Many of us eat too much salt resulting in high blood pressure and increasing your risk of health problems such as heart disease and stroke. But a few simple steps can help reduce your salt intake…<\/p>\n
Adults should eat less than six\u00a0grams of salt each day – about one teaspoon. This\u00a0includes the salt that\u2019s contained in ready-made foods like bread, as well as the salt\u00a0you add during cooking and at the table. Here are some tips to help you cut down:<\/p>\n
Avoid high salt foods<\/strong> – Everyday foods which push up your salt intake include bread,\u00a0salads, sandwiches, soups, snacks such as crisps and biscuits, processed and smoked\u00a0meat and fish, cheese, pasta sauces and table sauces. In fact, 75% of the salt we eat is\u00a0already added to the food we buy.<\/p>\n When cooking for yourself<\/strong> – Cook from scratch using unprocessed meat, fish and\u00a0vegetables and use fresh, tinned or frozen vegetables with no added salt. Avoid adding\u00a0salt during cooking and try adding other flavours instead. Don\u2019t add salt at the table\u00a0and cut back on sauces and gravy.<\/p>\n When eating out<\/strong> – Choose wisely and avoid high-salt dishes containing ham, bacon,\u00a0salami, smoked fish and cheeses. Ask for little or no salt to be added to your meal and\u00a0use lemon juice or black pepper at the table. Watch out for hidden salt in salads – they\u00a0often have many salty additions, such as croutons, olives, anchovies, dressings,\u00a0marinated meat\/vegetables, cured meat such as ham or bacon, smoked salmon etc.<\/p>\n Always ask for your sauces and dressings to be served \u2018on the side\u2019 so that you can\u00a0choose how much to use.<\/p>\n Check the label!<\/strong> – Look at the figure for salt per 100g. If the label says more than 1.5g\u00a0salt (0.6g sodium) per 100g, it is HIGH. LOW foods contain 0.3g salt (0.1g sodium) or\u00a0less per 100g.<\/p>\n To help you on your fitness journey why not use the free Wellbeing Zone health and fitness app<\/a>? Or enquire about how Kent Sport can help at the Sports Centre or Pavilion receptions.\u00a0To keep up to date with Kent Sport, find\u00a0UniKentSports on\u00a0social media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"