Dr Michael Mosley has shared that a single tin of popular tomato soup contains five times more salt than a small portion of McDonald’s fries.
While salt has a place in a healthy diet, as it helps to aid normal cell function, eating too much of the inexpensive seasoning can spell bad news for your health.
Speaking on Channel 4‘s Secrets Of Your Big Shop, the doctor said: “We associate salt with flavour but using more than the recommended six grams of salt per day can make our taste buds salt-dependent.
“It can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.”
Salt is one of those food additives that’s found in most processed foods – and now Dr Mosley is urging people to “beware” of the level of salt in Heinz Tomato Soup.
A popular lunch choice with many hungry Britons, the red soup is packing a salty punch that could contribute to a range of health problems.
The health guru said: “One of the biggest contributors to salt in our diet comes from processed foods, especially, just ones you grab and go.
“A whopping 70 percent of Brits buy lunch at work, but we’re not brilliant at making healthy choices.
“By lunchtime, we’re probably feeling pretty peckish and looking forward to something which is going to fill you up, satisfy, and also get you through the afternoon.
“A popular lunch munch is soup, with the healthy-sounding tomato coming out on top.
“But beware of the salt content. A single tin of Heinz Tomato Soup contains 2.2 grams, five times more salt content than a small portion of McDonald’s fries.”
The “good news” is that the salt-dependency cycle can be broken “really quickly”, according to Dr Mosley.
The health expert recommended opting for a low-sodium salt, which contains potassium instead of sodium.
Another tip the doctor offered is using dried herbs and spices instead of boosting the flavour in your dish with salt.
What’s more, cutting back on the common seasoning is “one of the simplest ways” to slash your blood pressure reading, and will start to make a difference “very quickly”, according to Blood Pressure UK.
Express.co.uk has reached out to Heinz for a comment.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
