- Sausages
- Bacon
- Ham
How salt affects our kids
Too much salt can put our kids at risk of high blood pressure and heart disease later on in life.
Salt
Most of us are eating more salt than we realise
Watch the salt
It's not just the salt added to our cooking or at the table that we need to watch out for. In fact, three-quarters of the salt we're eating is already in the foods we buy. These can contain a lot of salt — even if they don't taste salty!
Salty foods to watch out for
- Pastries
- Pizza
- Cheese
- Crisps
- Salted nuts
- Gravy
- Brown sauce
- Soy sauce
- Mustard and ketchup
* Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 2016
What you need to know!
We're all eating too much
We should be having less than 6g of salt a day – that's less than a teaspoon!
Foods can be saltier than they taste
More than half of our kids are eating too much salt every day. Cakes and biscuits can have a lot of salt in them, even if they do not taste salty.
How much is too much?
The maximum daily amounts of salt for you and your family are:
4-6 years
7 to 10 years
11+ years
* 1 sachet = 0.5g salt (12 sachets = 6g of salt, or 1 teaspoon)
Swaps and tips
The foods we buy can contain more salt than we realise. Cut back by making smarter choices while shopping – and by using healthier recipes.
Salt swaps
Cut back on salt by giving these swaps a go:
- Swap from crisps to apple and celery rice cakes
- Swap from using salt and soy sauce to using different herbs, spices and seasoning
- Swap from pizza to our cheats' pizza calzone
- Swap from salted peanuts to unsalted mixed nuts
- Swap from ready-made tinned soup to homemade spiced chicken and vegetable soup
- Swap from ham and cheese sandwiches to our delicious beefed up sarnies
Easy ways to watch the salt
Take it off the table
Remove the salt shaker from the table and use less salt in your cooking. Add flavour by using herbs and spices instead of salt – you'll soon find you do not miss it!
Salt smart shopper
Use the Food Scanner smartphone app to see how much salt is in your favourite food. Look for alternatives that are lower in salt.
Watch the soup
Ready-made soups can pack a salty punch. For a tasty lower-salt option, try making our spiced chicken and vegetable soup.
A healthy start
Choose a breakfast that's low in salt – plain porridge or cereal such as wholewheat biscuits or shredded wholegrain.
Sandwich fillings
Swap cheese and salty processed meats like ham and salami for lean cuts of chicken, beef or canned tuna. Add veggies and salad to every sarnie – and check out our lunchbox recipes for more ideas!
Try the taste challenge
Take the "Salt Taste Challenge" and try cutting down on the salt you add to food over a few weeks. You may find you do not miss it any more. Why not give it a go?
Shop smart
At the supermarket, look out for lower-salt versions of your favourite baked beans, soups, soy sauce and table sauces.
Get the free Food Scanner app
Scan barcodes using the app to find out what's inside popular food and drink.
If you don't have the app...
Some food labels have traffic light coloured labels to show the salt content. Choose more greens and ambers, and fewer reds.
Red means this food is high in salt. Think about how often you choose it and how much of it you eat.
Amber means this food has a medium amount of salt. This makes it an OK choice, although going for green is even better.
Green means it's low in salt, which makes it a healthier choice.