This year’s Salt Awareness Week (16-22 March) is an important reminder that lowering dietary salt intake can reduce risk of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease and diabetes, which are major causes of death and disability in Australia.
An estimated 2.5 million global deaths could be prevented globally each year if salt consumption were reduced to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended level of under five grams per day. Current estimates suggest that the global intake of salt is at around twice this recommended level.
Here in Australia, many people are consuming too much salt, often without realising, since the main sources in our diets are from packaged foods. A report produced by WHO in 2013 revealed that processed foods available in Australian supermarkets provide 75 per cent of population dietary salt intake.
Major sources of sodium include foods consumed regularly such as bread, cheeses, processed meats and ready-made sauces. Australians are also struggling to shake the habit of adding salt to their foods, with an estimated 64 per cent of Australians reporting that they add salt very often or occasionally either during meal preparation.
Beyond individual efforts for dietary sodium reduction, the WHO in 2013 agreed to a 30 per cent relative reduction in the intake of salt by 2025 in order to aid in the prevention of disease like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It is intended to be achieved through policy intervention, monitoring of the food supply, and engaging food industry on food reformulation
Currently WHO recommends a reduction in salt intake to less than 5 grams per day (sodium 2 g/day) to reduce blood pressure and the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
Here are some easy ways to reduce your salt intake
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- Eat fresh. Fresh foods are naturally low in salt, so eating more vegetables, fruits, lean meats and legumes can help you easily reduce your daily sodium intake.
- Ditch processed foods. Reduce your intake of processed foods – this refers to many pre-packaged, tinned or frozen convenience foods. Eating takeaway foods less often is an easy start,
- Check labels. Look for labels on packaged foods that include words like ‘No Added Salt’ to help you select low sodium varieties and use apps like FOODSWITCH to help identify healthier alternatives
- Don’t add salt. Not adding salt to your foods during cooking or at the table is an easy way to reduce salt intake. Use herbs, garlic and pepper instead to season your foods, these are naturally low in salt.
This article was written by Dr Kacie Dickinson of the Nutrition and Dietetics discipline in the School of Health Sciences at Flinders University. It is the first in a series on issues relating to diet and healthy eating that will be run in Indaily.
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