Parents are being urged to cut their child’s salt intake as a high salt diet could be paving the way for major health risks in the future.

Angela Bailey, nutritional therapist at Cheshire Natural Health says parents must take the responsibility to help educate their child about the dangers of too much salt.

The recommended daily intake of salt for adults is 6 grams -  about one teaspoonful.  However, children under 11 year should have considerably less salt as their kidneys cannot deal with large quantities.

The daily recommended maximum for children is as follows:
1 to 3 years – 2g salt a day (0.8g sodium)
4 to 6 years – 3g salt a day (1.2g sodium)
7 to 10 years – 5g salt a day (2g sodium)
11 and over – 6g salt a day (2.4g sodium)

The average bag of crisps contains about 4.5 grams of salt. “Children need to see crisps as an occasional treat,” says Angela.

“The problem with giving a child too much salt is that they develop a taste for salty food as adults and that can severely affect their health,” says Angela.

According to the Food Standards Agency, 26 million adults in the UK eat too much salt every day.  “Many of us do this without realising as about 75% of salt is already in the foods that we eat regularly,” she says.

Angela says salt is added to many butters and margarines, canned soups, vegetables, pickles, bacon, ham, sausages, pies and other meat products, bread and some cereals.  Then, of course, many people add salt during cooking or at the table.

Angela’s tips to reduce salt intake:

• Reduce use of salt when cooking
• Limit salt at the dinner table. 
• Make more use of herbs in cooking to give food interest and flavour.  Try celery seeds and garlic.
• Use sea vegetables (packed full of beneficial minerals),
• Try a salt substitute such as salt-free soy sauce.
• Cook from scratch and avoid processed foods where possible
• Start reading food labels, especially on processed foods and choose lower salt options.

For more information on Cheshire Natural Health, telephone 01925 730123 or visit www.cheshirenaturalhealth.co.uk

ENDS

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