A high salt intake raises your blood pressure about 10 points. Salt can also increase the amount of fluid that you can retain in your body.
Fresh food contains very little salt. Most of the salt we eat is in processed foods, or in salt added to food while cooking or at the table.
So to reduce the amount of salt you eat:
Look at food labels. If it says sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium benzoate or monosodium glutamate then you may be eating extra salt without realising it.
Cut down on processed foods. Salt is hidden in many processed foods, e.g. tinned or processed foods, e.g. tinned or processed foods, e.g. tinned or packet soups, breakfast cereals, bread, tinned or processed fish, crisps, nuts, hamburgers and pre-packed meals.
Look for low-salt bread.
Cut down on corned beef, hard cheese, ham, bacon and sausages, which contain lots of salt.
Use salt very sparingly in cooking, if at all.
If you feel that you can’t do without salt, you might try a salt substitute (after checking with your doctor). Rock salt and sea salt are not salt substitutes.
It’s preferable to avoid the taste of salt altogether. You’ll find fairly quickly that your sense of taste adjusts so that you no longer like the taste of salt, especially if you add herbs such as basil, thyme and rosemary to your cooking, which release the natural salts in food.
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