The salty foods putting pressure on your heart might appear to be healthy, a GP warns
A high-salt diet can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, and up to 75% of the salt we consume is found in processed foods, says Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and LoSalt advisor.
There are salty foods increasing your risk of high blood pressure, a GP warns
Gravies, tinned stews, and relishes are some of the processed foods contributing to the UK’s high salt intake, according to a GP.
Having a diet high in salty foods can cause strain on the blood vessels, and may lead to high blood pressure – but you may not even realise that the food you’re eating is high in salt, a GP has warned.
Up to 75 percent of the salt we consume is found in processed foods, says Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and LoSalt advisor. This includes “less obvious” foods that we might consider to be healthy, including bread, cereals, soups, pickles, and smoked fish.
In the UK, it’s recommended we consume a maximum of 6g of salt per day, but, on average, we’re consuming around 8.5g every day, Dr Jarvis says.
"The Department of Health has estimated that if we all cut just one gram of salt from our diets, we could prevent over 4,000 premature deaths a year in England alone," said Dr Jarvis.
Therefore, she says, it’s important to track how much salt we’re eating.
“The salt we add to food ourselves is only part of the picture, and this advice highlights the importance of checking the nutritional labels on the foods we eat,” says Nirmala Markandu, Hypertension Nurse Specialist at Blood Pressure UK.
“Cooking from scratch isn’t always an option, and sometimes, we have to rely on processed foods that are high in salt. But it’s important to go for lower salt options, and try to keep within the recommended 6g of salt per day.”