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How to Reduce Your Sodium Intake



	Food and Health Nutrition What About Salt? Why We Eat Salt How Much Salt? Hypertension (high blood-pressure) Nutritional Labelling: Understanding Sodium How to Reduce Your Sodium Intake Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle What is the industry doing? Food and Drink Industry's Achievements Salt and Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) Why We Use Salt In Food What About Labels? What about Snacks and Drinks? What About Keeping Teeth Healthy?

Shopping

Check the nutrition label to keep track of your sodium intake
Look for 'reduced salt' or 'reduced sodium' advice on pack. FSA recommends these foods should be at least 25% less than the standard product. There are 'reduced salt' versions of many foods including sliced bread, baked beans, crisps, biscuits, butter, fat spreads, soups, gravy granules, crackers and ready-meals
Choose canned vegetables marked 'no added salt' and products such as tuna canned in water, rather than brine
Try using 'low sodium' salt substitutes for use in cooking and at the table (do not use these if you have kidney problems).

Cooking

Cooking and eating at home can provide opportunities to control sodium intake but remember that preparing food at home from raw ingredients does not necessarily mean they will contain less salt than a comparable ready-prepared product.

Aim to reduce the amount of salt used in cooking – do this gradually as your taste buds may take time to adjust to the new taste
If a recipe requires you to reduce the volume of a stock, add the seasoning after, rather than before, the 'reducing' stage
Experiment! We all want tasty food, so replace salt with other flavours. Try different herbs such as basil, chives, lemon grass, rosemary or coriander and spices such as chilli, ginger, garlic or cumin
Taste your food before adding salt at the table, and then take just a little if needed.

Eating out

Once your food arrives, taste it before adding salt – if you feel more salt is needed, add just a little
Moderate the amount of sauces you add, such as soy sauce, as they can be high in salt.

You don't have to stop eating foods which are higher in salt, as all foods can fit into a healthy balanced diet. If you eat several high salt foods, cut back the salt in other foods at other times to maintain a balance. Remember that the daily target intake of 6g salt (2.4g sodium) for adults is an average which can be achieved over a few days. These are general tips for controlling your salt intake. If you have hypertension or another medical condition you may need to follow a stricter diet plan – if in doubt always check with your doctor. NOTE: These are general tips for controlling your salt intake. If you have hypertension or another medical condition you may need to follow a stricter diet plan – if in doubt always check with your doctor.

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