Local Health Professionals ask ‘Do you know why salt can damage your health?’
A local Children’s Centre working in partnership with the Healthy Living Network, is helping in the battle to reduce the UK’s salt consumption by organising a Food Demonstration and Tasting Session.
It will be held at Camp Hill Early Years Centre, Hollystitches Road, Nuneaton, between 1-3pm on Tuesday 2 February, to coincide with Consensus Action on Salt and Health’s 11th National Salt Awareness Week, running from 1st – 7th February 2010. Visitors will also be able to have their Blood Pressure and Weight monitored and see displays on Healthy Eating.
The focus of National Salt Awareness Week 2010 is ‘Salt and Your Health’. Many people are aware that salt can damage their health, but do not know it is linked to serious health conditions such as stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, obesity and kidney disease which can affect anyone.
As Denise Galland, Children’s Centre Manager says, “We are aware that salt is associated with health problems such as high blood pressure. However many people think eating too much salt will not affect them and that they do not need to cut down how much they eat. It is important for everyone to reduce the amount of salt in their diet by making simple changes such as; reading the labels of foods, choosing lower salt ingredients and not adding salt during cooking or at the table.”
Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Chairman of CASH comments, “the evidence linking salt to conditions such as stomach cancer, osteoporosis, kidney disease, obesity and stroke has been building for years and now must not be ignored.
"We should all reduce our salt intake to the maximum recommended target of 6 grams a day or less if we are to minimise the risk of developing these serious health problems.”