Sodium is a vital mineral necessary for the body’s proper functioning, with table salt being the most prevalent source. It is widely recognized that elevated salt consumption correlates with increased blood pressure in adults. Recent findings have confirmed this association extends to children and adolescents as well. This discovery is noteworthy since high blood pressure is linked to cardiovascular diseases. Thus, it is crucial for children to reduce salt intake to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels and prevent hypertension.
How much salt should my child have?
The recommended daily salt intake for children varies by age:
Age
Salt
Sodium
0.4g per day
1 to 3 years
0.8g per day
4 to 6 years
1.2g per day
7 to 10 years
2g per day
11 years and over
2.4g per day
Foods to avoid or cut down on
A significant portion of the salt consumed by children comes from everyday foods such as bread, crumpets, cereals, and cheese. While these items provide essential nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorus, and B vitamins crucial for growth and development, completely avoiding them is not advisable. However, foods high in salt, including processed meats (like bacon and ham), takeaways, and certain snacks such as crisps and biscuits, should be limited. To effectively reduce your child’s salt intake, consider the following healthy food alternatives:
Top tips and simple swaps
- Limit packaged snack foods such as crisps, biscuits, nachos, and cocktail sausages to once a week or on special occasions. Instead, offer healthier options like fruits, vegetable sticks, yogurt, unsalted popcorn, or nuts (if your child is old enough). Explore our healthy snack ideas for kids.
- Prepare meals using fresh ingredients without adding salt, and enhance flavors with lemon, herbs, or spices. For inspiration, check out our favorite family meal collection.
- Replace tinned soups with homemade varieties—they’re easier to make than you might think. Discover our best soup recipes for kids.
- Limit the use of stock cubes, bottled sauces, soy sauce, and marinades; opt for fresh preparations. If time is limited, batch cook sauces and freeze them for quick meals later. You can find our top family batch cooking and freezable recipes here.
- Instead of serving a ham and cheese sandwich, try alternatives like chicken with salad, egg mayonnaise, or smooth peanut butter (if no allergies exist).
- Limit takeaways to an absolute minimum and enjoy them only occasionally. For ideas, explore our homemade family fakeaways.
This article was last reviewed on 18 September 2018 by Dietitian Emer Delaney.
Emer Delaney BSc (Hons), RD holds an honors degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Ulster. She has worked as a dietitian in some of the UK’s leading teaching hospitals and is currently based in London.
All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any health concerns, please consult your local healthcare provider. For further information, please see our terms and conditions.
You may also be interested in the following…
