eating your way to health...
How to reduce salt,
fat & sugar in your food
Reducing the amount of salt, fat and sugar
you eat will help you to...
• lower your blood cholesterol levels
• keep your blood pressure down
• maintain or reach a healthy weight
• reduce the risk of developing diabetes
Healthy eating helps to keep you and
your heart healthy. Eating a lot of
some types of food such as fruit and
vegetables are good for your heart
and can reduce the risk of coronary
heart disease. However, eating a
lot of other foods such as salt, fat
and sugar are bad for your heart and
health. Although salt, fat and sugar
are all essential for our bodies and
should be included in a balanced
diet, they should be eaten in very
small amounts. You may not realise
that a lot of the food you’re eating
contains high levels of salt, fat and
sugar, which are hidden.
Salt: the facts
Many foods have hidden salts so there is no
need to add salt to your food. Three-quarters
(75%) of the salt we eat is already in the
food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups,
sauces, bread and ready meals. You could be
eating too much salt without realising it.
Adults and children aged 11 and over should
have no more than 6 grams (this is equal to one
level teaspoon) of salt a day and younger children
should have even less. On average, most people
eat about 9 grams (equal to two teaspoons)
of salt every day, which is too much.
els...
food products and lab
salt is usually referred to as sodium on
Tips for choosing food lower in salt...
• Try to use less salt and more herbs and spices, mustard or chilli to flavour your food when cooking.
• Add less salt at the table - taste your food first.
• Look out for tinned products at the supermarket which have ‘no
added salt’.
• Buy sandwiches with a lower salt filling such as chicken or poached salmon, instead of ham, cheese and pickle.
• Choose vegetable or chicken toppings on pizzas instead of pepperoni, bacon or cheese.
• Replace crisps with healthier snacks such as vegetable sticks or fruit.
r
ckly get used to less salt, even afte
Did you know: Your taste buds qui
to like salty food.
a few weeks you will be less likely
Sugar: the facts
Tips for reducing sugar...
Sugars occur naturally in food such as fruit and
milk but it is food containing added sugars that you
need to cut down on. Most adults and children eat
too much sugar and everyone should be trying to eat
fewer sugary foods and drinks.
Foods with added sugars contain few nutrients
except energy and tend to be high in calories.
Other foods such as cereals, bread, potatoes, meat,
vegetables and fruit provide nutrients and energy so
you don’t need to eat sugary foods. Sugary foods
and drinks can also cause tooth decay, especially if
you have them between meals.
• Reduce sugar in your tea and coffee gradually, aiming to have none at all eventually.
• Try to have alternatives to cakes or biscuits such as a scone or malt loaf with low fat spread or make your own using half the amount of sugar.
• Avoid drinking soft drinks as they are high in sugar. Drink more water instead. If you are going to drink them drink the sugar free varieties.
• Choose tins of fruit in natural juice rather than in syrup.
• Avoid cereals coated with sugar or honey. Instead, add dried fruit to wholegrain breakfast cereals to make them taste sweeter.
Did you know: Non-diet varieties of
soft drinks
can contain up to 8 teaspoons of
sugar.
Fats: the facts
A small amount of fat is essential
in a balanced diet as it provides your
body with energy but you should
limit the amount and type of fat
you eat.
There are three types of fats; saturated fats,
unsaturated fats and trans-fats. Saturated fats
come mainly from animal sources of food and
most trans-fats are made during food processing.
Both of these are ‘bad fats’ and can raise
cholesterol. These are found in hard cheeses,
pastries, cakes, biscuits, butter and fatty meat.
Unsaturated fats include monounsaturated,
polyunsaturated and omega-3 and can provide
health benefits for your heart. These are found
in avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds and oily fish
such as salmon and mackerel.
Tips for reducing fat...
• Avoid frying food in oil. Try to grill, bake or steam food.
• If you are eating a meal with something high in fat, such as a meat pie try to have something low fat with it, such as vegetables and baked or boiled new potatoes instead of chips.
• Choose low fat dairy products such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, lower fat cheese, such as ricotta or feta instead of cheddar, and reduced fat yoghurt.
sity & heart disease...
too much fat in the diet can lead to obe
salt,
Did you know: there is a lot of hidden
..
fat and sugar in processed foods.
If you usually eat processed food for example, ready
meals, fish fingers, pies and burgers, it is likely that you
are eating a lot of hidden salt, fat and sugar. Try to
read the label to help you make a healthier choice
about processed food.
Using Labels
To help you choose foods which are lower in salt, fat and sugar, it is useful to look at the
nutrition label. This is where you can find the ingredients list and nutritional information.
The label will also show if there is any hidden salt, fat and sugar.
Ingredients List
The ingredients list always starts with the biggest first, so if you see sugar/glucose nearer
the top then it’s likely to be high in sugar, or salt/sodium nearer the top of the list then
you know it’s likely to be high in salt.
Nutrition Information
Nearly all food products show nutritional information on the label. This is usually
presented like the example below:
& sugar is in the product...
fat
t,
sal
ch
mu
w
ho
see
to
you
lets
is
th
Nutrition
Tells you how
much fat there
is in the product.
More than 20g
per 100g is high
and 3g or less
per 100g is low.
Typical Values
per 100g
per 1/2 pack
(approx.450g)
Energy value
560 kJ
2520kJ
Average
adult
(Calories
135 kcal
7.2 g
605 kcal)
2000 kcal
Protein
Carbohydrate
GDA
32.5 g
45 g
9.3 g
41.7 g
230 g
(of which Sugars
3.0 g
13.6 g) Low
90 g
(of which Saturates
3.4 g
15.2 g Med
20 g
10.5 g
24 g
0.9 g
2.4 g
Fat
7.6 g
Fibre
2.3 g
Sodium
0.2 g
Salt
Traffic Light System
34.1 g Med
0.5 g
2.1 g Med
GDA = Guideline Daily Amounts
70 g
6g
Some nutrition labels use Red, Amber and Green colour coding.
Tells you how much
added sugar there is in the
product. More than 15g
per 100g is high and 5g or
less per 100g is low.
Tells you how much salt
there is in the product.
More than 0.5g per
100g is high and 0.1g or
less per 100g is low.
Calories Fat Sat Fat Sugars Salt
12.0g 5.9g 12.0g 12.0g
480
medium
low
high medium
If you buy a products that has all or mostly Green lights, you know
its’ a healthier choice. An Amber light means neither high nor low
so you can eat foods with all or mostly Amber lights most of the time. A Red light means the
food is high in salt, fat or sugars and so should be eaten less often in small amounts.
Produced in partnership with: Health Promotion Unit Jersey and Health Promotion Unit Guernsey.
For more information on healthy eating you can visit www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-eating
Details are correct at time of going to print. May 2013.