus pass. Every age group takes too much salt.

Should we be concerned about consuming too much salt?

Yes, we should be concerned. Consistently taking too much salt has been linked to having higher than average blood pressure. This can lead to an increased risk of suffering heart disease or a stroke. And since these two are the biggest killers in modern times any steps we can take which can help reduce the risk should be welcomed with open arms.

But I don’t put much salt on my food?

The salt we add to food ourselves is only part of the problem. It is common practice to add salt during cooking and then add some more at the table. In order to help reduce salt intake we should all ask ourselves whether we could do with adding less or even do without adding it at all.

That’s because around 75% of our salt intake is already contained within the food we are preparing. While a little occurs naturally in foods, most has been put there by the food manufacturers for a variety of reasons including three big ones; making the food more palatable, balancing the taste of excessive sugars and extending its shelf life.

Anyone who has watched a celebrity chef or cooking competition on TV has seen the food being “seasoned” repeatedly during cooking and serving. But you must remember that these guys have only one goal – to make that meal as delicious as possible. The same applies to almost all takeaway and restaurant food. It won’t matter how nice the decor, how relaxing the background music or how friendly the service was – if the food doesn’t taste great then you won’t come back and won’t recommend it to your friends and colleagues.

So does adding salt make food taste better?

Salt has been added to our meats and fish in order to preserve it for thousands of years. Indeed since the availability of affordable refrigeration our consumption has dropped by around half. No doubt salt contributed to our predecessors’ raised blood pressure too, but they didn’t have our levels of inactivity, stress and body fat to compound the problem.

So we have become accustomed to expecting our food to taste salty. When you cut down on the amount of salt in your daily diet then you will notice its absence for a few weeks. But your taste buds quickly become accustomed to the new “normal” level of salt. Indeed one of the revelations of reducing salt in this way is realising, probably for the first time, just how salty some ready meals and restaurant foods have become. Some dishes which you might even have added table salt to before now taste overly seasoned from the packet or kitchens.

Is rock salt better for you?

The salt we commonly see in salt shakers is sodium chloride. Rock salt is also sodium chloride. Sea salt has a slightly more complex origin and may have some other nutrients, such as potassium and magnesium, delivered in the same packet. But it is also primarily sodium chloride. As far as your blood pressure is concerned the differences between all three are cosmetic.

What can I do to reduce the amount of salt I eat?

Some food manufacturers are slowly getting the message that their customers have become wise to the excessive salt in their products. Over the coming years we can hope that they will dramatically reduce the amount they include hidden in our food. Until then we must take responsibility for the well being of ourselves and those we provide for. Here are some simple steps to help:

• Buy fewer foods with a high salt content. Watch out for snacks like crisps and nuts which pack too much salt
• Some bread types, particularly white bread, contain surprisingly high amounts of salt. Swap them for a healthier option
• Watch out for breakfast cereals; some contain a lot of salt
• Check the food labels, especially on prepared meals and cooking sauces:

A little salt per100g is 0.25g or less
A lot of salt per100g is 1.25g or more

• If you pick up a ready made sandwich at lunchtime check on the label or shop menu for salt content
• Try to add less salt during cooking. And switch to a salt version with a lower sodium content
• Instead of adding salt at the table try other flavourings like pepper on eggs and pasta, lemon juice and herbs on rice and fish, garlic on meats and poultry, and choose from a wide variety of spices.

What's the difference between sodium and salt?

As you've seen above most of the salt we consume in our diets is sodium chloride. It is the sodium part of that which causes raised blood pressure. So some manufaturers quote the amount of sodium in the food instead of the amount of salt.

It is simple to covert between one and the other. You can multiply the sodium amount by two and a half to get the salt amount.

For example, a food with 0.5g of sodium per100g will have a salt content of 1.25g per100g

Stick to foods with less than 0.1g per100g of sodium where you can.