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How much salt is too much?

Feature

Salt is crucial for our health, but currently we eat, on average, at least two and a half times what we need. According to statistics, at least 26 million people in the UK eat too much, which is a significant risk factor in developing high blood pressure. High blood pressure can triple the risk of heart disease and stroke and causes or contributes to more than 170,000 deaths a year in England.

In March 2006 the Food Standards Agency published new (voluntary) salt reduction targets for food manufacturers and retailers to reduce salt levels by 2010. The new salt reduction targets will help progress towards bringing down the average UK salt intake to 6g a day.

The reduction targets apply to salt levels in the 85 food categories that contribute most to the amount of salt in our diet. These include everyday foods such as bread, meat products and cereal products, and convenience products like pizza, ready meals, savoury snacks and cakes and pastries. Processed foods contribute around 75 per cent of salt to the diet.

But what can you do to help yourself? Follow these tips from www.safefoodonline.com on how to cut down on your salt intake:

To allow your taste buds to adjust, gradually decrease the amount of salt in your diet over a four to six-week period.

Gradually reduce the amount of salt you add at the table and during cooking.

Use alternative flavourings such as black pepper, herbs, spices, garlic and lemon juice.

Limit the use of stock cubes, gravy granules and ready-made sauces, which are all high in salt. Try making homemade stock or sauces instead.

Choose fresh vegetables and lean meat or fish more often than tinned or processed varieties.

Try and make home-cooked meals the norm during the week.

Get out of the habit of having instant high salt foods at home.

When buying foods in the supermarket, compare the salt content of different brands and products. Do this by checking the label for sodium, which is the component of salt (sodium chloride). As a guide, 0.5g or more of sodium per 100g is a high level, below 0.5g is moderate and 0.1g is low.

Watch your portion size - this will help reduce your salt intake, especially if you reduce the portion size of high salt foods.

If you are feeding babies and young children, you should not add salt to their food. As a result they won't develop a taste or a liking for salty foods.

More and more people eat out nowadays - especially informal eating out like takeaways, burgers and fish and chips. It's important to keep in mind that when someone else cooks your food, you do not have control over the amount of salt, fat and sugar they add to it. Try not to add extra salt yourself and try to choose foods that are seasoned with other natural flavourings, for example spices in a curry.

Always taste food before you add any seasoning.

Try freshly ground black pepper instead of adding salt.

Cut down on the amount of salty meats you choose such as bacon, gammon and ham.

When eating in a restaurant, try a fruit, vegetable or salad-based starter - both light and filling.

Ask if the sauce/dressing can be served on the side - you can control how much you wish to use.

Picture caption: The amount of salt we consume is leaving a worryingly high percentage of us vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes.



MyVillage 12th July




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