How to eat less salt

It is important not to eat too much salt as it may make your body retain water and it can contribute to high blood pressure.  Salt also makes you thirsty.  Over 80% of the salt we eat comes from processed foods - food we buy in tins and packets, or in convenience and take-away foods.

How to cut down on the family’s salt intake:

-          Try not to add salt to food either while cooking or at the table.  (Sea salt is no different and we do not recommend use of salt substitutes such as Lo-Salt or Selora.)

-          Try to reduce the amount of processed food that you eat as nearly all of it has had salt added.

It takes a few weeks for your taste buds to adjust to having less salt so it may be easier to cut down gradually.

Food labelling

By reading food labels you can make better choices and choose foods lower in salt

As a general rule:
 
A little = 0.1g sodium/0.25g salt
Moderate = 0.5g sodium/1.25g salt
A lot = more than 0.5g sodium/more than 1.25g salt

To convert ‘sodium’ to ‘salt’ multiply the sodium value by 2.5; eg 1g of sodium = 2.5g of salt


Salty foods to eat less of
 
-          Bacon, sausage, sausage rolls, corned beef, tongue, spam, luncheon meat, ham, salami, meat pies, meat pastes.  Limit chicken nuggets, dippers, dinosaurs etc to once or twice a week
-          Smoked meats and fish
-          Most cheeses, eg cheddar, edam, stilton, cheese spread, processed cheese
-          Take away meals
-          Marmite, Bovril, pickles, stock cubes, gravy granules, butter and margarine
-          Crisps, corn snacks, salted nuts, mini cheddars, twiglets
-          Tinned and packet soups
-          Pot noodles/micro noodles
-          Tomato ketchup, soy sauce, brown sauce
-          Potato products (waffles, alphabites, faces etc)

Lower salt foods to choose

-          Fresh fish, poultry and meat
-          Cottage cheese, low fat soft cheese
-          Kallo organic very low salt vegetable stock cubes
-          Marigold Swiss vegetable reduced salt bouillon powder
-          Use gravy powder and meat juices to make gravy
-          Home made meals using fresh ingredients
-          Herbs, spices, garlic, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice
-          Unsalted butter and margarine
-          Sweet snacks instead of savoury
-          Salt ‘n’ Shake crisps (without salt sachet), unsalted nuts, peanuts and raisins
-          Lower salt products, eg reduced sugar/salt baked beans, reduced salt ketchup and mayonnaise

Breakfast cereals and breads vary in salt content.  Compare labels on brands and choose lower salt ones

Ready meals can contain a lot of salt.  Compare labels and choose the ones with the lowest salt content

Reducing salt intake is especially crucial for individuals with respiratory conditions such as asthma, which can be managed with medications like Proair Albuterol https://serv-u-pharmacy.com/news/proair-albuterol.html. This medication helps in relieving symptoms of bronchospasm, but maintaining a low-salt diet can further assist in minimizing respiratory issues and enhancing the effectiveness of the medication. Adopting a lifestyle that includes both responsible medication use and a balanced diet can lead to improved overall health and better management of respiratory conditions.