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7 surprisingly salty foods

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avatar Margarita_k

Margarita_k

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17/03/2017 at 17:17

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avatar Margarita_k

Margarita_k

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This week is the National Salt Awareness Week in the UK. For this occasion we've decided to share with you a list of surprisingly salty foods and remind you that you need to avoid consumming the excess of salt.

It is well-known that too much salt can be dangerous for your health: it can raise your blood pressure, and therefore cause heart disease or stroke. Cutting down on salt could help you avoid these risks.

According to the NHS, adults should eat no more than 6g of salt per day, and children should eat much less.

It is highly recommended to pay attention to nutrition labels on food packaging, in order to control the intake of salt. As salt is also called sodium chloride, food labels sometimes only give the figure for the latter. To calculate the amount of salt you consume, multiply the figure given for sodium by 2,5. You can easily recognise a salty product by lloking at its label: the ones that are rich in salt are colour-coded red, the ones poor in salt - green. To learn more about how to read the nutrition labels, see the PDF document attached below.

Now, we'd like to share with you a list of surpsisingly salty foods that you have probably never noticed to be particularly salty.

1. Cheese and butter
Adding extras after cooking can not only add calories and saturated fat, but also salt. Avoid adding butter to ‘finish’ sauces or grated cheese to top your dishes and you will avoid the salt that can come with them – and help your waistline too.

2. Sauces
Soy sauce, fish sauce, and even ketchup can all add flavour to your dishes but are often high in salt, so you need to be sparing - and remember that you won’t need to add salt at the table as well.

3. Salty spreads
Spreading fats like margarine usually contain added salt - so read the nutritional information on the label to help you to choose the one with the least added salt. Savoury spreads can also be a salty choice. Be aware and use yeast extracts sparingly and check nutritional information on peanut butter and cream cheese.

4. Salty flavourings
Capers, anchovies and olives are all likely to add salt to food. Using non-salty flavourings is a better way to keep the taste up when you are cutting down on salt. Herbs, spices, lemon, garlic and black pepper are all good choices.

5. Bread
As well as being added to the dough, watch out for extra salty additions. Loaves of bread and rolls that have an additional sprinkling of salt on the top or are studded with olives can easily be high in salt. Read the nutrition information before buying, as there's a lot of variation between different breads.

6. Potatoes
Potato dishes are a common culprit too - watch out for jacket potatoes that have been rubbed with salt before baking, or pre-salted portions of chips or other potatoes, and of course, packets of crisps, which can all add to your daily salt intake.

7. Sweet surprises
The trend for sweet and savoury flavours like salted caramel might taste delicious but it’s adding salt in places that were previously salt-free. Or were they? Make sure you look at food labels - you might be surprised at the amount of salt in sweet foods like biscuits and cakes.

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Do you know how much salt you consume daily? What do you do to try and limit the amount of salt you eat?

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avatar peacockd

peacockd

20/03/2017 at 19:37

avatar peacockd

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Last activity on 07/01/2023 at 17:02

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Hi, In view of the food industry not on target to meet the 2017 commitments could a 'class type action' be taken against them and/or the worse offenders ? Doug


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2017-03-20 19:37:25

avatar scunkbreath

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29/03/2017 at 18:32

avatar scunkbreath

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Last activity on 19/12/2020 at 13:24

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I do like my salt but I use Himalayan salt which is better for you than table salt......https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sodium+content+in+himalayan+pink+salt&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=3ODbWNmnO-jGXvTAmJgM


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2017-03-29 18:32:25

avatar peacockd

peacockd

30/03/2017 at 16:25

avatar peacockd

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Hi, salt is salt is salt, all the same chemical. The difference/s being the amount of contaminants, or additional minerals - depending upon how you view it. (What makes it pink is rust (Iron oxide)).


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2017-03-30 16:25:37

avatar Thortwenty

Thortwenty

03/04/2017 at 15:06

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avatar Thortwenty

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i use sea salt when needed better than other salts.


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2017-04-03 15:06:43

avatar robjmckinney

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03/04/2017 at 18:46

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avatar robjmckinney

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Salt is not so important as it can only alter your blood pressure by less than a percentage point usually. Often claimed to be an enemy of healthy living but this is mainly another myth!

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robjmckinney


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2017-04-03 18:46:16
avatar exit

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17/05/2017 at 17:49

I don't like it when theres not enough salt in my plate. unfortunately I enjoy eating salty stuff I know it's not good for you but what can I do?


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2017-05-17 17:49:02

avatar lacemaker

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24/09/2022 at 17:21

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avatar lacemaker

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As someone who medically has to take 3 salt tablets a day as well as normal intake of salty foods, and then on top of that a glucose and salt solution to drink , all these salt warnings are of no help to me


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2022-09-24 17:21:31

avatar velocette

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25/09/2022 at 19:55

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avatar velocette

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When I was a young man doing my National Service, I was stationed at an American army base and they also fed us. the food was great. but the salt tablets that we were advised to take were enormous, however things have certainly changed regarding the value of salt being consumed. But salt has many uses, any if you mix table salt with vinegar and spray it on your garden weeds/ it is a wonderful weed killer,

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Jim c


7 surprisingly salty foods https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/good-to-know/7-surprisingly-salty-foods-1658 2022-09-25 19:55:42

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