Feeding FAQ: 4-6 months – Other

Question – Safe level of salt intake

I know there are loads of posts regarding salt but I did a search and so many came up I didn’t know where to start. So, at the risk of asking something that has already been answered, what is the safe limit of salt per day for our babies? I home cook all food so use no salt there but then there is bread, etc. which I want to keep a check on. If you are reading labels on food packages what is an acceptable level?

Answer:

This is such an important topic that I’m very happy for people to ask again and again. The worrying fact is that children’s average salt intake is already too high. Even worse, it’s still increasing. There are several ways this can harm our children. For one, a baby or very young child’s kidneys, which process the body’s salt, are not yet fully developed and just can’t cope with higher salt intakes. And while babies or young children are unlikely to develop high blood pressure as adults might, if they have higher salt intakes they can have higher blood pressure than they would otherwise have. If this continues into adulthood, it could make them more likely to develop high blood pressure, thereby putting them at increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Also, children may develop a taste preference for higher-salt foods, meaning they will continue to eat too many of them throughout life.

While many parents are aware that they should avoid adding salt to food for their babies and children (and themselves), they may not realize that about 75% of the salt we take in comes from processed foods. In other words, most of the salt we eat is already in the foods we buy from the supermarket or take-away shop. This makes it extra-important to check labels whenever possible. You’ll find that salty-tasting foods, such as salted crisps or ham, are not the only ones high in salt. Foods not thought of as salty, such as some breakfast cereals, can contain a very high level of salt.

When reading labels, the amount may be given as salt or as sodium, which is one of the chemical components in salt. This can be confusing, so just remember the rule of thumb that you simply multiply the sodium value by 2.5 to get the salt value. Look at the salt or sodium value per 100 grams of the food:

• 1.25 grams salt or 0.5 grams sodium or more => the food is high in salt
• 0.25 grams salt or 0.1 gram sodium or less => the food is low in salt

Aim to choose mostly foods low in salt, with high-salt foods in very small amounts or as an occasional choice.

If you would like to assess your child’s overall salt intake, you can add up all the salt they have in a day and compare it to the Government’s recommendations:

• 1-3 years: a maximum of 2 grams salt or 0.8 grams sodium per day
• 4-6 years: a maximum of 3 grams salt or 1.2 grams sodium per day.

Do please be aware that this is a maximum – it’s much better for children to have a lower level than this. It can be quite a bit of work to do this calculation, depending on how many different foods your child eats each day. Use the Salt Calculator on the Food Standards Agency website (http://www.salt.gov.uk/salt_calculator.shtml) for a helping hand. You may not have values for unprocessed foods such as fruit, vegetables, milk, meat and poultry, but these contain very little or no salt.

The above recommended limits don’t include babies up to the age of one – they should have even less than one gram of salt per day as their kidneys just can’t cope with more. While they are just having breast milk or formula they’re not in danger of getting too much. If using processed foods after weaning, look for those specifically made for babies as their salt content is strictly controlled.