Scientists have offered the first concrete evidence that eating less salt is linked to a decrease in heart attacks, strokes and risk of death (British Medical Journal, 2007). What does this mean for our diets, how much is too much, and what can we do to cut down?

Many studies in the past have shown that a higher intake of salt increases blood pressure as more water is drawn into the blood to dilute the salt. But for the first time studies have proved that salt reduction actually has concrete health benefits.

How much is enough?
We do actually need the mineral sodium (from salt) but the problem is that we get far too much, largely because of our love of convenience foods. The average daily adult UK salt intake is 9-12 grams against the recommended maximum of 6 grams (equal to one slightly rounded teaspoon of salt).

Why do we eat too much salt?
Our evolution ensured that we met our sodium needs by making sure that our bodies conserved every scrap possible and by making our taste buds sensitive to the flavour of salt. But that was in the days when salt was hard to get and, of course, long before processed foods became commonplace.

On the other hand, an equally vital mineral, potassium, was abundant in the diet from all the fruits and vegetables we ate and so we adapted to lose this mineral easily in our urine as it was not in short supply at all.

Now that we don't eat enough fruit and vegetables, we also don't get enough potassium. This is critical as it is the mineral which, in the body, balances sodium. So by cutting down on salt and increasing fruit and veg intake we can get a much healthier balance of these two minerals.

Convenience foods: the enemy in disguise

Cutting out salt is not necessarily as straightforward as it seems. For instance, you might think that cutting out crisps would be a good place to start, and yet an equivalent amount of corn flakes has much more salt than most crisps.

Staples like bread make a significant salt contribution at nearly one gram of salt per two slices, and although salt levels in bread have recently been reduced, the sheer volume we consume means bread is a significant source of salt in our diets.

Foods like sausages, cheese and tinned pasta take levels sky-high. And, believe it or not, products such as spaghetti hoops, marketed specifically at children with cartoon characters, are often higher than equivalent products not specifically aimed at kids.

Take-away and convenience foods, such as burgers, pizza or Chinese food, smoked and preserved foods are other familiar sources of high salt intakes.

Kicking the habit

Check food labels
The Food Standards Agency's traffic light labelling system highlights foods high, middling or low in salt (as well as sugar and fat). Not all brands subscribe to this system, but look out for those foods with salt levels indicated as green (for 'go') over red (for 'stop').

If the label doesn't do the work for you, you can use the following information: You'll need to convert the sodium figure per portion or per 100g. To get the salt figure, multiply the sodium figure given by 2.5:

Stop sprinkling it on
Apart from reducing salt in packaged foods the other important step is to eliminate adding salt yourself. Get out of the habit of adding salt to cooking, such as to pasta or vegetables. Stop putting salt on the table, and just put out the pepper mill or some ground herbs.

Sea salt has slightly less sodium, but not much less, so perhaps get rid of that as well. Low-sodium salt is based on potassium and is a better alternative to normal salt. Remember that stock cubes, unless they specifically say otherwise, are basically very high in salt.

What's the alternative?

Try these low-salt substitutes (per 100g):

• A good savoury option for table salt is seaweed, which you can buy from health food shops. This can be put in a grinder just like salt, but has much less sodium.
• A taste for salt can be curbed over time by gradually reducing dependency on salt and salty foods. Using chopped herbs and ground spices in your cooking instead of salt is a great way to 'divert' taste interest elsewhere.
• Try experimenting with a sprinkle of lemon, balsamic vinegar, tomato puree (salt-free), parsley, basil, chives, garlic, coriander, cumin, curry powder, tarragon and others. You might just find that your meals take on an exciting array of fresh, undiscovered flavours.

Useful links:

• At-a-glance meal guide
• www.hyp.ac.uk/cash - CASH (Consensus on Salt and Health)
• www.salt.gov.uk/cash - Food Standards Agency dedicated salt website