Step Away From the Bacon: Research Reveals Bacon Contains Over Half of our Daily Salt Intake

Are you trying to lead a healthier lifestyle? If so, you might want to put down the bread and step away from the rashers because next to bread, bacon is now the second biggest contributor of salt to our diet.

Did you know that two rashers can contain more than half of your recommended daily allowance of salt? And did you know that some brands of rashers can contain even more than that? We have to admit, we’re a little shocked at this information.

The research, which was carried out by the Consensus Action on Salt and Health, discovered that bacon in Irish stores contained “huge and unnecessarily high” amounts of salt and apparently, we’re eating more and more of it.

Why? Well, bacon is one of the cheapest cuts of meat and given the recession, we’re turning to it as an inexpensive choice for dinner.

Our recommended daily allowance (RDA) of salt is only 6g, and during their research, the Consensus Action on Salt and Health discovered that in many chain stores in Ireland, there were “massive” inconsistencies in pack labelling when it came to accurately telling consumers how much salt is in their bacon.

Is it time you cut back on the amount of bacon you eat?

“For every one gram reduction in salt intake we can prevent 12,000 heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, half of which would have been fatal,” said Graham MacGregor, the chairman of the Consensus Action on Salt and Health and a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute.

“As bacon is now such a big contributor of salt to our diet it is vital that the Department of Health ensures that manufacturers reduce the salt in these incredibly salty bacon products immediately,” he added.

“In times of austerity we have a lot on our minds already, without the extra worry that our budget meal choices contain too much salt,” said Hannah Brinsden, the nutritionist for the Consensus Action on Salt and Health,

“It is down to manufacturers to ensure that the salt in bacon is reduced and to provide us with a consistent labelling system so we are able to choose lower salt products and protect our health,” she added.

What do you think? Are you aware of how much salt you eat on a daily basis?