Too much salt is bad for your heart, can raise your blood pressure and damage your body. You should eat no more than 6g a day.
6g of salt is about a teaspoonful - not a large amount, especially when you consider that 75 per cent of the salt we eat is already in everyday foods.
Say No to Salt
To know if a food is high in salt, read the label and look at the figure for salt per 100g. Find out more about traffic light food labels using the link from this page.
High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium). Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium).
Eat Out Healthier
Find where you can have a healthier meal out or takeaway in Eastbourne with our Shake the Salt Habit scheme:
Salt and Your Health
You can find out more about the dangers of salt and the benefits of cutting down on the NHS Live Well website and watch the Say No to Salt video.
You can also download the Cut Down on Salt booklet from the BHF website and find out about National Salt Awareness Week, using the links from this page.
Confusion Over New Salt Research
In May 2011 media coverage caused confusion over some new research on salt, but the NHS and British Heart Foundation have said this does not change official health advice to limit salt.
For more details go to NHS News Behind the Headlines using the link from this page.
