Unit-AL Maceió 2016

needed for muscle and nerve activity. Salt (sodium

chloride) is the main source of sodium in the UK diet,

5 but the majority of us eat much more salt than we need.

Eating too much salt over time is linked with high-blood

pressure, which can lead to serious problems such as

heart disease or stroke.

On average, adults in the UK eat about 8.1g of salt

10 (3.2g sodium) a day. This may not sound like much, but

to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, it is

recommended that adults should not be eating more than

6g of salt (2.4g sodium) a day.

Salt intakes should be much lower than this for

15 babies and children. Babies under 12 months old should

have less than 1g of salt a day. The daily recommended

maximum amount of salt children should eat depends

on their age:

1 to 3 years – 2g of salt a day (0.8g sodium)

20 4 to 6 years – 3g of salt a day (1.2g sodium)

7 to 10 years – 5g of salt a day (2g sodium)

11 years and over – 6g of salt a day (2.4g sodium)

As salt is often a ‘hidden’ ingredient in many foods,

it can sometimes be difficult to work out how much you

25 are eating. Some foods, such as crisps, olives, cheese

and bacon, taste obviously salty but other foods can

contribute a lot of salt to our diet without us realizing.

The salt we add during cooking and at the table

makes up only a small amount of salt in our diets. Around

30 75% of the salt we eat comes from ready-made and

processed foods, such as bread, breakfast cereals, soups

and baked beans. Even sweet things, such as biscuits,

can have salt added to them.

To keep track of your salt intake, get into the habit

35 of reading the nutritional information on food labels, where

you will find the salt content for a 100g serving. Try to eat

those foods that are high in salt less often or in smaller

amounts. As a rough guide:

a high amount of salt is more than 1.5g per 100g

40 a low amount of salt is 0.3g per 100g

Effervescent vitamin supplements or effervescent

painkillers can contain up to 1g of salt per tablet. Consider

changing to a non-effervescent tablet, particularly if you

have been advised to watch or reduce your salt intake.

45 Talk to your GP about alternatives if you have been

prescribed these medicines.

HOW much salt is good for me?. Disponível em: <www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1138.aspx?CategoryID=51>. Acesso em: 12 out. 2015.