UK: CASH Pushes ‘Salt Caution’ Health Message in National Salt Week

24 Mar 2015 --- To coincide with National Salt Awareness Week in the UK, campaign group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) is urging people to think about how much salt they eat and why they should cut it form their diets.

This year the group says it is focussing on children and the importance of giving them a healthy start to life.

“Children, like adults, are consuming more salt than is recommended,” said CASH assistant nutritionist Steph Tucker. “We aren’t born with a preference for salt, but rather it is learned through eating behaviours; it is, therefore, vital that children don’t develop a taste for salt to begin with. Too much salt in childhood means they are likely to eat too much salt in adulthood; this can lead to raised blood pressure and predispose children to the development of strokes and heart failure. The Department of Health estimates that reducing salt intakes by just 1g would save 4,147 preventable deaths and £288m to the NHS every year.” 

Tucker explains that 75% of the salt we eat already is derived from the food we buy, such as bread, cheese and sausages, so it can be difficult to know how much salt our children, and ourselves, are eating. 

Tips from CASH include checking food labels. “Go for green or amber front of pack colour coded labels,” said Tucker.

“Use herbs and spices during cooking which enhance the flavour of food,” she advised. “And replace salty ingredients such as olives, capers, anchovies and cured meats with fresh ingredients such as vegetables.” 

She also advised against adding extra salt at the table and to be careful when eating out.