Do not allow yourself to be caught out because of a failure to appreciate the connection between salt and high blood pressure.

Salt is an extremely valuable element in our diet and has been in use for thousands of years as both a preservative and to give added taste to our food. Indeed, in spite of the fact that many people in the West take it for granted, in a significant number of countries it is a major economic commodity and people of a certain age will no doubt remember the important role played by salt in bringing British rule in India to and end in the middle of the last century.

Unfortunately however salt is also a major contributory factor when it comes to the problem of high blood pressure.

Salt is a compound of sodium and chloride and when we are looking at high blood pressure it is the quantity of sodium we eat that needs to be watched.

Initially it might seem that controlling your intake of salt is simply a matter of monitoring the quantity of salt which you put into your food when cooking and which you add to your food at the table. However, the real problem lies in the fact that most of the salt in our diet is contained in the processed foods which nearly all of us purchase and eat every day.

So as to ensure that you minimize your risk of high blood pressure you have to keep your intake of salt below the government's recommended daily intake figure of 2,400 milligrams and here are some tips to help you do just that:

� Do not put salt on the|Remove salt from your} table. If you are getting a correctly balanced diet your food will contain enough salt without any need to add more when eating, so simply remove the salt from your table.

� Learn to read food labels when shopping. Food labeling laws are much improved these days and most foods now carry nutritional information including the quantity of sodium which the food contains. You will have to read the label carefully though as often the sodium figure given will apply to the whole of the pack or tin and occasionally it will apply to an individual serving.

� Purchase sodium free or low sodium products. A number of foods today come in sodium free or low sodium options and, whenever possible, you should buy these over the regular product.

� Buy low salt snacks. The majority of us like to snack but try to stick to things like fruit and vegetables and, if you cannot live without your crisps, buy varieties which are salt free or low in sodium.}

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