Since the Food Standards Agency introduced its salt campaign in 2004, it has raised public awareness of salt in the diet and the consequences of an intake that exceeds the 6g per day recommendation. Consuming high levels of salt is known to cause fluid retention (bloating) and high blood pressure, which in turn can cause heart disease. But many people shy away from a low-salt diet because they think the taste of their food will suffer.

I’m not suggesting that you banish salt completely from your diet. The components of salt, sodium and chloride, are essential nutrients and, with potassium, they are the main regulators of the body’s water-balance system but I am suggesting that you cut down as the average person in the UK regularly consumes at least double the 6g per day recommendation – 6g of salt is about a teaspoonful. This is not a large amount, especially when you consider that 75% of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy making it easy to overdose on salt without realising it.

Here are some ways to keep your salt intake under control:

• Take the salt cellar off the table.

• Cook without salt, and taste the food before adding it after it’s nearly cooked. Once you’ve cut back on salt, you’ll find most foods actually need very little, if any.

• There are lots of ways to add flavour to your cooking without using any salt. For example:

  • Add fresh herbs to pasta dishes, vegetables and fish.

  • Marinate fish in advance to give it more flavour.

  • Use garlic, ginger, chilli and lime in stir fries.

  • Make your own stock and gravy, instead of using cubes or granules, or look out for reduced-salt varieties.

  • Roast vegetables such as red peppers, courgettes, fennel, parsnips and squash to bring out their flavour.

  • Squeeze lemon juice onto fish or seafood.

  • Try using different types of onion – brown, red, white, spring onions, shallots.

  • Make sauces using ripe flavoursome tomatoes and garlic.

• Retrain your taste buds to appreciate herbs and spices in place of salt. Basil, bay, dill, garlic, lemon juice, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme are particularly good salt replacement herbs.

• Frozen, dried or chopped fresh herbs will add flavour and enhance the taste of your meal e.g. basil, oregano, tarragon, parsley, coriander, mint.

• Freshly ground black pepper, curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, chilli powder, ground ginger and ground coriander are just some of the spices you can use to add flavour in place of salt when cooking but watch out for the ready mixed herbs and spices in the supermarket e.g. Cajun mix, as these can be high in salt

• Read labels: There is salt in most of the foods we buy today, especially those that also contain chemicals, additives and preservatives. Some foods claim to be ‘reduced salt’ or ‘low salt’ but this can be misleading. Most manufacturers use the term ‘sodium’ for salt. To find out how much salt there is in the food you buy, multiply the sodium content by 2.5. Aim for less than 6g sodium/salt a day. Watch out especially for tomato-based products and soya sauce as they easily can use up your sodium allowance for a day.

• Use salt substitutes sparingly: If you have to use salt, sea salt is richer in natural minerals and lower in sodium than table salt so fine to use sparingly. Probably best to avoid reduced-sodium alternatives even though they contain less sodium than standard salt and taste similar. But they are not sodium-free, so you will still be adding sodium to your food if you use these products. Also because reduced sodium foods taste salty they don’t help you get used to less salty flavours. It’s better to gradually reduce the amount of salt you add when you’re cooking and eating, until finally you use hardly any – or none at all. It doesn’t take long for your taste buds to get used to less salt and then you might appreciate some other flavours more.

• Avoid all salty foods: These include cured or smoked meats, smoked and pickled fish, tinned meats, salted nuts, salted butter, ready meals and biscuits and vegetables in brine.

• Eat more potassium-rich foods, such as oranges, bananas, mangos, melon and beans- you’ll excrete more sodium in your urine than the average person.

• Don’t go overboard: Although too much salt in the food is not healthy don’t go overboard and ban it completely as a diet too low in salt is also bad news and you do need some salt – about 6g a day – in your diet.

When it comes to the sensible use of salt in your diet moderation, as in everything is key; you need neither too much nor too little.

Whether it is to revive flagging spirits or cheer you up the British like nothing better than a good cup of tea. New research is proving that it can positively benefit your health but some teas are better than others.

 

Green tea: Green tea is a rich source of vitamin C – one large cup has the same amount as a glass of orange juice.  It also contains anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial properties to help fight gingivitis, gum disease, bad breath and flu.

 

Green tea is high in antioxidants to help ward off cancer and to protect against heart disease by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. One study of 512 patients in Fukuoka City, Japan, showed that green tea could prevent hardening of the arteries. Another study of Japanese workers found that those who drank one cup of green tea daily saw a significant drop in cholesterol. And if all that wasn’t enough researchers have also found that green tea may also help boost a woman’s chances of conceiving and be a weight loss aid because it can help boost metabolism (fat burning).  (The NutriPlus supplement I use as part of the ‘Lose Your Belly’ programme contains green tea extract).

 

Tea tip: Infuse loose leaves in a pot to get the fullest flavour.

  

White tea: More research needs to be done on this rare and often expensive tea but it contains exceptionally high levels of cancer fighting antioxidants.

 

Tea tip: Try brewing in a glass or china pot for the best flavour.

 

Red bush tea or Rooibos: Red bush tea has anticancer, antiviral, anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Studies at Okayama University, Japan, showed that extracts of Rooibos increased the number of antibodies boosting the immune system. Rooibos is also caffeine free and tannin free and rich in vitamin C, iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, zinc and manganese. Rooibos also contains anti ageing antioxidants.

 

Tea tip: The perfect brew at bedtime – brew for three minutes or longer for the fullest taste.

 

Black tea: Black tea, the most popular tea in the UK, has lower antioxidant levels than green tea but it can still help to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. It also has anti cancer properties. But be careful of this tea as it contains more caffeine than green tea and can cause restlessness and irritability.

 

If you are drinking black tea then to reduce caffeine, throw away the first cup from the pot within the first 30 seconds of brewing. The following cups will contain less caffeine but have all the antioxidants. The tannin in tea can also block the uptake of minerals including iron so always drink black tea away from food and do not take with food supplements especially iron supplements.

 

Tea tips: Try iced tea – brew, then allow to cool and drink with ice, lemon and sprigs of mint.

Almost one in three people gets less than five hours’ sleep a night, while half the population gets less than seven hours but people who deprive themselves of sleep may be more likely to die of heart disease, researchers have found.

A new study has identified a link between lack of sleep, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. An analysis of more than 6,500 people also found that women getting less than five hours’ sleep were twice as likely to have hypertension as men. Hypertension – chronically high blood pressure – is a risk factor for heart disease, Britain’s biggest killer. Researchers said the results were “highly suggestive” that sleep deprivation may be also linked to death from cardiovascular disease.