Is salt bad for you and how much can you eat per day?

Jo Williams – Registered nutritionist

Published: August 23, 2026 at 12:00 AM

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Moderation is key when it comes to salt consumption. Registered nutritionist Jo Williams discusses recommended daily allowances, the health implications of salt and how to moderate your intake

What is salt?

Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride, and is one of the simplest, most important ingredients on the planet. However, as the consumption of processed foods has increased, so has our salt intake, which has implications for health.

Find out all you need to know about diets and discover recipes and expert advice on weight loss, including more about low-GI and the Mediterranean diet.

What happens if you eat too much salt?

Although we’ve worked hard to reduce our salt intake over the last decade, the average UK adult is still eating a third more than the recommended amount of 6g per day (and less for children), which is about 1 teaspoon.

The problem with this is that consuming too much salt may lead to hypertension, more commonly referred to as high blood pressure – a major cause of stroke and heart disease. We all know friends who load salt on everything with seemingly no adverse effects, but researchers have discovered that for a number of us, salt may be a major factor in the development of high blood pressure. This is because some of us are genetically more susceptible to the effects of salt in our diets.

Why is this important? High blood pressure makes the heart work harder, creating extra force in the arteries that may damage them, as well as organs such as the heart, kidneys, brain and eyes. Most people don’t even know they have high blood pressure, but it affects about a third of all UK adults.

The efficacy of improving blood pressure by cutting salt intake was reported in a 2024 study published in the Journal of Hypertension, and included those on prescribed blood pressure-lowering medication.

Someone holding a salt cellar over a plate of food

How much salt should I eat per day?

While your salt requirement can vary based on factors like exercise, your environment and whether you eat a lot of processed or homemade meals, the general recommendation is that adults consume no more than 6g salt (2.4g sodium) per day, or about 1 teaspoon.

How can I tell how much salt is in a packaged food?

Since December 2014, all food labels have been required to list salt – this makes it easier for us to understand how much is in a product. Previously, salt was often labelled as sodium.

Check the label. Where salt (g) per 100g is:

More than 1.5g, the product is HIGH in salt
Between 1.5-0.3g, the product is MEDIUM in salt
Equal to or less than 0.3g, the product is LOW in salt

How do I go about reducing my salt intake?

It’s best to reduce the amount of salt in your diet progressively so you learn to live with less. Here are some steps you can take to help moderate your intake:

Omit salt when you are preparing food and always taste before you season a dish
Try flavouring foods with pepper, garlic, herbs, spices and lemon juice instead
Learn to enjoy the flavours of unsalted food – you will find that within a few weeks, your tastebuds adapt
Try low-salt substitutes
Read food labels carefully to determine the amounts of salt and learn to recognise ingredients that contain sodium, like soy sauce, brine, monosodium glutamate and baking soda
Look for words that suggest high salt content, such as barbecued, marinated, pickled and smoked
Cut down on processed foods that contain ‘high’ amounts

A woman reading food labels

What are reduced salt alternatives?

These products must, by law, contain 30 per cent less salt than the standard product, which means they are not salt (sodium)-free. Furthermore, because these alternatives still taste salty, they don't help you adapt your palate to less salty flavours.

Is a low-salt diet safe for everyone?

Sodium is an important electrolyte and plays a key role in the body, helping maintain fluid levels and blood volume, and facilitate nerve and muscle signalling.

Low levels of sodium may lead to a condition called hyponatremia, symptoms of which are similar to dehydration and include headaches, seizures, coma and even death. Older adults, especially those on medication, as well as athletes who take on a lot of hydration, are at greater risk of this condition.

For this reason, if you have a medical condition that requires a low-salt (sodium) diet or your GP or dietitian has advised you to limit your intake, you should continue to do so. However, if you are a healthy individual who has not been diagnosed with high blood pressure and cooks largely from scratch with minimal consumption of packaged or processed foods, then you may not need to adjust your current salt intake. If you are unsure you should refer to your GP for guidance.

If you are considering any significant changes to your diet, please consult your GP to ensure you can do so without risk to health. This is especially relevant if you are on medication, including those to manage blood pressure.

Do you follow a low-salt diet? Share your experiences and any tips in the comments below.

Enjoyed this? Now read:

What is the DASH diet?
DASH diet recipes
How to save money with our nutritionist-approved electrolyte recipe
Electrolytes: what are they and do I need to replenish them?

This page was updated by Kerry Torrens on 14 July 2026.

All health content on goodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.

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