How to beat the salt crackdown – and stay healthy

According to new research, it’s the extra salt added at the table that causes health problems. Photo / 123RF

If we’re honest, we all know we need to reduce our salt intake, but how do we actually do it?

For many of us, it’s just a bad habit. We sit down to dinner and, before we dive in, reach for the salt mill, giving it a liberal shake over our plate. But do we really need that extra sprinkle, or is it just a reflex? At best, it’s a sign we have lost control of how to properly season our food, at worst it’s a major health hazard. New research has found people who add salt to their food at the table have a 39 per cent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

If we’re honest, we all know we need to reduce our salt intake. We have grasped by now how much cheap sodium ultra-processed foods contain. Salt levies have been threatened, not without reason – the British Heart Foundation says the high salt content in our modern diets is leading to raised blood pressure, which causes heart attacks and strokes.

But given that we are, as a nation, getting increasingly interested in food by the year, nothing sounds less appealing as bland food. And salt, when used correctly, is nature’s flavour enhancer. Can anyone really bear to underseason their dinner in 2023?

The key bit of this new research is that it’s the extra, often unnecessary, salt added at the table that is really letting us down. The study – conducted by Tulane University in the United States, tracking the salt intake of 400,000 Brits – showed a correlation between the frequency of extra salt consumption and a higher BMI and waist-to-hip ratio.

They also found a correlation between people who added salt to their food and the development of type two diabetes. It’s a worrying connection – Diabetes UK says people who already have the condition should be careful not to consume too much salt as they are “more likely to be affected by high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease”. But could there be a simple fix?

Salt is undeniably a key agitator when it comes to raising blood pressure. And unless you cook everything from scratch, it’s almost impossible to avoid these days. Diabetes UK says processed foods are the main sources of salt in our modern diets, and they extend far beyond typical junk foods. Everything from snacks and stock cubes to ham and cheese, pre-prepared grain pouches, bread and cereals (even the so-called “healthy” ones) are now packed full of salt, partly because regulations on sugar meant manufacturers had to up the salt levels to make sure their product still tasted good.

The health implications of ditching that extra sprinkle on the food we make at home, then, could be transformative. The NHS recommends we limit our daily salt intake to six grams, which is about a teaspoon of fine salt (flaky salt would be more like four grams per teaspoon). Just that pinch at the table could make up a third of our daily allowance, and if there is already a good deal of salt in the dish, we are tipping the scales in one meal alone.

Making as much of our food as possible from scratch is helpful, but the truth is, we still need to wean ourselves away from salt in our home cooking. Removing salt altogether, however, is a mistake, says nutritionist Jane Clarke, as “when you take out salt, food becomes bland, meaning you’re less likely to be satiated” and more likely to overeat. Flavour complexity helps us feel confident in adding less salt to our cooking, says Clarke, who suggests using “lemon, lime, chilli and herbs of all sorts” to your food and letting them delight your palate without the need for a big dump of the white stuff.

Seasoning as you go is key, adding a little salt to onions as they sweat, or to boiling water for potatoes. When making a pasta sauce or a curry, better to season judiciously from the ground up than make a bland meal that needs a lot of salt added to it at the table.

It's helpful to make our food from scratch, but we still need to wean ourselves away from salt in our home cooking. Photo / 123RF

But what about if I only use “healthy” salt, I hear you cry. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. It’s true to say there is a spectrum, from the less refined salts which deliver minerals and more complex flavour profiles, to cheap table salt packed with aluminium-based anti-caking agents. But, as Clarke says, it’s “misleading” to think that just because it has a fancy “Himalayan rose” label it doesn’t count. “Sodium chloride is sodium chloride”, she says. “It’s still going to aggravate the blood.”

It is worth noting, however, that the stronger the flavour of your salt the less you should need to use. Chefs tend to season as they go with fine sea salt, which you typically need to use less of than larger flakes. They’ll then finish with a generous sprinkle of flaky salt which has a milder flavour. So, if your palate likes a good deal of salt, don’t use flaky salt to season your food while it cooks, as you’ll end up needing to use an awful lot.

The answer? Season thoughtfully, sparingly, and bring in flavour from elsewhere, using dried spices, citrus, fresh herbs and vinegar so boost the taste without needing to add lots of excess salt – or sugar for that matter. And you might end up retiring that salt mill to the back of the cupboard.

A guide to seasoning: When to do it

Potatoes and pasta

Salt your cooking water when boiling pasta and potatoes. It should mean you’ll need to use less salt overall and won’t need to add any at the table.

Pulses

When cooking dried lentils or chickpeas, add salt after you’ve cooked them or they’ll go tough.

Sauces

If you’re making a curry or pasta sauce which begins with some sort of sofrito (onions, garlic, celery, carrot), add salt at the first stage of cooking so the vegetables release their water. It will encourage them to caramelise rather than poach, and will ensure you season from the start of the cooking process, meaning less is needed at the end.

Meat

Salting meat well in advance of cooking it (and this goes for everything from steak to a whole chicken) will improve the texture and flavour. You are essentially giving the meat a dry brine, making the flesh juicier and more tender.

Six easy ways to reduce salt by retraining your palate

Citrus

It’s a lovely addition at any stage of the cooking process, but a wedge of lemon or lime to squeeze over at the table could satisfy your need for a final flourish while bringing a hit of flavour.

Fresh herbs

Soft herbs like parsley and coriander have a slight saltiness to them. A final sprinkle of chopped leaves on your plate will give you a bit of sodium-free seasoning. Mint, basil and oregano will give a lovely strong perfume, while woody herbs like rosemary, bay thyme used in the earlier stage of cooking will bring depth to your dish.

Spices

Warm spices like cumin, fennel, ginger and chilli are a great way to make your food taste great without the need for too much salt. Finish with fresh chilli for an extra hit.

Raw garlic

We often add garlic at the beginning of the cooking process, but a little finely chopped or grated raw garlic sprinkled over at the end (perhaps with lemon zest and parsley) is an easy way to punch up the flavour.

Pangrattato

If you’re trying to wean yourself off that mound of salty parmesan on top of your pasta, try swapping it for pangrattato (breadcrumbs fried until crisp), or a few toasted pine nuts or seeds.

Vinegar

A dash of something sharp can lift a meal. Try a small splash of something with a complex flavour like a good-quality sherry vinegar.