Swap salt from your diet to radically improve your health

Putting salt on the table for discussion

Salt as most of us know it, is sodium chloride. That’s the ingredient we are talking about. Australians
consume double the recommended amount of sodium each day, mostly from salt. Our diets today, now
contain a whopping five times more sodium that the diets of our paleolithic ancestors.
The recommended dietary intake of sodium is 2000mg per day. Just two pieces of vegemite toast will set you back 866mg so it’s pretty easy to exceed your daily limit.

The link between heart health and salt

The problem with sodium chloride is that if you eat too much of it, it can have a negative impact on
your health. Most particularly the health of your heart, and the arteries and vessels that supply blood to
your heart and brain. Diets high in sodium cause raised blood pressure and increased cardiovascular risk. That’s because sodium encourages the body to retain fluid, which can increase the fluid volume of your blood and increase blood pressure.

In Australia, 44% of all deaths are caused by heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure) and stroke. Given that sodium is implicated in heart health, eating too much is no trivial matter.
The World Health Organization’s position is that reducing sodium intake is one of the most cost-effective
measures we can implement to improve health and reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases.
Is sodium found in foods or just by adding salt? Sodium is a mineral that occurs naturally in foods but in small quantities. The problem, however, is that salt (made up of 40% sodium and 60% chloride) is added to foods in excess during manufacturing or cooking.

The majority of dietary sodium, however, comes from eating packaged and prepared foods. It’s added, as salt, during the manufacturing process to enhance flavour, preserve foods and extend shelf life.

What are high salt foods?

Topping the list for high salt foods are the suspects you’d expect to see, such as potato chips, corn chips
and savoury snack foods as well as fast foods like pizza, burgers and hot chips. Processed meats, such as bacon, ham, sausage, and deli meats, are notoriously high in sodium. These meats are often preserved with salt, making them a significant source of sodium in many diets. Any dehydrated or packet foods like soups, noodles and instant pasta are high in salt, as are most packaged sauces and condiments.

Could breakfast be your saltiest meal of the day?

If you’re worried about your sodium intake, watch out for the bread. Bread, it turns out, is the top
contributor of dietary sodium in Australia. There is a huge variance in the sodium levels across bread and bread roll products, and a seemingly healthy bread isn’t necessarily lower in salt. Store bought wraps and flat breads also tend to contain a deceivingly large quantity of salt to assist with longer shelf life, so be aware. Always read the packaging if you’re needing to eat a low sodium diet.

You might also be surprised to learn that many breakfast cereals and muesli bars also contain high
amounts of added salt. If you’re looking for low salt options, choose foods with no more than 120mg sodium per 100g, or meals that don’t exceed 600mg sodium per serving.

What’s the easy swap? Potassium-enriched salt

There are now a number of substitutes you can buy. They are made by combining sodium chloride with
potassium chloride (both naturally occurring minerals, by the way).

Heart Salt for example, is just one of these low sodium, high potassium salts. It’s Australian made and
owned and contains 56% less sodium than regular salt. It’s totally natural and has no noticeable taste
difference to regular salt, enabling substitution without detection!

Studies show the effectiveness of products like Heart Salt in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events,
stroke and premature death. That’s why organisations like The George Institute for Global Health are
encouraging not only everyday Australian’s, but also Australian food manufacturers to make the switch to
potassium-enriched salt.

You can purchase these salts in most supermarkets if you’re cooking yourself or like to add a sprinkle of
salt to your meal at the table. If you’re eating ‘ready to eat’ meals, it may be harder to find low sodium
options. Some home delivered meal companies have already swapped to potassium-enriched salts.Searching ‘low salt ready meals’ on the internet should help you to locate them.

7 top tips on reducing your sodium intake

If you suffer from high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or have a family history of them, you may
need to consider a low sodium diet. Here are some easy tips to help you get started.

1. Eat mostly fresh, minimally processed foods.
2. Choose low-sodium products (less than 120mg/100g sodium or under 600mg sodium per meal).
3. Swap to Heart Salt (56% less sodium).
4. Use herbs and spices to flavour food.
5. Limit your use of commercial sauces, dressings and instant products.
6. Reduce your consumption of packaged products.
7. Remove the salt shaker from the table.

Article thanks to Dietlicious, one of Australia’s healthiest ready made meal companies.