Salt

Although not a food group, it is important to know about the impact that too much salt can have in your body and how that can impact your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The average person in the UK eats around 8g of salt per day. NHS guidelines state that we should eat no more than 6g of salt per day.

You may be surprised to find how much salt is in everyday foods that don’t taste salty, such as cereals, biscuits, breads and cakes. If you eat a lot of these foods, the amount of salt can easily add up.

What are the risks?

Having too much salt in the diet can increase blood pressure, particularly if you are living with overweight or if high blood pressure runs in your family. Having high blood pressure can increase your risk of developing health complications, such as heart attack or stroke.

What foods are high in salt?

Processed foods like ready meals, takeaways, pasta sauces, table sauces such as tomato ketchup, bread and breakfast cereals can often contain high levels of salt. You should check the food labels of these types of products to choose lower salt varieties.

Individual foods such as bacon, cheese, ham, salted fish, smoked meat, soy sauce, stock cubes and snacks like salted and dry roasted nuts, crisps and Bombay mix are also high in salt and should be limited in our diet.

How can I reduce my salt intake?

• Check the nutritional information on food labels and pick lower-salt options
• Add less or no salt when cooking 
• Don't add any salt to your food at the table
• As you get used to the taste of food without salt, cut it out completely
• Use different flavours as an alternative to salt, e.g. black pepper, mixed spices, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, chilli. Salt substitutes such as LoSalt are not recommended
• Use low salt or zero salt stock cubes instead of regular ones
• Eat more fresh food and less processed foods, such as tinned and packet foods
• If you are following a recipe try using less salt than given in the ingredients.
• Limit takeaway meals, such as Indian and Chinese, as these often have very high salt levels