Salt

A high salt intake is believed to be a major factor in the development of high blood pressure, a condition that affects one in three adults in the UK and ROI.

As high blood pressure increases the risk of stroke and heart disease, anything we can do to bring it down – including reducing the amount of salt we take in – has got to be a good thing.

Clearly, going easy on the salt at mealtimes is one of the simplest ways to cut down on the amount we eat. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite that straightforward; around three quarters of the salt in our diets actually comes from processed food, so it’s important to check the GDA for salt on packet foods that you buy.

Remember, the Guideline Daily Amount for salt is 6g for adults and 4g for children aged between 5-10 years.

Foods high in salt

All these foods have higher than average salt levels, either because of their flavouring or because salt is used in the curing and preserving process:

• Anchovies.
• Bacon.
• Cheese.
• Crisps.
• Olives.
• Pickles.
• Pretzels.
• Salted and dry roasted nuts.
• Sausages.
• Smoked meat and fish.
• Soy sauce.
• Stock cubes.
• Yeast extract.
• Canned soup.

For more information on salt go to www.salt.gov.uk

Less salt doesn’t have to mean less flavour

Like other strong flavours, salt is something we acquire a taste for. The more we have with our food, the more used to it we become, so the more we put on our food to get the ‘flavour’ we’re used to…

The good news is, our taste buds can be ‘trained’ to get used to the taste of food with less salt.

If you gradually reduce the amount of salt you eat, your taste buds will adapt as the sodium receptors on the tongue become more sensitive to salt. This usually takes about 2-3 weeks.

Alternatively, if food with less salt is too bland when you first try cutting down, try using other strong flavourings such as herbs and spices, lemon or mustard to flavour your foods.

5 ways to reduce your salt intake

• Choose ‘no added sugar and salt’ varieties of canned foods such as kidney beans, chick-peas and sweetcorn. If you can’t find beans packed in unsalted water, rinsing them thoroughly before use will help to remove some of the salt.
• Give cooked vegetables a bit of a lift by adding the zest and juice of a lemon instead of salt.
• Use spices such as coriander, caraway and fennel seeds to add flavour to fish dishes and cooked vegetables. Freshly ground spices have a much stronger flavour so get hold of a pestle and mortar and grind your own. Dry frying the spices before you grind them will enhance the flavour.
• Keep pots of growing herbs, like mint and coriander in your kitchen so you’ve always got them to hand.
• Processed foods like canned soups often contain high levels of salt. So why not invest in a hand blender so you can make your own?