Salt - How much is too much?

Salt - How much is too much?

As much as 75% of the salt we eat can come from processed and takeaway foods. So while it’s good to cut down on the amount of salt we use in cooking and at the table, we also need to be careful about the salt in the foods we buy. At the supermarket, head for the fresh-food departments. Fresh foods (fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, fish, unsalted nuts, and milk) are generally lower in salt than processed foods. 

Buying packaged foods? Most of these have a Nutrition Information Panel that lets you check the food’s sodium levels.

This may help you:
LOW-SALT FOODS less than 120mg sodium per 100g. These are good choices.

MEDIUM-SALT FOODS 120 to 600mg sodium per 100g. These foods are OK most of the time, but try to choose foods from the lower end of this range.

HIGH-SALT FOODS more than 600mg sodium per 100g. Limit these foods.

As adults, we need to aim to keep our sodium to less than 2000mg a day (approx 1 teaspoon). This amount is even less for children.

Eating foods very high in salt can lead to high blood pressure, stroke and other health conditions. We talk a lot about avoiding sweet / sugary foods at Strong Woman, but being mindful of your salt consumption is important to.

I hope you have found this helpful. Get good at reading those food labels ladies! Check out the back of the packet next time you’re at the supermarket, before you put it in the trolley.

Sarah xx