Lots of people think they don't eat much salt, especially if they don't add it to their food. But don't be so sure!

Every day in the UK, 85% men and 69% women eat too much salt. Adults (and children 11 and over) should have no more than 6g salt a day. Younger children should have even less.

Three-quarters (75%) of the salt we eat comes from processed food, such as some breakfast cereals, soups, sauces, bread, biscuits and ready meals. So you could easily be eating too much salt without realizing it.

Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. And people with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than people with normal blood pressure.

How do I know if a food is high in salt?

Salt is often listed as sodium on food labels. Salt = sodium x 2.5

Use the following as a guide to what is a lot and what is a little salt (or sodium) per 100g food.

This is A LOT of salt
1.25g salt or more per 100g
0.5g sodium or more per 100g

This is A LITTLE salt
0.25g salt or less per 100g
0.1g sodium or less per 100g

Try to choose foods that are low in salt (0.25g salt or less per 100g).

Visit the government website regarding salt for further information