Updated: 28 Jun 2010

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Introduction

We need to cut down the salt we consume. But with modern diets that’s a big ask.

Too much salt is bad for you – and most New Zealanders are eating more than they need. We look at how much salt you should be eating, which foods are the major contributors, and how to reduce your sodium intake.

Plus, test your knowledge with our salt quiz.

Salt basics

Our bodies need some salt: it's a source of sodium which regulates many of our bodily functions. But you can have too much of a good thing – and most of us do. The sodium in salt contributes to high blood pressure, which can increase the risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Sodium helps maintain fluid in our blood cells, regulates our water balance, controls muscles and nerve function, and helps to maintain our body temperature. Sodium can’t be made by the body so we need to get it through what we eat – but only in very small amounts. Salt is the primary source of sodium in our diets.

What’s the problem?

Salt is sodium chloride. It’s the sodium in salt that can be bad for your health: blood pressure increases progressively with sodium intake. High blood pressure is more common among older adults – and research shows one in five New Zealand adults has high blood pressure. If your blood pressure stays high for a long time, it can greatly increase your risk of heart disease or stroke.

Research for Food Standards Australia New Zealand suggests that reducing sodium by 25 percent in manufactured food could result in an 18 percent reduction in both heart attacks and strokes by 2018. That could save up to 930 lives a year.

Half a teaspoon a day

The Ministry of Health recommends a range of daily sodium intakes. Its recommended maximum daily limit for adults – which is what you can consume without an increased risk of high blood pressure – is 2300mg per day. That’s about 6g of salt (or just over a teaspoon of fine salt).

However, for good health you need only 460-920mg of sodium a day. You can get this from less than half a teaspoon of fine salt.

Hidden salt

Salt performs important functions in many foods. Without it, bread wouldn’t rise as well or develop the right texture … pickled gherkins wouldn’t stay crisp … cured meats such as bacon and ham wouldn’t be preserved.

But modern diets mean we’re eating more and more processed foods – and the “hidden” salt they contain is what’s sending our salt intake soaring. As much as 75 percent of the salt we eat comes from processed foods. What’s added during cooking or at the table isn’t the main problem: it adds only another 15 percent. The rest is naturally present in foods.

There are some obvious culprits: a wider range of cured products such as salami and smoked salmon, sauces such as soy and chilli, chutneys, takeaway foods. And then there are the less obvious sources ... like breakfast cereals and breads.

According to the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s 2003/04 Total Diet Survey, our average daily sodium intake for all groups – except women over 25 – exceeded the ministry’s maximum limits. For men aged 19 to 24, sodium intake was 157 percent more than the adult recommended maximum limit.

New information on how much sodium we’re eating will be available when the results of the next Total Diet Survey are released this year.

Positive steps

The salt content of bread – and bread accounts for around 15 to 27 percent of all the sodium we consume – has fallen by as much as 20 percent in some breads through an industry-wide initiative led by the Heart Foundation.

The cereal and processed-meat industries are next in line for a salt reduction, extending the work already underway by some manufacturers.

Low-salt choices

The sodium content of food generally increases with processing. Weight-for-weight, bacon contains about 18 times more sodium than pork chops. So avoiding highly processed foods will help limit sodium intake.

Sodium content must be shown in the nutrition information panel on packaged foods. Their serving sizes vary – so when you're comparing products use the "per 100g" figure.

Slashing the salt

In everyday foods, aim for these amounts of sodium:

• bread: less than 450mg per 100g
• breakfast cereals: less than 400mg per 100g
• table spreads: less than 400mg per 100g
• crackers: less than 350mg per 100g.

Our table gives some lower-salt (sodium) suggestions for these everyday foods. You can also use our downloadable brochure and wallet card (see Our advice) when you're shopping for lower salt choices.

Salt myths

I don't add salt to my food, so I can't be eating too much sodium

About 65 to 70 percent comes from processed food such as cereals, bread, sauces, and processed meats and sodium also occurs naturally in foods. So, before you assume you don't eat much salt, take a look at what you're buying.

Food has no flavour without salt

If you're used to salty foods, you may miss it when you first cut down. But our taste buds get used to eating less salt in a few weeks - so then you'll enjoy food with less salt. To add flavour, you can also replace salt with lemon juice, herbs and spices.

Only older people need to watch their salt intake

Eating too much salt at any age can raise your blood pressure. It's true you have less of a risk of heart disease or strokes if you're younger. But if you have high blood pressure when you're young, you're at greater risk of these problems.

Sea salt and other designer salts are better for you than regular table salt

Salt is made up of sodium and chloride. It's the sodium in salt that can raise your blood pressure. It doesn't matter how expensive it is, where it's from, or whether it's in grains or flakes - it still contains sodium.

If I cut back on salt I won't have enough

It's actually very difficult to eat too little salt. It's in so many ready-to-eat foods such as bread, cereals, sauces, and crackers.

I'm keeping my iodine levels up if I eat salt

That's only true if you use iodised salt in cooking or add it to your food. Most of our sodium intake comes from processed food, which doesn't contain iodised salt.

Iodine

Health authorities are worried about the rise of iodine deficiency in New Zealand. Iodine is involved in thyroid function (goitre), and affects both physical and mental development.

Many New Zealand soils are naturally deficient in iodine - and, as a consequence, goitre was common in the first part of the 20th century. Iodine has been added to table salt in New Zealand since 1924, precisely because of this problem.

As public health messages sink in, however, we're adding less salt to our food for cooking or seasoning. As a result, we're getting less iodine.

Part of the problem is that ready-to-eat processed foods usually use non-iodised salt. And many of us are using gourmet sea salt and other salts (which aren't iodised). Only about 50 percent of regular table salt on the market is iodised - so you need to check the label. As well, there's less iodine in our dairy products than there used to be, because of changes in manufacturing processes.

Now there's evidence that iodine deficiency is returning. As a result it is now mandatory for iodised salt to be used for making bread.

Quiz answers

Question 1

Q. Most of the salt in our diet comes from:

• Answer: Salt that's added during food processing
• Why? On average, about 75% of our salt intake comes from processed food. Fresh foods generally contain very little salt.
  
  Salt from a shaker can add an extra 20 percent. A study of people's salt-shaking habits found that the amount they added depended more on the size of the hole than taste preferences.

Question 2

Q. Too much salt can cause:

• Answer: High blood pressure
• Why? There's now strong evidence that too much salt can cause high blood pressure. A high salt intake may also increase your risk of stomach cancer, which is particularly prevalent in Japan where they eat a lot of salt-preserved foods. On that basis, it's better not to eat lots of salt-preserved foods such as anchovies and olives too often. There's no evidence salt can cause diabetes or tooth decay.

Question 3

Q. Which has the most salt?

• Answer: Tinned green beans
• Why? Fresh and frozen green beans contain very little salt, while tinned ones are often salted. The amount added can vary a lot between brands, so check the labels.

Question 4

Q. A bowl of cornflakes has about the same amount of salt as a small packet of potato crisps.

• Answer: True
• Why? Cornflakes are still one of the saltiest cereals around.

Question 5

Q. Celery salt and garlic salt don't count. They're made from vegetables, so I can have as much as I like.

• Answer: False
• Why? Celery salt and garlic salt are only ordinary salt with some added flavours. They have almost the same sodium content as ordinary salt.

Question 6

Q. I'm a keen runner and compete in triathlons so I lose a lot of salt as sweat, especially in the summer months. I need plenty of salt on my food to avoid getting cramp.

• Answer: False
• Why? We need sodium for transmitting electrical impulses through nerves and assisting in muscle contraction. But we only need 1-2 g of salt a day to replace salt lost from the body in sweat and urine. If you're not eating a lot of salt your body adjusts and your sweat is less salty. There seems to be no basis to the common belief that lack of salt causes muscle cramps.

Question 7

Q. You can always tell what foods are high in salt because they taste salty.

• Answer: False
• Why? Some foods that are high in salt don't taste very salty. Sometimes this is because they have a lot of sugar, such as some biscuits and breakfast cereals. And our taste buds get used to high levels of salt, so you might not notice the saltiness of some foods. Once you cut back on salt and come back to a food you used to eat you might be surprised at how salty it tastes.

Question 8

Q. Salt 'brings out the flavour' in food and it's bland without it.

• Answer: False
• Why? False in reality, though if you're used to foods that are high in salt or add lots of salt to your food, you could find meals bland and uninteresting when you first cut down because our taste buds get used to high levels. If you persevere for a few weeks you can train them to eat food with less, and then you're more likely to enjoy food with less salt or even with none at all. Salt can hide more subtle flavours, so you might prefer some foods when your taste buds have had time to adjust.

Question 9

Q. Only old people need to worry about how much salt they eat.

• Answer: False
• Why? The association between salt and high blood pressure is certainly strongest for older people. But recent studies show that too much salt can raise your blood pressure at any age. It's true that you have less chance of developing heart disease or a stroke in your 20s or 30s than when you're older. But if you have high blood pressure when you're young, you're still at greater risk than someone the same age with normal blood pressure.

Question 10

Q. You have to use salt in cooking. Recipe books tell you to use it - and so do the chefs on TV cooking shows.

• Answer: False
• Why? True and false - salt in the cooking water makes vegetables soften quicker and pasta easier to cook to a perfect al dente, but in recipes it's usually a matter of taste (see Question 8). Cooking with naturally salty foods like bacon or sausage is likely to make a bigger difference to the amount of salt you eat than adding salt to a recipe - and as with all things salt, less is healthier than more.

This quiz is based on a quiz published by the Australian Consumers' Association.

Our advice

• If you use salt during cooking and at the table, gradually reduce the amount you use over several weeks. Your tastebuds will adjust.
• Limit your intake of processed and cured meats such as bacon, ham, salami and sausages. Or compensate by reducing your salt intake from other foods.
• Canned and instant soups can be high in salt. Use them as a base: add extra fresh vegetables. Or make your own soup.
• Season food with herbs and spices instead of salt.
• Choose “low salt” stocks when making up powdered stock – or add extra water. Better still, make your own.

 

Slash the salt guides

Download our handy guides - Slash the salt brochure (PDF 3 MB) and Salt wallet guide (PDF 718 KB).

About PDFs
The guides are presented as PDF documents. To view them you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer. If you don't have this software, it is available free from Adobe.

 

Report by Libby Manley.