WE are constantly being told we have too much fat, sugar and carbohydrate in our diets but in the UK most people also have too much salt.

Salt makes your body hold on to water. If you eat too much salt, the extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure and this currently affects around one third of adults in the UK. So, the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure will be.

The higher your blood pressure, the greater the strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, dementia and kidney disease. Therefore cutting down on salt lowers blood pressure, which means that your risk of having a stroke or developing heart disease is reduced.

A sign that indicates you may be having too much salt is bloating; salt can cause water retention as the body tries to dilute the salt with large amounts of water. This is uncomfortable and can make you feel unattractive. The best way to reduce this bloating is to drink more water, which will help to flush the salt out of your system.

Another sign I if you have excessive thirst and have starting drinking more water without making the conscious effort to, as most people that have too much salt are often more thirsty.

Adults should be consuming no more than 6g of salt per day which works out around 1 full teaspoon with children aged 1 to 3 years – 2g salt a day, 4 to 6 years – 3g, 7 to 10 years – 5g and 11 years and over – 6g salt a day.

Babies under a year old need less than 1g of salt a day, as their kidneys can’t cope with more. If a baby is breastfed, they will get the right amount of salt from breast milk. Formula milk contains a similar amount.

You don't have to add salt to food to be eating too much – 75pc of the salt we eat is already in everyday foods such as bread, breakfast cereal and ready meals so when possible cook fresh foods and read any labels on the packet foods you buy.