Top 10s Salty foods in the spotlight

Date Published:

26/01/2009

It's easy enough to break the habit of shaking the salt cellar over your food. But Kim Porter from The Nutrition Coach explains why you may still unknowingly end up consuming a salt-laden dish

Salt or sodium chloride is essential for our health, yet many of us are unknowingly consuming far more than we should. Many people avoid adding salt to food or to cooking to keep their salt intake down, however, the majority of salt (around 75%) that we consume is already present in processed food such as bread, breakfast cereals, pastries and ready meals. A high salt intake is associated with high blood pressure and heart problems. It's also linked to stomach cancer and osteoporosis.

How much salt should be in our food?

The Food Standards Agency states that adults should not consume more than 6g of salt a day. The amount recommended for children is a lot less and varies according to age (click here for more information). Salt can be listed as salt or as sodium on a product's nutritional information. A high salt content is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium). A low salt content is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium).

Manufacturers are working towards reducing salt in their bread, yet most commercial bread is still fairly high in salt. If, like many people, you have toast for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch, you could be consuming half your daily quota of salt by lunchtime based on the salt levels in some breads. For a child, this can be more than their daily recommended salt intake.

What's the alternative? Bread from independent bakeries can contain less salt than the sliced bread found in supermarkets but not always - ask your local baker about the amount of salt they use. Better still, get kneading and bake your own low salt bread.

Baked beans are a staple of the Great British fry-up yet full of salt, which means you'll be well on your way to your daily salt ration if you have beans on toast with bacon.

What's the alternative? Many manufacturers make low salt baked beans which are a good alternative, or you could even try making your own with haricot beans and fresh tomatoes.

As with bread, some manufacturers are lowering salt levels in their ready meals but there are still many dishes which are too salty, particularly those containing oriental sauces or bacon.

What's the alternative? If you're a ready meal fan get into the habit of reading food labels to check for salt levels.

Take-aways and fast food can be high in salt and if you're a frequent visitor to your local you could be consuming well in excess of your daily salt limits. Children are particularly at risk from fast food outlets - it would be fairly easy for a young child to eat well over their daily recommended salt in one sitting.

What's the alternative? Keep take-aways and fast food to a minimum particularly for children, or minimise salt by avoiding cheese and bacon dishes.

Although you can't taste it, sweet pastries and muffins can be deceptively high in salt. Some high street coffee shop pastries and muffins contain as much salt as two rashers of bacon.

What's the alternative? Tea cakes and hot cross buns tend to be lower in salt, or ideally switch to porridge or muesli without added salt or sugar.

Cheese as a rule is high in salt but processed cheese, such as triangles and slices, and cheese spreads top the salt scale. Even some of the processed cheese products aimed at children contain a huge amount of salt.

What's the alternative? Check labels carefully for salt content. Some cheeses are lower in salt such as cottage cheese, mozzarella and some of the hard mild cheeses.

Breakfast cereals are under fire again (see sugary foods). Many contain unnecessary amounts of salt with some brands containing as much salt per bowl as a packet of crisps. Manufacturers are working to reduce salt content of cereals but they still have a long way to go.

What's the alternative? Go for porridge which hasn't been processed and therefore contains no salt, or choose a salt and sugar free muesli.

Many of Britain's best-loved table sauces are high in salt. Some sauces are saltier than seawater, which typically contains around 2.5g of salt per 100g. And it's not just our table sauces which are salty; many of the commercial cooking sauces available such as pasta sauce and Chinese sauces are also packed with salt.

What's the alternative? Don't smother your food with table sauces - have them on the side and choose low salt versions if available. Flavour your food with home-made versions; for example, make a speedy sauce with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and herbs.

Cured meats such as ham, bacon, hot dogs and salami all contain high salt levels. Some bacon and salamis contain twice as much salt gram for gram as the Atlantic, and just one hot dog in a roll with tomato sauce can contain as much salt as five bags of crisps. Sausages don't rank very well either but tend to contain less salt than bacon and salami.

What's the alternative? If you're a bacon and sausage fan, be sure to eat them in moderation especially if you like them with tomato sauce. Alternatively choose uncured cuts of meat such as chicken, beef or pork.

Surprisingly, crisps are not as salty as some of the foods on this list; however, they do of course contain their fair share of salt. The salt content of crisps varies hugely and some manufacturers have reduced the amount they use. The crisps at the top of the salt scale tend to be salt and vinegar, cheese or bacon flavoured.

What's the alternative? If you're a crisp aficionado, you can now buy crisps with no salt, and the packets where you add your own salt from a sachet have made a welcome comeback. Some of the vegetable crisps such as parsnip have less salt than potato crisps but do check labels.

Get the low down on fatty and sugary foods.

Hungry for low salt cooking? Browse all our healthy recipes.

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