Steve Haywood Health & Fitness

Salt cellars

Salt is a vital part of our diets. It helps us to absorb nutrients and regulate the water in our blood stream. However the majority of people eat two and a half times more salt than they need to. Excessive sodium levels are linked to excessive fluid absorption and high blood pressure. Hypertension can lead to heart attack or stroke.

On average, people in the UK eat about 9.5g salt (about 3.7g sodium) a day. This may not sound like much, but to reduce the risk of disease, we should not be eating more than 6g salt (2.5g sodium) a day. Here are some facts to help you maintain that balance.

Salt (sodium) comes from three main sources:

• About 15% comes from the sodium that’s naturally present in fresh foods.
• About 15% comes from the salt we add in cooking and at the table.
• About 70% comes from processed and convenience foods.

Hidden Salt Content

French fries, savoury biscuits and salted peanuts are obviously salty, but did you know that a bowl of corn flakes contains more salt than North Atlantic seawater or that a loaf of white bread has almost double the salt of ready-salted fries?

Many food manufacturers don’t list the amount of salt on the packet. Instead, they list the quantity of sodium. To calculate how much salt is in your food, multiply the sodium content by 2.5. There is a dedicated calculator at the FSA salt website – just click here.

For example:
Sodium content of 0.5g x 2.5 = 1.25g of salt

If you want to keep track of hidden salt just use this rough guide from the NHS:

• a high amount of salt is more than 1.5g for 100g (0.6g sodium)
• a low amount of salt is 0.3 g for 100g (0.1g sodium).

Babies should have less than 1g per day.

Here’s an easy table designed by Lo Salt to help you calculate your salt intake:

• 

  Meat Feast Pizza

  Half a pizza – 130g – 4 points

• Bacon – 80g – 8 points
• Ham & mushroom tagliatelle – 300g – 5 points
• Lasagne – 290g – 6 points
• Beef curry – 260g – 6 points
• Two large sausages – 80g – 4 points
• Baked beans – 135g – 4 points
• Flavoured crisps – 30g – 2 points
• French fries – 110g – 2 points
• Burger in a bun – 105g – 2 points
• 2 slices of bread – 72g – 2 points
• Hi-bran cereal – 35g – 2 points
• Cornflakes – 30g – 2 points
• 2 digestives – 30g – 1 points
• Shop-bought sandwich – 185g – 4 points
• Honey roast ham – 46g – 2 points
• Cheddar cheese (matchbox sized chunk) – 30g – 2 points
• Fruit cake one slice – 60g – 1 points
• Sprinkling salt on anything – 1 point

Have a look at what you would normally consume in the course of one day and tot up the numbers.

• 0-4 Congratulations, you’re doing all the right things.
• 5-8 Maintain this level and you should have no problems.
• 9-12 You’re on the verge of exceeding the recommended level of salt (6g a day). Think about changing your diet.
• 13-18 You’re exceeding recommended maximum limits and should reduce your intake.
• 19+ This is alsmost three times your requirement and you could be risking your health.

This is only a guide. Go to the NHS salt advice pages for more information or ask a health professional.