A diet high in salt is bad for our health, yet most people continue to consume way more than the daily recommendation.
According to the WHO (World Health Organisation) “most people consume too much salt—on average 9–12 grams per day, or around twice the recommended maximum level of intake”.
DOUBLE the recommended maximum intake of salt. That’s scary.
There are 2 main questions we’ll cover in this article
- Where does all this salt come from?
- How can we reduce our salt intake?
First of all though, let’s understand the potential health consequences of a long-term excess of salt in the diet.
Health risks
Important point: salt in itself is not bad, in fact it contains 2 important minerals necessary for good health: sodium and chloride. The issue we are discussing here is a diet with an EXCESS of salt.
High blood pressure
A diet high in salt is a contributing factor to high blood pressure (hypertension). In the long run high blood pressure can damage your blood vessels and it adds a huge strain on the heart.
High blood pressure is often labelled the “silent killer”. There are rarely symptoms and people do not always know they have it. Left untreated it can do so much damage to your circulatory system that it is a risk factor for all of the health issues listed below.
Heart disease
As mentioned above, high blood pressure over a period of time will make your heart work on overdrive.
That’s why high blood pressure is a leading risk factor in heart disease.
Stroke
High blood pressure is also a leading risk factor for stroke.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, high blood pressure “accounts for two-thirds of all strokes”.
Kidney disease
Yet another disease where high blood pressure is a leading risk factor is kidney disease.
High blood pressure also increases the chances that kidney disease will get worse over time.
Where does all this salt come from?
Salt in the food we buy
Most of the salt in people’s diet comes from foods that are themselves high in salt.
Highly processed and packaged foods are the worst culprits, and these you are probably not surprised that they are high in salt:
- Fast food
- Processed meats (salami, ham, bacon)
- Many ready-meals
- Frozen pizza
- Salty snacks such as crisps (chips) and salty crackers
- Salted nuts
Unfortunately there is salt in so many of the foods that we eat today, that over the course of a day it quickly adds up:
- Bread
- Cheese
- Most takeaway and restaurant food
- Smoked meat or fish
- Shop-bought sauces and soups
- Canned vegetables
- Some frozen vegetable mixes
- Instant puddings
- Salted butter
- Shop-bought sandwiches
- Shop cooked chicken – rotisserie or fried chicken
- Breakfast cereals
- Noodles
Honestly, the list goes on and on.
The American Heart Association has a great infographic showing some of the worst offenders when it comes to high salt content
Salt we add
Although the biggest issue with salt in the diet comes from processed foods high in salt, the other aspect we must consider is the salt we add ourselves.
Salt in cooking
Many people cook with a lot of salt.
Whether it comes from table salt, sea salt, soy sauce or stock cubes, it will all add to your daily intake
Salt at the table
Adding extra salt at the table comes in many forms: table salt, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce.
Tips for reducing salt intake
OK, so you understand the need to reduce your salt intake.
Now the question is how to do it.
1. Check food labels
Get into the habit of checking food labels.
Sometimes you’ll be shocked at the salt content of a product. You’ll also be shocked at the difference between similar products.
Keep it simple: choose products with a lower salt (sodium) content
| High in salt or sodium | Low in salt or sodium |
| More than 1.5g per 100g of salt, or More than 0.6g or 600mg of sodium | 0.3g or less per 100g of salt 0.1g or 100mg or less of sodium |
Don’t forget to also check out the products you eat on a daily basis, such as breakfast cereals and bread. The difference between brands might cause you to switch!
For more on using food labels for checking salt content, check out this post. This mini-series gives overall tips for using food labels to improve your nutrition.
2. Prepare your own meals from scratch more often
Ready meals, take-aways and restaurant food tend to be extraordinarily high in salt.
Cooking your own meals from scratch means you know exactly what is going into a dish and you maintain control over how much salt gets added. Which leads us nicely onto point 3…
3. Use herbs, spices and other ingredients to add flavour
You can’t control the amount of salt that goes processed foods, but you have total control about the amount of salt you add during cooking.
Rather than using salt to flavour your food, try recipes using herbs, spices, garlic, onion and citrus fruits.
Gradually reduce the amount of salt you add – your taste buds WILL adapt.
Remember: products like stock cubes, soy sauce, shop-bought sauces and miso are all high in salt, so minimise your use of them and buy low-sodium options if available.
4. Leave the salt shaker in the cupboard
Adding more salt once your dinner is on the table adds even more sodium into our diets.
Leave the salt, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sauce and mustard off the table. Instead add fresh or dried herbs and spices, chopped garlic or ginger and lemon or lime juice.
Your taste buds will get used to the reduction in salt. It just takes a little time to get used to.
5. Buy fresh or frozen vegetables where possible, and rinse canned vegetables
Fresh or frozen vegetables will always be a better option than canned, so use them whenever possible.
If you need to use canned vegetables, just give them a rinse in cold water before cooking them. This can greatly reduce the salt that was added as a preservative.
If using frozen vegetables, opt for plain veggies rather than ones with added sauces, as these will inevitably be high in salt.
6. Choose unsalted snacks
There are so many great snacks which are low in salt.
Unsalted nuts and seeds, chopped raw fruit and vegetables, unsalted popcorn, unsalted crackers with hummus or peanut butter.
Conclusion
Although sodium is an important part of a healthy diet, most people eat way in excess of the daily recommendations.
A diet very high in salt can lead to serious health consequences. It is a contributing factor to high blood pressure, which in turn is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. As many people do not even realise they have high blood pressure, it is often labelled “the silent killer”
It is not complicated to reduce your salt intake and it doesn’t mean that you will have to eat completely bland food.
Your taste buds will need a little time to adjust, but when they do you will finally be able to taste the delicate flavours of all the other ingredients, rather than just that of the over-powering salt.
The time to act is now. Make a decision today to improve your well-being by taking control of your salt intake.
Have you checked the food labels on many of the products in your cupboards? Did the salt/sodium content surprise you?