Reduce salt - your kidneys, heart and eyes will thank you!

(image: Wikimedia Commons)

"We consume far more salt every day than our bodies need," says Prinsloo, who also warns that there are some foods that contain salt that we don't even know about. "To reduce salt in your diet, you've got to know it's there. Avoid canned meat, salted and dried meat as well as smoked meat - like bacon, which all have a very high salt content."

To this list, she adds cold meats meat spreads sausages and meat pies. "Then there's dried fish like bokkems, smoked fish such as snoek and salted fish including fish paste, sardines and tuna that all have a high sodium count. You'd be far better off eating fresh fish."

Prinsloo also has some advice on other items we use regularly:

Dairy products: Use fresh milk and yoghurt (low-fat or fat-free is good; no more than 2-3 cups a day). Avoid ice cream, buttermilk, coffee creamers and blended milk powders. Cheese contains a lot of salt, limit your intake to a matchbox-sized portion per day. Avoid feta cheese, cheese spread and cheese portions and opt for unsalted Ricotta or cottage cheese instead.

Starch: Bread, breakfast cereals and crackers contain a lot of salt, so choose boiled porridge, rice, potato, pasta (macaroni, spaghetti) and salt-free crackers instead. Avoid cake, rusks and biscuits bought at a shop - make your own where possible, using little or no salt, bicarbonate of soda or baking powder.

Fruit: Always choose fresh fruit over any other, and avoid fruit with added sodium sulphate (like dried fruit), as well as olives and gherkins.

Vegetables: Fresh is best, but if veggies can't be eaten raw, prepare with no salt. Limit the use of canned vegetables and vegetables which can be very high in sodium.

Fats and oils: Margarine, butter, salad dressing and mayonnaise contain a lot of salt, so limit your use to no more than three teaspoons a day - and opt for a low salt margarine.

Sauces, gravy, soup and stock: Use home-made soup with no or little added salt. Avoid canned or packets of soups or sauces, bouillon and stock.

Herbs and spices: Read the labels on dried herbs and spices, or use fresh produce. Also use soy sauce, chutney and meat tenderiser sparingly.

Sugar and other products: Did you know that many artificial sweeteners (sodium saccharine and cyclamate) contain salt? Limit the use of golden syrup, molasses, sweets and jam which is preserved with sodium benzoate.

Prinsloo suggests that you enjoy unsalted pop corn and nuts, but avoid highly salted snacks like potato chips and savoury biscuits. "Also, drink water, pure fruit juice, coffee and tea," she says, "but remember that soda water, mineral water, artificially sweetened cold drinks, instant chocolate and flavoured milk drinks all contain salt.

A low salt menu

Starter

Grapefruit or fruit cocktail; salads without salad dressing

Fish

Baked, steamed or in batter; no sauces

Meat

Roasted or baked without marinades or sauces

Vegetables

Baked potato or chips without salt; boiled vegetables with little or no salt added

Desserts

Fresh fruit or fruit salad

"Eating less salt is healthy for the whole family," says Prinsloo. "Salt is an acquired taste and it can be avoided, especially when you use herbs and low-salt flavouring to spice up your eating."