Christmas lunch can contain twice daily recommended amount of salt
We're often told how many calories we're likely to consume on Christmas day (as many as 6,000!), but did you know that you're also likely to eat double the daily recommended amount of salt?
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A traditional Christmas lunch of turkey with the trimmings plus a starter, pudding and a few nibbles, can contain a whopping 15.7g of salt – more than twice the daily recommended amount of 6g for an adult.
Health campaign group Consensus Action of Salt and Health (CASH) warn that it's not just Christmas day that's the problem – we Brits routinely overdose on salt, with serious consequences for our health.
Eating too much salt is linked to raised blood pressure, increasing the risk of strokes, heart attacks and a premature death.
Pre-prepared convenience foods are the worst offenders and CASH say home cooked meals are likely to contain less salt than processed ones.
'Everyone likes to be indulgent at Christmas time, and it's not just on the day but for the whole of the festive season that we might be treating ourselves to salty food, so our salt intake can really add up,' said CASH nutritionist, Kay Dilley.
'But by cooking at home from scratch, your Christmas food will be even more delicious as well as lower in salt.'
According to the latest figures, one in three adults in the UK have raised blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke – but only half of us know we have it.
Professor Graham MacGregor, of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, said: 'The good news is that you can lower your blood pressure at any age. It is the very high levels of salt that are hidden in our food that puts up both adults' and children's blood pressure.'
Will you be watching your salt intake this Christmas? Leave a comment below...
