Salt levels in our food

The amount of salt consumed by most people has been a worry for many years. In fact, it's estimated that of the salt we consume, an astonishing 75 percent of it is already present in our food.

Most foods contain some salt, but it's the foods that are naturally high in salt we need to watch out for because eating these can push our salt intake over the edge. This is why it's important to choose foods that are lower in salt, when you can.

Some foods are almost always high in salt because of the way they are made - you can still enjoy them, but try to have these in smaller amounts, or eat them less often.

It's not expected, but some of the common food in our diets, such as bread, cereals and salt, are in actual fact our worst enemy when it comes to the amount of salt we consume. In the UK, 26 million adults eat too much salt, above the six grams recommended. While in America, the average American eats almost double the recommended amount of sodium every day, which is 2400 milligrams.

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American diet

Sprinkled into everything from bread to cheese, soups and breakfast cereal, just about every fast-food restaurant meal and now even fresh cuts of meat, salt is ubiquitous in the American food supply.

The American Medical Association says cutting our salt consumption in half could save 150,000 lives a year. Whether it is your decision or the government's, experts agree it is time to start thinking about how much salt you are really eating.

If Americans cut their salt intake by just half a teaspoon per day, it would produce public health benefits on par with reducing high cholesterol, smoking, or obesity a new study has found, CNN reported. But the idea of cutting the salt intake in your diet is easier said than done.

In America, food is still being introduced that is high in not only calories, but also in salt. The latest being a burger from KFC called the 'Double Down Sandwich', offers the consumer two slabs of fried chicken, two pieces of bacon, two slices of pepper jack cheese andKFC's special sauce, or to put in another way, 540 calories, 32 grams, and not forgetting, the 1380 milligrams of salt. The US isn't the only country that is still introducing high salt food, it's a problem in many different countries, but it's America which the attention is automatically drawn to.

Campaigners within the US want to follow in the footsteps of Britain where there have been intensive campaigns to pressure industries, as well as consumers, to use less salt. As a result, British authorities said, from 2000 to 2008 there was about a 10 percent reduction in daily salt consumption, The New York Times reports. Despite this reduction, the amount of salt consumed is still too high.

Jodie Humphries

Jodie Humphries graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Hons in Creative Writing in 2008. She has worked for GDS Publishing for the digital group since July 2009. She has previous experience with writing for the web, running her own website since April 2007.

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