Environmental Health

Salt - Take Action

What’s the problem with Salt?

Reducing the amount of salt we eat is very important because a diet high in salt can lead to high blood pressure. Therefore eating too much salt can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

How much is 6g of Salt?

6g of salt is about a teaspoonful, we should aim to eat no more than this each day. When most people think of the amount of salt they consume, they think of shaking it on their food or adding a pinch when cooking. When in fact around 75% of our daily salt intake comes from bought foods and is added during the manufacturing process.

So what can I do?

In the supermarket

Look out for and choose foods with ‘no added salt’ labels

Check the labels of foods that can be high in salt including cheese, smoked fish and processed meats like bacon, cooked and tinned meats. Choose ones with lower salt or eat less often or in smaller amounts.

At home

Try not to use salt (or use less) when preparing food. This includes sea salt, rock salt and garlic salt as well as table salt.

Instead of salt try to use other things to flavour food, such as black pepper, herbs, spices, vinegar, lemon and lime juice.

Eating out

Takeaway foods, such as burgers, hot dogs fried chicken and pizza can be high in salt so try to save them as a treat.

When choosing pizza, go for vegetable or chicken toppings rather than pepperoni, bacon or extra cheese – which are often higher in salt.

For more information about how to reduce you and your family’s salt intake, visit www.salt.gov.uk or check out our TV ads and poster adverts.