Salt

Why would I need to reduce my salt intake?
Salt is found in almost every food we eat, but the amount varies greatly. Most of the salt we eat, about 75%, comes from processed foods. Did you know that high intakes of salt can increase your blood pressure and your risk of cardiovascular disease including heart, stroke and blood vessel disease? Most people with high blood pressure don't know it.

Adding salt to cooking and eating salty snack foods and take-away meals encourage you to develop a taste for salty foods, so the healthy meals you cook at home may seem tasteless in comparison. This is especially important for children whose tastes are being trained for life.

The average Australian consumes about 9 grams of salt every day. We recommend you lower your salt consumption to less than 6 grams a day to reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease for you and your family.

How much is too much?
The goal for an average adult is to consume less than 2300 mg of sodium (6 grams of salt) a day. Salt is listed on nutrition panels as sodium. Foods with less than 120 mg per 100 grams are low in salt, while foods with more than 500 mg are high in salt.

What can I do?
You can easily get your daily requirements from the natural salts found in fresh foods. There is no need to add salt when cooking at home or at the dinner table.

Salt is often used in packaged foods as a flavor enhancer or preservative. Reducing your salt intake can be as easy as switching brands so always check food labels when shopping and look for products that carry the Heart Foundation Tick.

High levels of salt are often added to foods such as hot chips, crisps, salted nuts, packet soups and sauces, baked beans, canned vegetables, pies, sausage rolls, sausages, chorizo, pizzas and ready meals.

Choosing foods with the Heart Foundation Tick can help you stay on top of how much salt you and your family is eating. Understanding and reading food labels help making healthy choices easier.

Healthy heart tip
Try to resist adding salt when cooking, instead add flavour with fresh or dried herbs and spices.  Pepper, basil, lemon grass, ginger or garlic are healthy and provide delicious flavour. Marinate fish and meat before cooking to give it more flavour.

More information
Dietary Electrolytes Position Statement (2006)
Q&As on electrolytes for the general population - updated (2009) 

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