Your Salad May Pack More Salt Than Your Hamburger

If you thought choosing a salad for lunch was way healthier than a hamburger, you might be a little bit wrong.

Food watchdog Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash) says that a number of products presented as healthy food in reality , have more hidden salt than a burger and fries.

The findings stemmed from a survey covering 156 ready-made salads and pasta bowls bought from high street outlets. It found that 19 percent of these contained more than one third of the 6g daily limit.

For example, one noodle salad had 4.4g of salt in a single portion - 73% of an adult's recommended daily salt limit while some McDonald's salads were saltier than their Big Mac and small French fries meal.

The report also suggests that some salads sold in coffee shops and supermarkets should carry health warnings, instead of being marketed as healthy options.

Experts of the Food Standards Agency say that eating too much salt can raise blood pressure, leading to the rise in risks of strokes and heart disease. The recommended daily dose of salt for adults is no more than 6g.

Cash is pushing for salad dressings to be made less salty and served separately as some salad dressings add a gram of salt to the meal.

Cash's chairman, Professor Graham MacGregor, opines that while many salad dishes were healthy, some "ought to carry a health warning, rather than be thought of as a healthy option”. In addition, Cash has criticized the Prêt a Manger sandwich chain for not showing salt content on its packs.

The British Heart Foundation's policy officer, Alex Callaghan has the last word: " This report goes to show the name of a food product doesn't always tell the full story.

"Salt is a hidden killer which can lurk in the unlikeliest of foods."

Source-Medindia
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