'You need to have a bit of salt,' is something I often hear. And, although it's perfectly true, a balanced diet naturally contains all the salt we need. Our preference for salty-tasting food, however, is another matter entirely.
It can be surprising to know that, unlike sweetness, saltiness is strictly an acquired taste. It is, however, an easily acquired, very seductive taste, and it is addictive in the sense that the more we have, the more we need to get the same taste sensation. The good news is that, by gradually cutting back on salt, we can lose our craving for it. Most of us learn to like salted food by being repeatedly given it in childhood.
Salt is actually a mixture of sodium and chlorine (sodium chloride). Sodium on its own is about two-and-a- half times stronger than salt.
Official warning
Following a report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, the Food Standards Agency has issued a salt warning, and, for the first time, issued salt intake limits for children (see box, right).
The thing is, our colossal salt consumption is literally killing us. At a recent conference, Professor Graham MacGregor said that 50 per cent of us will die early from strokes and heart attacks, but over 75 per cent of all strokes and high blood pressure could be prevented by cutting down on salt.
Salt also inhibits calcium absorption, a potential disaster for children. As fizzy drinks replace milk, British children are already getting too little calcium, and with their consumption of heavily salted snacks and ready-meals, the situation is now potentially disastrous.
Indeed, it is expected that present-day children will get old-age diseases such as osteoporosis in middle age. They could even die before their parents. Further, by upsetting the delicate balance between sodium and potassium, excess salt can lead to considerable fluid retention; it can also lead to stomach cancer.
Masking purposes
Over 75 per cent of our massive salt intake comes from ready-made foods.
Mass-produced foods such as bread, sausages and snack foods are among the saltiest things we eat. Their plentiful salt is deliberate: without it, the poor quality ingredients in these foods would be tasteless. Manufacturers also add salt to extend shelf-life and for 'texture'. For example, the salt sprayed on to crisps gives a tingle on the tongue - and also masks the grease.
Cut it out
How can a nursery avoid salt?
* Stop buying ready-made foods - all of them. Even sweet ones can be salted. Start from fresh ingredients.
* Read every label for ingredients. Anything with 0.5g per 100g or more of sodium is too much; 0.1g per 100g is fine; in between, so-so.
* Try to cook without salt, or add the merest speck to dishes.
* There is no need to cook potatoes, vegetables, rice or pasta in salted water. Instead, add a bay leaf, onion slices or fresh mint.
* In cooking, increase flavour by adding herbs (especially sage, thyme and fresh mint), chopped onion, garlic, spices (paprika, nutmeg, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, coriander), mild chillies and lemon; finish with chopped fresh parsley, chives or grated fresh ginger.
* Could a local butcher make you a batch of low-salt sausages? Could anyone bake you some low-salt bread?
* Buy baked beans with reduced sugar and salt.
* Never put salt cellars on the table.
* Aim to keep salt out of nursery cooking activities.
Some of the saltiest children's food products
Food grams of salt per 100g
Walkers square potato snacks 5.25g
Prawn cocktail flavour Skips 3.75g
Cheesestrings Attack-a-Snack 3.75g
Monster Munch 3.25g
Dairylea Strip Cheese 3.25g
Lunchable Yammy-ham Stack 'ems 2.5g
Wotsits 2.5g
Kids Crew cheese and tomato pizza 1.3g
Chicken Teddy Bears 1.3g
Cocopops 1.25g
HP Barney pasta shapes 1.25g
Tidgy Toads 1.25g
Heinz baked beans 1g
Teletubbies pasta shapes 1g
Thomas the Tank Engine cereal 1g
Source:Food Commission research
RECOMMENDED LIMITS
New official recommendations on maximum levels of salt that children should be allowed to consume each day:
* 0 to 6 months: less than 1g
* 7 to 12 months: 1g
* 1 to 3 years: 2g
* 4 to 6 years: 3g
* 7-10 years: 5g
* 11 years onwards: 6g
The processed food industry has been told to reduce salt in its products, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Further information
Dump the Junk! by Mary Whiting (Moonscape, 7.99)