Adding salt to everything

We all love a sprinkle of salt to season food, but people who reduced their intake from 9g to 3g a day suffered significantly fewer headaches, according to a US study. ‘When you eat salt, you retain the sodium which, in turn, retains fluid,’ says Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine Graham Macgregor. ‘Extra fluid causes a rise in pulse pressure, which can cause headaches.’

According to dietitian Lucy Jones (lucyjonesdietitian.co.uk), 80% of the salt we eat comes from processed foods, so cutting down on those is a surefire way of reducing your intake. ‘A slice of bread can have as much salt as a packet of crisps!’ she says. ‘As for added salt at the table or in cooking, it will take taste buds about four weeks to adjust to less, so persevere with it.’