Too much salt is killing us
The recommended daily maximum level of salt is 6g a day but on average, adults are eating 8.6g a day - that's over 40% more than we should be having, according to new research.
Why is salt consumption in the news?
We're still eating too much salt and that's leading to 14,000 premature deaths in the UK every year. This is despite recent government campaigns to highlight the dangers of too much salt.
What are people dying of?
Too much salt increases the risk of high blood pressure and this is linked to heart disease and strokes, said the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Why are we eating too much salt?
Three-quarters of our salt is already in food and the biggest problem is bread, says the FSA, which is the biggest source of salt in our UK diet, because we eat so much of it. The FSA's target is to get all loaves down to 1.1g of salt per 100g and although sliced bread now contains 30% less salt now, there's still room for more reductions, according to the FSA.
In fact, a survey carried out in 2007 by the group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash) discovered that 50 out of 138 loaves still contained too much bread.
What else should we be avoiding?
Many processed foods contain high levels of salt: things like pizza, crisps, shop-bought sandwiches, some brands of breakfast cereal and baked beans. The FSA is calling on manufacturers to reduce the salt content of 85 types of food, including these.
What can we do as customers?
Make sure you look closely at the labels on products you buy at the supermarket - nearly all packaged foods will tell you how much salt is contained in a normal serving.
Be aware that even sweet things like cakes and biscuits have more salt in than you'd expect and try not to add salt to anything you cook at home, especially not vegetables, potatoes, pasta and rice.
And even if you make most of your meals from scratch, a lot of things you buy will contain hidden salt. Beware of food such as bacon, cheese, gravy granules, ham, pickles, salted and dry roasted nuts, soy sauce and stock cubes.
What do the experts say?
Peter Hollins from the British Heart Foundation said: 'People should reduce salt in their diets, but this will only be possible if the food industry supports shoppers by cutting salt content.'
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More help and advice
- Get the facts about high blood pressure
- Find out more about heart disease
- Try our Low Salt Diet
- Read Joanne's experience of the Low Salt Diet
- Chat about keeping a healthy heart
- Find out more about salt
By Rob Mansfield
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