publication date: Feb 1, 2010
When I first
gave up adding salt to my food many years ago, I thought I'd never be able to eat an
egg, tomato or celery without salt. Now I
can't imagine eating them with the condiment. And the
best thing we can do for our
children is not to
introduce them to
salt at the table or in cooking - they get more than enough in
processed foods.
On
average we consume almost
9g of salt every day, despite the
recommended allowance published on the side of most food products clearly reading a
limit of 6g. Sticking to these
guidelines can reduce the risk of having a
stroke or heart attack by a quarter.
According to research by
Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), although
two-thirds of people questioned were aware that a
high salt diet is linked to
high blood pressure only one-third relates salt to
stroke, even though high blood pressure is the single most important
risk factor for stroke. And barely a
quarter knew that it contributes to
kidney diseases like renal failure or kidney stones, just
one fifth knew that high salt intake can lead to
osteoporosis and stomach cancer,
About
80 per cent of our salt intake is
hidden in everyday foods such as bread,
breakfast cereals and meat products (ham, bacon, sausages and burgers), as well as
convenience foods (pizzas, ready meals and canned/packet soups) and
fast foods and snacks (crisps, salted nuts, popcorn).
Graham MacGregor, Chairman of CASH and
Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine comments: “The evidence linking
salt to conditions such as
stomach cancer, osteoporosis,
kidney disease, obesity and stroke has been building for years and now must not be ignored. We should all
reduce our salt intake to the maximum recommended target
of 6 grams a day or less if we are to
minimise the risk of developing these serious
health problems.”
For more information visit www.actiononsalt.org.uk
