Salt overload
According to the Consumers' Association, a bowl of a well known 'healthy' cereal brand contains four times as much salt as a 25g (0.8oz) packet of roasted peanuts! Salt is used in excess in many products and about 80% of our salt intake comes from processed foods. Experts say that if we cut salt from the average 12 grams a day to 3 it could prevent up to 52,000 deaths a year. The reality is that children are eating nearly as much salt as most adults and this is due to many new food and drink products aimed at children are packed with salt. Too much salt in the diet can lead to numerous problems in later life.
High salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, which can increase the risk of stroke or heart disease. The Stroke Association says that by reducing the intake of salt by only 3g a day - equivalent to just over half a teaspoon - we could reduce stroke statistics.
I'm completely behind The Consumers' Association's idea of a 'traffic light' system of labels so that shoppers can easily identify foods that are high salt or sugar and fat. Unfortunately, there's currently no such system in place, so in the meantime, we need to check food packaging carefully and follow the Food Standards Agency guidelines. It recommends that 0.25g or less per 100g is a little, while 1.25g or more is a lot. Many manufacturers list 'sodium' rather than 'salt', so for sodium the FSA advises that 0.1g or less is good and 0.5g or more is bad.
I recommend that where possible you should opt for foods that contain no added salt, but always check the labels as the salt content may still be higher that the recommended amount. Don't add additional salt to your meal, use herbs and spices instead. This combined with regular exercise and a close watch on your sugar and fat intake will help to maintain your health and well-being.
Courtesy of Fitness Master, Personal Trainer
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