THE TOP 10
CONTRIBUTORS TO SALT IN OUR DIET (source: Action on Salt)
PHOTOGRAPHS:ISTOCK/GETTYIMAGES, HOLLY PICKERING,GARETH MORGANS
First, it’s useful to understand what salt is. It’s the white crystals we sprinkle on food to make it taste better – it creates chemical reactions that make flavours really pop in the mouth. Every good cook knows this to be trueThe chemical name for salt is sodium chloride. And sodium is the problem. A high-salt diet disrupts the body’s natural sodium balance, so that it holds on to water. This increases blood volume, which places pressure on blood vessels with potentially serious consequences. The effect is most severe for people who have high blood pressure (hypertension) but can affect everyone. Excess salt is also linked to other health problems.