The Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) is holding their 11th National Salt Awareness Week this week (1st - 7th February 2010).
The focus this year is ‘Salt and Your Health', as many people are today aware that salt can damage their health, but they do not realise that it is linked to serious health conditions such as strokes, heart disease, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, obesity and kidney disease - which can affect anyone.
Small amounts of salt are essential for our wellbeing. Adults require less than 1g of salt per day and children need even less. However, it has been found that adults are currently consuming between 7 and 10g/day, far more than needed.
Simple suggestions...
There are a number of ways each of us can reduce our salt intake. One simple way is to check the labels for the salt content of the food we buy in supermarkets. By looking at the labels we can add up how much salt we are consuming each day. Most food labels now give the amount of salt the food contains either per 100g or per portion.
When looking at the label most supermarkets now use traffic lights to demonstrate a product that is high/low in a certain nutrient. ASDA have adopted a ‘traffic light' labelling scheme, therefore look out for green and amber traffic lights and try to restrict the number of products with red traffic lights that you put in your trolley. This applies to salt, but can also be used for calories, fat, saturated fat and sugar.
Another way to reduce salt intake would be to cook at home more often. This way you will be able to monitor the amount of salt you use when cooking, reducing it to a more appropriate levels or even leaving it out! Making your own bread, pasta sauces, soups and cakes can make a drastic reduction to salt intake.
It may take a while to adjust to lower levels of salt in your diet, as the salty taste of food depends on the salt content and the sensitivity of taste receptors in your mouth. Initially some foods may taste bland, however in time taste receptors will become more sensitive and get the same taste sensation from lower salt levels. So, give yourself time to adjust.
Do not to add salt at the table. Rock salt and sea salt are just as high in salt, as table salt.
If you add more herbs and spices to the foods that you cook you will also be adding more flavour and so will not notice the salt reduction.
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