Toddlers are eating more than the recommended levels of salt, putting them at greater risk of heart disease later in life, according to a new study.
The new research from Associate Professor Karen Campbell, at Deakin University studied the diets of 300 children when they were nine months old and then again at 18 months.
The results, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, found the 18-month-old children were eating on average 2.7 grams of salt per day (more than the recommended upper limit of 2.5 grams).
The Heart Foundation’s National Cardiovascular Health Director, Dr Robert Grenfell said reducing salt in our diet was essential for improving Australia’s heart health.
“Children who have a diet high in salt often develop a taste for it and carry that damaging behaviour into adult life,” Dr Grenfell said.
“Sadly, if there is no action to improve our children’s food habits we are setting them up for a high chance of heart disease later in life.”
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)’s Nutrient Reference Values for Australia & New Zealand show the upper limit of sodium consumption for children varies with age, for those 4-8 years it is 1400mg (3.5g), for those 9-13 years 2000mg (5g) and those 14-18 years it is the same as adults – 2300mg (6g).
“Most people are surprised to learn that about three quarters of the salt we eat comes from everyday supermarket foods rather than salt added at the table, which is why the Heart Foundation is running a campaign Halt Hidden Salt to get hidden salt out of everyday foods before they hit the supermarket shelves,” he said.
“We’ve seen improvements made by food industry, through the Tick Program, and the Federal Government through the national food reformulation program, to make processed foods healthier, but we believe more can be done.”
“Improving Australia’s food supply is necessary to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease, Australia’s number one cause of death.”
“Eating just a single ham and cheese sandwich, could provide two grams of salt.”
Tips to reducing salt:
Add something else- Rather than adding salt when you cook, use lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, or herbs and spices to add flavour. Avoid stock cubes, soy sauce, mustard, pickles and mayonnaise where possible.
Stick to fresh where possible- Remember to include a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, plain unsalted nuts and legumes and lentils in your diet. Try adding healthier options to your lunch box such as boiled eggs and salad, raw vegetable sticks with a reduced salt dip and fresh fruit pieces.
Check food labels- Reducing your salt intake can be as easy as switching brands and looking for products marked as ‘low salt’, ‘reduced salt’, ‘no added salt’ or ones that carry the Heart Foundation Tick. If you can’t see these labels, try to choose low salt foods (< 120mg/100g) or use the nutrition information to compare and choose the product with the least amount of sodium per 100g.
Know your foods- High levels of salt are often added to foods such as packet soups and sauces, pies, sausage rolls, sausages, chorizo, pizzas and ready meals so reduce the amount of these foods you eat. Try to only have takeaway and fast foods such as burgers, fried chicken and pizza as an occasional treat.
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