Pinch the salt from your diet

Australian adults eat an average of 8g to 10g of salt each day, which is equivalent to more than one-and-a-half teaspoons!

The body only needs about 1g of salt to function — anything extra is simply increasing our risk of high blood pressure and other adverse health outcomes. Research shows that reducing our salt intake by just 3g per day would positively impact on our health, especially heart health.

You may be surprised to learn that more than three-quarters of salt consumed by Australians is eaten without even realising there is salt in the food. This is the “hidden salt” found mostly in processed foods. The food industry, including Sanitarium, with the help of Australian Division of World Action on Salt & Health (AWASH) has set out to reduce the salt content in common food products.

Here are some ways you can pinch the salt from your diet:

Check food labels for salt to compare products, brands and varieties and choose the lower salt options.
Choose low salt foods (less than 120mg/100g) where possible and avoid high salt (more than 500mg/100g) foods.
Keep takeaways and fast foods such as pizza, burgers, fried chicken and chips to an occasional treat.
Use lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, fresh or dried herbs and spices as an alternative to salt when cooking. This way you won’t lose any flavour!
Avoid pickles, mayonnaise, stock cubes, soy sauce and mustard, where possible.
Eating fresh whole foods instead of processed will help you avoid the hidden salt found in some processed food.