Sodium & Salt Intake Calculator
Calculate daily sodium and salt intake from common foods. Compare with NHS recommendations and find hidden salt sources.
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Salt Intake Guide
What should I know about UK Salt Limits?
NHS salt intake recommendations: adults: maximum 6g salt/day (= 2.4g sodium). Children 11+: 6g. 7-10 years: 5g. 4-6 years: 3g. 1-3 years: 2g. Under 1: less than 1g (food should not be salted at all). Sodium vs salt: 1g sodium = 2.5g salt. Most labels show sodium per portion. Multiply by 2.5 to get salt equivalent. UK average intake: 8.4g salt/day (40% above recommended limit). Has fallen from 9.5g in 2003 due to gradual food industry reformulation, but still too high. People with high blood pressure or existing cardiovascular disease benefit most from reducing intake toward or below the recommended limit, since they're most sensitive to salt's blood-pressure-raising effect.
What's the key thing to understand about Hidden Salt Sources?
Major UK sources of dietary salt (Public Health England data): bread: 23% (3 slices/day at 0.4g per slice = 1.2g). Processed meat (bacon, sausages, ham): 13%. Cheese: 10%. Ready meals and takeaway: 10%. Pasta sauces and condiments: 8%. Soups: 5%. Snack foods (crisps, salted nuts): 5%. Surprisingly: only 15-20% of salt intake comes from salt added in cooking or at the table. Most comes from processed and pre-packaged foods where consumers cannot control it. Check labels: 'high' means over 1.5g of salt per 100g of the food, a useful quick reference when comparing similar products in the supermarket.
What should I know about Health Impact of Excess Salt?
High salt intake causes: high blood pressure (hypertension). 1 in 3 UK adults affected. Increases risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, heart failure. Stomach cancer — strong link with high-salt diets. Osteoporosis — high salt increases calcium excretion. Kidney stones. Reducing salt: each 1g/day reduction lowers BP by approximately 1mmHg (less effect in those without hypertension). Population studies: 3g/day reduction would prevent ~20,000 UK CVD deaths annually. Effective interventions at a population level — reformulating processed food to contain less salt — have historically achieved far more than individual dietary advice alone.
What's the key thing to understand about Reducing Salt Practically?
Easy substitutions: choose 'reduced salt' bread or rotate brands. Some bread can have 50% less salt than others. Make your own salad dressings (control salt levels) rather than shop-bought. Cook from scratch where possible. Even basic home cooking has dramatically less salt than ready meals. Read labels — different brands of the same product can vary 2-3× in salt. Limit processed meats: bacon to 1-2 portions/week. Sausages: high-quality with lower salt. Limit cheese: keep portions to 30g. Choose reduced-salt versions of common condiments and stock cubes, since these are often surprisingly high in sodium relative to how much is actually used per serving.