Salt

Although we need a small amount of salt in our diet, most adults in the UK consume much more than required. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, making you three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. Cutting back on salt can reduce your risk.

Although it is a good start to avoid adding salt to cooking or at the table, about 75% of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy. To reduce your salt intake, it’s important to read the label on products to see how much salt they contain. Look at the figure for salt per 100g.

High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)

The daily recommended maximum amount of salt children should eat depends on age: 

• 1 to 3 years - 2g salt a day (0.8g sodium)
• 4 to 6 years - 3g salt a day (1.2g sodium)
• 7 to 10 years - 5g salt a day (2g sodium)
• 11 and over - 6g salt a day (2.4g sodium) 

Making sure your child doesn’t eat too much salt may stop them developing a taste for salty food as an adult.