Printed labels on food products can be a valuable tool for people who are looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle, an expert has said.
According to Sara Stanner, a nutritionist, food labels help consumers find products that are low in ingredients such as salt, the Telegraph reports.
This can in turn enable people to reduce their risk of getting high blood pressure, as well as other problems such as high water retention in the body.
Ms Stanner said excessive salt intake can also increase a person's chances of developing kidney disease, asthma and osteoporosis.
"A simple guideline is to limit foods that contain more than 0.2g of sodium per 100g and choose foods that contain less than 0.1g of sodium per 100g where possible," she commented.
Ms Stanner acknowledged that some people may initially find these options taste fairly bland, but insisted they will eventually seem more flavoursome in a few weeks, once their taste buds have adapted to a low-salt diet.
This comes shortly after she warned that some versions of popular products such as packaged white bread contain much more salt than similar items.
Denny Bros Ltd, 08 March 2012
