[Healthy Children]: Salt Intake

[𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗕𝗔] 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗡: 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘.🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

⭐️⭐️⭐️FMP brings you a new maternal and child health column with important updates you can now access daily.

Today topic is HEALTHY CHILDREN: SALT INTAKE
Many children consume too much salt from processed foods and eating out of the home.🍟🥖

❗️Salt can cause:
- High blood pressure
- Cardiovascular diseases ❤️

Check food labels and if the salt content is stated as SODIUM you will need to times this by 2.5 and divide by 1000 to get the salt level.
Maximum for adults is 5g a day - One teaspoon.🥄
Milligrams of sodium X 2.5 ÷ 1,000 = salt content.
E.g 800mg sodium x 2.5 = 800 / 1000 = 2g of salt

📌RECOMMENDATIONS:
Refrain from adding salt to children’s food, the kidneys do not process the salt well.
Refrain from introducing your baby to salty food during weaning.
Refrain from using packaged foods
Make fresh food at home and limit use of stock cubes/gravy/ready made sauces that are high in salt.

📌SPECIFIC AGE RECOMMENDATIONS:
0-6mths- Exclusive breastmilk which has the perfect vitamins and mineral quantities.
6 months- When weaning do not add salt or introduce salty foods. You can use cows milk in food but not as a drink. One reason for this is because it has higher sodium that formula or breast milk.
6-12 months- ensure salt intake is <1g per day
12mths-36mths - <2g per day
4-10 years - <3g per day
10+ minimal quantities but maximum 5g - one teaspoon🥄

Resources - WHO/CDC/FIRST STEPS NUTRITION

Author: Abigail Laurie Registered Midwife and Registered Specialist Public Health Nurse, United Kingdom.