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Pass the Salt?
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Our salt (sodium chloride) intake is
proving to be cause for alarm. In our bid to lose weight and
adopt healthy eating habits the amount of salt in our diets
has been overlooked. Lowering your sodium intake is an important
aspect of adopting a healthy diet which is the key to a new
healthy you.
There is strong evidence to show the link between high salt
intake and increased blood pressure which is the main cause of
strokes and a major cause of heart attack. Salt can also lead
to increased anxiety, bring on insomnia and exacerbate
conditions like water retention.
Most of us are packing away between 10g and 12g of salt
everyday. The Food Standards Agency recommends no more than 6g
a day (2.3g of sodium). All labels give the sodium content on
products and more and more are showing totals of salt. Salt is
sodium chloride. Every gram of salt contains 0.4g of sodium.
If a food label gives only the sodium content you need to
multiply it by two and a half to get the salt content.
So where is the salt in our diets coming from? Many of us
have stopped using salt whilst cooking and salt is no longer
the standard dining table condiment. However, whilst salt
occurs naturally in many foods the main source of salt in the
UK is salt added in food processing and manufacturing. Foods
that can be high in salt include bread, breakfast cereals,
processed meats products, soups, sauces, ready meals and
sandwiches. Check the label on processed foods to see how much
sodium they contain. To give you a rough guideline, more than
0.5g Sodium (1.25g Salt) is too much and less than 0.1g Sodium
(0.25g Salt) is sufficient.
Take Action
Get clued up to hidden salts in foods by looking at the
extended nutritional information on products and the
weight loss
resources food database. This will enable you to
monitor the sodium content in your diet. Compare nutritional
data on products and choose those with less sodium.
- Don’t add salt to your cooking or to food at the table.
- Watch out for sauces, which can be laden with salt; use
sparingly.
- Cut down on salty snacks – choose unsalted versions of
nuts, snack on dried fruits, fruits and vegetables.
- Cut down on heavily salted foods such as bacon, cheese,
ready-prepared meals.
- Buy products with the ‘No Added Salt’ labels.
Further Information
Weight Loss Resources has a UK food and
nutrition database with food diary and tools to help you lose
weight and eat more healthily. You can try try it
free free for 24 hours.
CASH – Consensus Action on Salt and Health -
www.hyp.ac.uk/cash
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