7 surprisingly salty foods

1. Cheese and butter

Adding extras after cooking can not only add calories and saturated fat, but also salt. Avoid adding butter to ‘finish’ sauces or grated cheese to top your dishes and you will avoid the salt that can come with them – and help your waistline too.

• Read our 7 times to say no to cheese.

2. Sauces

Soy sauce, fish sauce, and even ketchup can all add flavour to your dishes but are often high in salt, so you need to be sparing - and remember that you won’t need to add salt at the table as well.

3. Salty spreads

Spreading fats like margarine usually contain added salt - so read the nutritional information on the label to help you to choose the one with the least added salt. Savoury spreads can also be a salty choice. Be aware and use yeast extracts sparingly and check nutritional information on peanut butter and cream cheese.

• Learn more about food labels.

4. Salty nibbles

Capers, anchovies and olives are all likely to add salt to food. Using non-salty flavourings is a better way to keep the taste up when you are cutting down on salt. Herbs, spices, lemon, garlic and black pepper are all good choices.

• Read our list of 19 natural salt alternatives.

5. Bread

As well as being added to the dough, watch out for extra salty additions. Loaves of bread and rolls that have an additional sprinkling of salt on the top or are studded with olives can easily be high in salt. Read the nutrition information before buying, as there's a lot of variation between different breads.

• Read our 5 ways to make bread and dough part of a healthy diet.
• Explore our A to Z of breads from around the world.

6. Potatoes

Potato dishes are a common culprit too - watch out for jacket potatoes that have been rubbed with salt before baking, or pre-salted portions of chips or other potatoes, and of course, packets of crisps, which can all add to your daily salt intake.

• If you wonder whether ‘popped’ crisps are a healthier option, read our Senior Dietitian’s verdict.

7. Sweet surprises

The trend for sweet and savoury flavours like salted caramel might taste delicious but it’s adding salt in places that were previously salt-free. Or were they? You might be surprised at the amount of salt in sweet foods like biscuits and cakes. Make sure you look at food labels 

• Watch our short animation explaining why too much salt is bad for you. 
• See our list of surprisingly sugary foods.
• Read our answers to common questions about salt.