Salt in Pasta Sauces

No shock here, as shop-bought pasta sauces are revealed to be high in salt. You can read the full report, from CASH, here. Worst of the lot was Jamie Oliver's range, with 5.3g salt per portion for his Spicy Olive, Garlic and Tomato sauce (no excuse for all that salt if it's spicy!). There are a couple of good Weight Watchers options there though, and it's worth noting that, although the pestos were generally high in salt per 100g, you would of course eat far less of it per serving than a sauce.

Pret a Manger - Update

Just been onto the Pret website to get some details so I can post some of the lower sodium sandwiches at Pret for my other half, for the days I don't manage to do him a packed lunch!

Egg Mayo & Bacon Breakfast Baguette 0.4445 g sodium per pack (this is lower than the egg & tomato version)
Posh Cheddar & Pickle Baguette 0.5048 g sodium per pack
Mature cheddar & pickle sandwiches 0.5906 g sodium per pack

FSA Salt Calculator

Hello again! Thinking of disinterring this blog...and wanted to share this with you.

The FSA have launched a salt calculator here (scroll down a bit), which you can use to more easily compare salt contents of foods. They've also launched an app for the iPhone called FSA Salt, which is free. I've tried it and it's really good. But then I am a bit of a geek.

A great way of fathoming out what the various different labels are trying to tell you.

The "Bag of Crisps" Measurement

In the same spirit that people describe the size of a country by how many times Wales would fit into it (why is it always Wales?), I have been trying out a new way unit of measurement for sodium levels - the "bag of crisps". The bag of crisps I am using is Walker's Ready Salted, which contains 0.5g of salt (per 34.5g bag), a nice round number.

So, here are a few "bag of crisps" measurements:

1 bag of crisps:
=1 bowl of Kelloggs Cornflakes

2 bags of crisps:
=1 slice of toast, buttered, with Marmite
=50g Edam

4 bags of crisps:
=1 small (200g) tin Heinz baked beans with sausages

8 bags of crisps:
=Half a medium-sized Dominos Pepperoni Passion

Christmas Dinner "Loaded with Salt"

Lyndsey's Christmas feast
Originally uploaded by claracluc

It's just once a year, so probably not worth getting too worked up about (unless you're this chap), but look at the figures on the bread sauce and stuffing.

Merry Christmas!

Breakfast...again

Day 165 - Fry up
Originally uploaded by DragonDrop

I love breakfast, so do keep returning to this subject. The CASH website carries a recent report which raises concerns about the salt content in typical breakfasts. A traditional fry-up can contain your full daily allowance, 6g.

The spreadsheet is well worth a look - it lists sodium contents for breakfast cereals, takeaway breakfasts, toast, coffee...everything you could possibly want, and because it's in a spreadsheet, you can sort it and be suitably shocked at some of the measurements, but also find some good low sodium options.

Low Sodium Convenience Foods

Processed foods tend to be high in salt. Not just microwave meals, but anything that has been processed at all, even sausages and baked beans. Some "healthy" options which are low in saturated fat are high in sodium, and even some desserts. Since we started on this low sodium thing, I've been cooking from scratch every night, but with a full time job, two kids, packed lunches to do and (occasionally) a social life as well I simply can't do that every night for ever.

So I've been looking for low salt "convenience"/processed food options, for those occasions when a nice sit down and a glass of wine appeals more than spending an hour cooking. This isn't going to be a very long list, but I hope it will be a useful one, and I will add to it when I discover more.

1. Frozen fish things - I have found a few low and low-ish sodium options in this section of the supermarket freezers, for example Birds Eye Fish Finger Megas.

2. Emmental - this has become the "everyday" cheese in our house. It's the lowest sodium cheese I can find of the sort that works melted on toast, or in an omlette.

3. John West tuna pate - only 0.1g sodium per 100g (about a third of that in tinned tuna), and gives you a portion of oily fish too.

4. M&S Teacakes - (the fruity bread, not the chocolate marshmallow things) are lovely toasted for breakfast

Low Sodium Stock Cubes

Low salt stock cubes are hard to find. I've been using Kallo's for a while, but they only do a vegetable low salt cube, which is far from ideal for gravy or a casserole based on red meat. However while shopping for the baby today, I found the Boots "Baby Organic" range stock cubes - they contain 0.02g sodium in 100ml of made-up stock, compared to about 0.4g per 100ml of OXO or Kallo cubes, and are available as veg, beef and chicken.

I've been Googling too and have found that Heinz do a "Cook at Home" baby range which includes low sodium stock, although I haven't tried it.

Which I guess means we can have 20 times as much gravy now!

Dispatches: Sandwiches Unwrapped

This week's Dispatches on Channel 4 took a look at sandwiches. Much of the programme focussed on a sandwich factory which had rats, however they also took a look at nutrition.

Boots came out top for nutritional value, most often reaching the FSA guidelines for low sodium/fat/saturated fat. Subway and Pret a Manger both did poorly, as did the posh sarnies from Marks & Spencer.

Looking at the Subway website, it's not straightforward to fathom out what you get in any given sandwich, as they list all the ingredients separately, however here are the highest and lowest options I could put together, avoiding dressings...

Highest sodium option - Wrap with Meatball Marinara - 2.6g sodium per sandwich, more than the daily recommended intake for an adult

Lowest sodium option - Honey Oat 6 inch Veggie Delite - 0.5g sodium per sandwich

Eat

I found this great site today too - the Sandwich Guide which has reviews of high street sandwiches, and also the British Sandwich Association who, on their home page, helpfully provide a definition of a sandwich for us (burgers do not count as sandwiches, apparently). Who would have thought there would have been so much information out there on the humble sandwich?

Anyway, here are some sodium levels for the sandwiches and soups at Eat. All figures are g of sodium per pack/portion. bear in mind that the government recommended daily intake for an adult is 2.4 g - some of these options come very close to giving you that in one part of one meal. In summary - avoid the baguettes and soups, and go for the chicken sandwiches instead.

Sandwiches...
Lowest:
Cajun Spiced Chicken 0.4g
Thai Citrus Chicken 0.4g
Chicken Salad 0.4g
Herb Cream Cheese and Roast Vegetables 0.42g

Highest:
Hot Smoked Salmon and Cucumber 1g
Chilli Crayfish 1.1g
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato 1.2g
Prawns with Garlic Mayonnaise Wheat Free 1.2g
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Wheat Free 1.2g
Tuna and Cheddar Melt 1.21g
Chorizo and Peppers Baguette 1.27g
EAT Club 1.43g
Roast Ham, Brie and Cranberry Baguette 1.8g
Ham and Jarlsberg Baguette 1.97g

Soups...
Lowest:
New England Clam Chowder 0.4g

Highest:
Hungarian Goulash 1.1g
French Onion 1.13g
Corn Chowder 1.18g
Cream of Corn 1.5g

Low Sodium Options at Starbucks

Sodium levels in some treats from Starbucks. All figures are g of sodium per 100g. I haven't included the yoghurts and salads because that's not why I go to Starbucks, frankly. But there are a couple of sandwich options here too.

Low Sodium Cake
Fairtrade chocolate chunk shortbread 0.02g
Mixed berry loaf with mascarpone icing 0.02g
Belgian chocolate brownie 0.03g
Marshmallow twizzle 0.03g
Granola 0.06g
Lemon drizzle cake 0.09g
Summer valencia orange cake (wheat and dairy free) 0.09g
Chocolate caramel shortbread 0.13g
Faitrade chocolate cake 0.13g
Low fat carrot and valencia orange cake 0.13g
Low fat wholemeal banana, date and raisin cake 0.13g

Coffee
Now here's a shock - some coffees are high in sodium. My favourite frapps are high, and having soy milk instead of dairy pushes the figures up too.

Sandwiches:
In general - avoid the panini, and go for a wrap instead.
Highest
Cheese & Marmite panini 0.8g
Oak smoked salmon 0.8g
Lowest
Smoked salmon & edamame bean flatbread 0.2g
Roasted chicken salad with mange tout wrap 0.2g
Roasted chicken & green herb mayo 0.2g

Wonderful Waitrose

Big thanks are in order to the Waitrose Nutritionists, from whom I have received a 57 page listing of products defined as low in sodium (less than 0.12g sodium per 100g). A lot of it is obvious stuff (chicken breasts, coffee) but there are even some ready meal options there - I have been really enjoying cooking from scratch, but with 2 kids, a full time job and (occasionally) a social life too, there is going to be the occasional night where I don't manage it.

I'm not going to reproduce all of the 57 pages here. However here are a few items from the list which I was pleased to see. Figures are g of sodium per 100g - the recommended limit is 2.4g a day:

Vegetable Crisps 0.10g
Sweet pickled beetroot 0.12g
Tandoori chicken and pepper kebabs 0.09g
Thai red chicken curry with wild rice 0.06g
Chef's special green chutney salmon 0.12g
Spinach & ricotta quiche 0.12g
Mushroom stroganoff with rice 0.05g
Chicken with apricots 0.09g
Tuscan unsalted bread 0.02g

Pret a Manger

Pret a Manger is somewhere I often buy my lunch. They show their sodium contents on their website as g of sodium per pack, here. I've used these same figures below, because it's a good way of doing it, and saves me doing any division. It seems baguettes are the best option, and the hot wraps best avoided. Government guidance is to have no more than 2.4g of sodium a day.

Sandwiches (not including Slim Pret, and weekly specials)
Lowest: Devonshire Red Chicken and Rocket 0.61g
Highest: Summer Ham Salad 1.31g

Baguettes & Salad Wraps
Lowest: Brie, Tomato and Whole-leaf Baguette 0.38g
Next Best: Dry-cured Ham & Greve Baguette, and Dolphin-friendly Tuna Baguette, both 0.5g
Highest: Hoisin Duck Wrap 1.1g

Breakfast Baguettes
Lowest: Free Range Egg Mayo and Roasted Tomato 0.12g
Highest: Smoked Salmon, Free-range Egg Mayo and Cress 0.43g

Hot Wraps
Lowest: Jalapeno Chicken 1.08g
Highest: Spicy Falafel Melt 1.53g

Salads
Lowest: Chicken Avocado Salad 0.4g
Highest: Smoked Salmon, Wild Crayfish & Dijon Dressing Salad 1.29g

Soup
Lowest: Lentil, Tomato and Turmeric Soup 0.35g
Highest: Italian Meatball Soup 1.23g

Sushi
Lowest: Salmon Nigiri 1.8g
Highest: Deluxe Sushi 2g

Bakery
Highest: Egg & Bacon Croissant 0.98g
Lowest: Almond Croissant 0.0003g

Veggie Burgers and Sausages

I went into Holland & Barrett a week ago to buy some tofu for a Thai dish I was making (recipe to follow, once I manage to reduce the amount of soy sauce in it), and took a look at some of the veggie burgers there - reading labels being my latest obsession.

I was surprised by the high levels of sodium in these "healthy" options. CASH have recently carried out a survey on just this topic, the results are here. Note that their figures are g salt per 100g, rather than sodium, which is the figure I normally give (divide salt by 2.5 to get the sodium level). One big surprise was the "Fry's Special Vegetarian Traditional Sausages", which will give you your day's intake in 2 sausages!

Pizza

Links to sodium content listings for a couple of popular pizza restaurants. Well done to those who publish them online - I have emailed a few other companies to get their details. Zizzis/Ask inform me that they do not have sodium content details for their foods.

All of the options are pretty high, but it seems that by avoiding cheese and meat you can reduce your sodium intake. All figures are g sodium per 100g. 1 slice of pizza could be more or less than 100g, depending on the size of pizza.

Pizza Hut
Lowest: Large Pan base Vegetarian Supreme 0.32g
Highest: Individual sized Hot N Spicy Italian base 0.92g

Take a look at the "Salt per Food Portion" column of the kids menu. Shocking figures when you think that the recommended daily intake of salt for a 6 year old is 3g.

Dominos
Lowest: Hawaiian 0.2g - and most vegetarian pizzas came in at about 0.4g
Highest: New Yorker 1.6g

Bread of Heaven...

No-knead bread
Originally uploaded by fuzuoko

...bread of heaven...feed me til I want no moooooooore...

Ah, blurry memories of Welsh weddings come flooding back.

Bread seems generally to be high in sodium - and a lot of it is stealth-salt, that you can't really taste. There's a wide range of sodium contents though, and by shopping carefully you can cut back on your intake drastically. If you eat bread, it's likely to be in biggish quantities, so this is something where you do want the sodium level to be low.

Government guidance on sodium is 2.4g per day. See here for more on this.

Of course bread is something that varies hugely between brands and shops...but a quick scan of the shelves locally shows the following sodium contents per 100g...

High:
Honey seeded wheaten bread (which from the name you would expect to be healthy) - 0.96g
Mini brown rolls - 0.6g

Middling:
Soft white rolls - 0.48g
Cholla - 0.48g
Every day white sliced loaf - 0.47g - this is 0.21g per slice
Part-baked baguettes - 0.45g
Baguette - 0.44g
Ciabatta - 0.4g
Tortilla Wrap - 0.36g
Muffins - 0.34g - that's 0.22g in each muffin
Pitta bread - 0.3g

Low-ish:
Teacakes - 0.17g per 100g - my favourites, good to know

Even better, you can make your own salt-free bread! No really, if I can do it, you can too.

Thanks to fuzuoko for the great photo!

Sauces

Shop-bought sauces tend to contain a lot of sodium...you can see below though that levels vary hugely (by making up your own mustard from powder you can almost totally avoid sodium altogether).

All numbers are g of sodium per 100g.

Mayonnaise:
Tesco Organic 0.4g
Hellmans 0.6g
Tesco 0.6g
M&S Reduced Fat 0.65g
Hellmans Light 0.9g

Mint Sauce:
Tesco Finest with Balsamic Vinegar "Trace"
Sainsbury 0.5g
Colmans 1g

Brown Sauce:
HP Reduced Sugar & Salt 0.6g
Branston 0.9g
Tesco 1.1g
HP 1.0g

Ketchup:
Heinz Reduced Sugar & Salt 0.8g
Branston 1.0g
Tesco 1.2g
Heinz Organic 1.2g

English Mustard:
Colmans Mustard Powder "Trace"
Colmans 3.1g
Tesco 3.3g
Sainsbury 3.3g

Horseradish Sauce:
English Provender 0.1g
Tesco Finest 0.3g
Colmans 0.4g
Tesco Hot 2.8g

Tartare Sauce:
Tesco Finest 0.5g
Stokes 0.6g
Sainsburys 0.8g
Tesco 1.0g
Simply Delicious Organic 1.05g
M&S 1.18g
Colmans 1.3g
Waitrose 1.6g

Breakfast Cereals

I've been looking into this quite a lot. Breakfast is one area where, for at least 5 days a week, you want to grab a bowl of something and just dash out of the house. In our house we certainly don't have the time to be making our own muesli from bags and pots of interesting-sounding things from Holland and Barrett in the morning, because we are too busy getting children and bags ready, and timing our departure so we reach school and nursery at exactly the very moment that their doors open, in order to then catch the earliest possible train into work.

So we rely on bought cereals. And why not? We stick to the healthier end of the spectrum, avoiding the particularly sugary/chocolatey/delicious ones. Many breakfast cereals make health claims, and it's good to know that for at least that one meal a day, we are guaranteed to get good percentages of various GDAs and vitamins, and a decent dose of fibre. So surely they will be low in sodium too? Disappointingly, the answer is no.

Here's a quick run-down of some of the popular cereals...all figures are g of sodium per 100g. See here for more on recommended sodium/salt levels.

Saltier than Walkers Crisps:
Kelloggs Corn Flakes 0.7g
Kelloggs Rice Krispies 0.65g
Kelloggs All Bran 0.6g

High:
Kelloggs Fruit n Fibre 0.55g
Kelloggs Bran Flakes 0.5g
Cheerios 0.5g
Kelloggs Coco Pops 0.45g
Kelloggs Crunchy Nut 0.45g
Kelloggs Frosties 0.45g
Kelloggs Special K 0.45g
Weetaflakes 0.4g

Middling:
Shreddies 0.3g
Weetabix 0.26g

Low:
Alpen 0.15g
Ready Brek <0.1g
Oatibix 0.15g
Quaker Oatso Simple "Trace"
Quaker Granola "Trace"
Shredded Wheat "Trace"
Shredded Wheat Bitesize "Trace"

Some of those figures are pretty high. In a "serving" of Kelloggs Corn Flakes you'd get half a gram of salt - that's the same as a normal-sized bag of crisps. Generally, the Kelloggs cereals came out high; those at the bottom of the list above are largely made by Weetabix (although you can get an even lower sodium Weetabix-type cereal from Doves Farm at 0.2g).

I took a look at some own-brand versions of the Kelloggs cereals to see if they were any better.

Bran Flakes - Sainsburys 0.6g, Tesco 0.6g
Choco Snaps - Sainsburys ?, Tesco 0.4g
Corn Flakes - Sainsburys 0.6g, Tesco 0.6g
Frosted Flakes - Sainsburys 0.6g, Tesco 0.6g

Um, no, not really! So it's Shredded Wheat and porridge from now on until Kelloggs sort out their act.

Gromit, that's it! Cheese! We'll go somewhere where there's cheese!

A quick look at the labels on the lumps of cheese in our fridge turns up some alarming results. It seems that cheese, as a rule, is very high in sodium, with 0.7g per 100g being typical. The Dairy Council state that salt is necessary in cheese, as a preservative. Do we really need levels that high given that most of us have fridges now?

So, off I trek to the supermarket to check some labels. The values below are all sodium per 100g. To put it into context, 100g of cheese would be about right to fill a chunky sub-sized roll for lunch. Government guidance on sodium is 2.4g per day. See here for more on this.There was only one cheese I could find that would be classed as "low" in sodium! It was:

Mascarpone - 0.05g

Good to know I can still make cheesecake should the desire ever take me. The next best options were:

Emmental - 0.17g
Cottage cheese with pineapple - 0.2g
Goats cheese - 0.28g
Wensleydale with blueberries - 0.3g

Obviously the bits of fruit in the wensleydale and cottage cheese reduce the amount of cheese you're getting, and so therefore the sodium too. Maybe we can all learn a lesson from that and simply buy our usual cheese, hollow bits of it out and stick fruit in.

The worst offenders were the blue and smoked cheeses, which were generally over 1g. More surprising was that Edam came in at 1.04g, about the same as feta. The worst was a pecorino at 2.36g.

The big problem I found, however, is that the cheddar-style cheeses were up at 0.6 - 0.8g (about the same as the parmesan I found). I love posh cheese, but let's be honest, it's cheddar that we eat most often, especially our eldest daughter. So it looks like we'll be splashing out grating emmental onto our baked spuds until I can find a low salt version.

There's some more guidance on sodium levels on the British Cheese website, which largely agrees with my findings, although I'm a bit confused by their numbers on cheese spreads, which doesn't seem to be backed up by the Philadelphia website.