Do YOU know the maximum amount of salt you should have each day? Four out of five of us don’t…
Only a fifth of Britons know how much salt they can have each day, a survey suggests.
NHS guidelines tell people not to eat more than 6g a day, or about a teaspoon.
This is the equivalent of what is in 17 packets of crisps.
Consuming too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, experts warn.
Yet only 19 percent of Britons surveyed by the British Heart Foundation knew the daily limit was 6 grams.
NHS guidelines tell people not to eat more than 6g a day, or about a teaspoon. This is the equivalent of what is in 17 packets of crisps
The poll, of more than 2,000 people, showed that a whopping 27 percent had no idea what the maximum recommended amount was.
Another 17 percent assumed it was 7, 8 or 9 g per day.
Five percent thought it was just 1 gram a day. The rest believed that the advice was not to take more than 5g.
BHF’s research also found that a whopping 65 percent of people weren’t sure how much they consume each day.
Large amounts of salt lurk in everyday goods, including ham and cheese.
For example, a can of Heinz Tomato Cream Soup contains 2.2 grams of salt.
Adults in England consume an average of 40 percent more salt than the government’s recommended maximum daily intake, according to separate studies.
Only 19 percent of 2,063 Britons could tell You Gov what the recommended daily amount of salt is
John Maingay, director of policy and advocacy at the BHF, said: ‘This clearly shows that people don’t feel they know how much salt they are eating, and just people giving information will not help if there is a high level of salt. salt content in so much of the food we buy.
“There is a clear case for helping people eat healthier by removing salt from food before it is bought.
“We need government intervention to get all parts of the food industry to do their part and reduce the amount of salt they serve us.”
Sonia Pombo, registered nutritionist and campaign manager at Action on Salt, said: ‘It is no surprise that many people are unaware of their salt intake as the majority are already added to our food by the food industry.
“Simply telling people to eat less salt won’t work if most of our food is loaded with it.”
Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine told MailOnline: ‘While most people think that most of our salt intake comes from adding salt to our food, about 75 percent is actually in the foods we already consume, such as processed meats, pizzas, convenience foods. ready meals, canned soups and savory snacks such as salted nuts.
“We can, of course, use the information from food labels to decipher low-salt options (if they’re customer-friendly) and include more whole foods, but we can’t get around them in our weekly shopping.”