Following on from the webinar ‘Reducing Blood Pressure’ with Nutritionist and Campaign Manager at Action on Salt, Sonia Pombo, we’ve pulled together some key resources on the topic. If you missed the live webinar, you can watch the recording.
Action on Salt website and resources
Action on Salt website – Main website for Action on Salt, with information about the upcoming Salt Awareness Week 8–14 March 2021 (More Flavour, Less Salt!)
Action on Salt resources – Some excellent resources to help with lowering salt intake:
Blogs, Newsletter, Social Media Images, Recipe Books, How to Eat Less Salt, Educational Materials, Food Flip Game for children, Posters, Leaflets, Health factsheets, Papers, Events, Videos
FoodSwitch An award-winning health app to help people make healthier choices. Scan the barcodes of food and drink products and find out whether they are high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) in fat, saturates, sugar and salt, and find healthier yet similar alternatives.
FoodSwitch UK leaflet Outlines the different functions within the FoodSwitch app
Blood Pressure UK website and resources
Blood Pressure UK website – Main website for Blood Pressure UK – the only UK charity dedicated to lowering the nation’s blood pressure
Resources Several useful resources available about blood pressure including:
FAQs, Shop, Positive Pressure Magazine, Newsletter, Information Line, Learning Centre, Real Stories, A-Z of Blood Pressure, Blood Pressure Chart
Publications A series of online booklets, including nutrition-focused ones such as:
Healthy Eating and Blood Pressure: Practical tips on changing food and drink choices to help lower blood pressure
Healthy Lifestyle and Blood Pressure: A guide into lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure, including getting active and keeping to a healthy weight
Healthy eating: The African Caribbean Way: Practical tips on diet and lowering blood pressure, including which traditional African Caribbean dishes are high in salt and the heart-healthy alternatives
British Dietetic Association (BDA) food factsheets
Heart Health (2020). Factsheet giving an overview into diet and heart health
Salt and Health (2020). All about salt and the impacts it can have on health
Hypertension and Diet (2019). Dietary advice for high blood pressure
Other resources
Scientific Update on Plant Based Eating & Cardiometabolic Health (2020), The Alpro Foundation. An in-depth 66-page scientific review written by nine global experts
Helping to protect yourself from heart disease and stroke (2019), British Nutrition Foundation (BNF). Top tips from the BNF around cardiovascular disease and eating well
Taking Control of Salt (2018), British Heart Foundation (BHF). Practical tips on how to lower salt intake
Salt. HEART UK. A useful guide into salt and tips to lower intake
Having too much salt? Survival Guide, National Health Service (NHS). Useful guide with helpful advice on lowering salt intake and the importance of doing so
Salt: the facts (NHS). Daily salt recommendations for adults, children and babies and how to use nutrition labels to spot the salt in food.
Books
The DASH Diet: Lower your blood pressure in just 21 days (2021), Priya Tew RD. Written by a UK RD explaining the DASH diet – dietary approaches to stop hypertension. Includes a 21-day plan and more than 30 recipes
Cardiovascular Disease: Diet, Nutrition and Emerging Risk Factors (2019), BNF. Updated second-edition textbook on cardiovascular disease and the role of nutrition
The International Low Salt Cookbook (2011), Action on Salt. Downloadable world recipe book – a compilation of more than 70 low salt recipes from all over the world
Low Salt Cooking For Men (2011), Action on Salt. Downloadable recipe book, with 22 heart healthy recipes for men’s favourite foods including pizza, curry and pie
Other useful websites
World Action on Salt and Health
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
British and Irish Hypertension Society
MyNutriWeb content
Cardiometabolic Health & Plant Based Eating – Part 1 (2020), webinar. Professor Bruce Griffin and Professor David Jenkins discuss the types of dietary patterns impacting on cardiometabolic health & the scientific evidence for the Portfolio Diet and the Ultimate Cholesterol Lowering Plan© – UCLP©
Cardiometabolic Health & Plant Based Eating – Part 2 (2020), webinar. Part 2 of the series
Top tips for lowering salt intake (2021) Guest blogger Dr Pippa Gibson explains the importance lowering salt intake and practical tips, including a healthy low salt baked beans recipe
Social Media accounts to follow
@MyNutriWeb Our own Instagram & Twitter accounts – keep up to date with our latest events and news
@WASHSALT Twitter account for World Action on Salt and Health
@actiononsalt & @actiononsaltandsugar Twitter & Instagram account for Action on Salt
@SPombo86 Twitter & Linkedin accounts for Sonia Pombo, speaker of the webinar, Nutritionist from Action on Salt
@heartukcharity Instagram & Twitter handle for HEART UK, the heart charity
@worldheartfed Twitter account for the World Heart Federation
@BloodPressUK Twitter account for Blood Pressure UK
MyNutriWeb blogs
The Lowdown on the Dash Diet (2021). Our guest writer Priya Tew (RD) outlines the evidence behind the DASH diet
Plant-Based Eating and Cardiometabolic Health (2020). Summary of the scientific update on plant-based eating and heart health
Nutritional guidelines and research
Impact of the 2003 to 2018 Population Salt Intake Reduction Program in England – A Modelling Study’ (2021). Sergio Alonso et al. Hypertension study showing the positive impacts of lowering salt intake
Salt Reduction to Prevent Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease: JACC State-of-the-Art Review (2020), He FJ et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. Review on the evidence relating salt to health, with a focus on blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, as well as the potential mechanisms
Effect of dose and duration of reduction in dietary sodium on blood pressure levels: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials (2020), Huang L, Trieu K et al, British Medical Journal (BMJ). A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials looking into sodium reduction and the impact on blood pressure
Accelerating salt reduction in Europe: a country support package to reduce population salt intake in the WHO European Region (2020), World Health Organisation (WHO). Support package to accelerate salt reduction in the WHO European Region
Salt reduction: targets for 2024 (2020), Public Health England (PHE). Outlines targets for levels of salt in food products and drinks, part of PHE’s reduction and reformulation programme
Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management (2019), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Covers identifying and treating high blood pressure in people aged 18 and over
Salt targets 2017: progress report summary (2019), PHE. Report outlining the progress so far for salt reduction, based on 2017 target
DASH Dietary Pattern and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (2019), Chiavaroli L et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis into the evidence behind the DASH diet
National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Assessment of salt intake from urinary sodium in adults (aged 19 to 64 years) in England (2018 to 2019), National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). A survey of estimated salt intake (from urinary sodium) in adults in England published as part of the NDNS
Blood pressure lowering for prevention of cardiovascular disease and death: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2016), Denna Ettahad et al. The Lancet
Salt and Health report (2003), SACN. SACN advice on salt and recommended Dietary Reference Values (DRVs)
All websites accessed 03/03/2021
