By Katerina Karakike

Our body tissues are made up of a huge number of cells of different shapes, sizes and functions, and all of these cells require enough salt to function properly.

Salt plays a vital role in transporting water around the body and in transmitting messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

However, like most, too much salt in our diet can lead to problems such as water retention, increased blood pressure and a higher risk of heart attack, kidney disease and stroke. Therefore, it is worth keeping within safe limits.

Salt and everyday foods

Many everyday foods are not obviously salty, but they can contain large amounts of salt, and many of them can be salty. “hidden salt”.

While we can add salt to our food during cooking, or just before we eat it, about 75% of the salt we eat has already been added to the food we buy.

Most of these come from salt added to foods such as processed meat products, snacks, ready meals, soups and pasta sauces. Even pies and breakfast cereals can contain a lot of salt.

Many manufacturers have recently made some positive changes to the amount of salt they add.

How do I know which foods contain too much salt?;

Many food products are labelled “traffic light”.” to help you make a healthier choice.

The colours of the “traffic light” help you to see at a glance whether a food has high, medium or low amounts of each nutrient in 100 g of the food.

Foods worth checking for salt content

Salted meat and processed meat products such as ham, bacon, sausages, pâté or salami
Ready-made and powdered soups
Ketchup, soy sauce, mayonnaise, pickles
Cubes, sauce powder and salted condiments
Canned goods containing salt
Smoked meat and fish, shrimps and prawns
Meat and yeast extracts
Cheese
Salted snacks, such as crisps, biscuits, popcorn
Ready meals and sauces
Bread and cereals for breakfast

Salt vs Sodium: What's the difference?;

Salt is the everyday term we use for a chemical compound called salt. sodium chloride.

Salt consists of two components, sodium and chlorine, which give salt its chemical name. Although the law does not require it, some manufacturers may list sodium content on their labels.

When thinking about salt intake, it is important to know that every 1g of sodium translates into 2.5g of salt, and to take this into account when considering the amount of salt we consume daily.

What can I replace salt with?;

Some packaged dried herb blends contain salt. It is better to choose salt-free herb (and spice) blends.
Cubes or cooking stocks (containing herbs) contain salt, as does soy sauce and other standard sauces. If you use a bouillon or bouillon cube, do not add extra salt to the food
Whenever possible, it is best to add the herbs towards the end of cooking, so that the essential oils contained in many of them are not lost. If you use fresh herbs in salads or recipes that do not involve cooking or boiling, be sure to wash them carefully before use
Store dried herbs in a shady place and in tightly closed containers to ensure their quality (essential oil content) for a longer period of time.
In addition to the aromatic herbs, you can use spices (e.g. pepper, paprika, cloves, cinnamon), lemon juice, celery, garlic, fresh or dried onion and chopped seasonal vegetables.
It's easier to reduce salt and replace it with herbs gradually, so you have time to adjust to the new flavours

Additional practices to reduce salt consumption

Use little or no salt in cooking - try using extra herbs and spices such as black pepper
Leave the salt shaker off the table
Cut out salty processed foods and ready meals and try making your own if you can
Look at food labels for their salt content - choose those with the lowest salt content
Compare the salt levels between similar products and try to choose those that are lower in salt
Swap salty snacks (crisps, biscuits) for fruit, vegetable sticks or salt-free alternatives
Ask restaurants, delivery or takeaway shops not to add salt to the food you order
Watch the salt content of salt substitutes that claim to be better for your health than table salt - these preparations are likely to add some form of salt to your diet