Shake your salt habit

A high-salt diet raises your blood pressure and can lead to heart failure, stroke and even osteoporosis. Kim Jones finds simple ways to cut back

Suss out your intake

The first step to shaking the habit is knowing how much you consume.

According to the NHS, adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day – that’s around one teaspoon.

That limit is easily reached by people who rely on ready meals and takeaways and regularly eat salty snacks such as crisps and processed meat, says Sophie Medlin, consultant dietitian at London-based City Dietitians (citydietitians.co.uk).

“A large bowl of cornflakes contains around 1.25g of salt, a supermarket cheese and ham sandwich 1.75g, a packet of crisps 1g and a lasagne ready meal 3g,” she says.

“That takes us to 7g of salt without any snacks or extras. And an average takeaway burger meal is over half your salt requirements in one sitting.”

Cook from scratch

Processed foods such as ready-meals, soups and sauces are packed with salt. Cooking things such as chilli or bolognese sauce from scratch means you can control how much you add.

“When you first reduce salt, you’re likely to feel like your food is too bland for a few days as your palate adjusts,” says Sophie.

But stick with it!

“After a week or so, you’re likely to start noticing how salty some things are and you will naturally add less salt to your meals.”

Copy Italy’s centenarians

Researchers who investigated 300 people who had lived to be 100 in the village of Acciaroli in southwest Italy, found they infused all their cooking with rosemary instead of salt.

People there not only lived longer, but were also free from conditions such as heart disease.

Try adding rosemary or other non-salty seasonings too.

“Spices like paprika, a squeeze of lemon juice and a few extra herbs can make a big difference, especially as you adjust to having less salt in your diet,” says Sophie.

Rinse your beans

Beans such as borlotti, pinto and cannellini are packed with fibre that aids digestion.

Always choose no added salt varieties of canned beans.

And if you have canned beans in salted water then be sure to drain and rinse them.

This alone can remove around 40 per cent of the sodium.

Give things a roasting

Cooking methods can enhance food flavours, meaning you need less salt to make things tasty.

Roasting, rather than steaming or microwaving, helps bring out the rich sweetness of vegetables and the natural tasty savoury flavour of fish.

Dress to impress

“Often, it’s the things we add to our foods that add up in terms of salt intake,” says Sophie.

“Ketchup and sweet chilli sauce, for example, are high in salt.” Dress your burgers and sandwiches with a home-made salsa instead – you could chop and mix tomatoes, peppers, spring onion and jalapeno chillies with a dash of lime.

Go for reduced-salt favourites

Go for the reduced-salt options of a favourite food you can’t be without.

Things like soy sauce, ketchup, baked beans and soups all come in low-salt versions.

Ditch the sarnies

According to the health campaigning organisation Action on Salt, 17 per cent of the salt in our diet is from bread. And that’s loaves, wraps and rolls. Even wholegrain bread – a healthier choice compared to white – can contain a lot of salt.

Swap a lunchtime sandwich for a wholegrain salad. Mix quinoa, bulgur wheat or brown rice with chopped peppers, green beans, nuts, herbs, spices, olive oil and lemon juice.

Make your own stock

Shop-bought stocks are usually packed with salt. Some brands offer lower-salt alternatives, or try Knorr’s no-salt stock cubes.

It’s easy to make your own, too. Next time you enjoy a chicken dinner, boil up the carcass with carrot, celery, leek, garlic, herbs and peppercorns.