How much is 6g?

6g of salt is about a teaspoonful. This is not a large amount, especially when you consider that 75% of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy.

It would be very difficult to calculate exactly how much salt you eat in a day, because you would need to know the salt content of each food and measure the exact quantities you eat.

But it's useful to know the recommended maximum of 6g, because if you find out the amount of salt in a few of the foods you normally eat, then you'll see how easy it can be to eat more than 6g.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on salt is to compare foods and choose those that are lower in salt whenever you can. See Understanding labels to find out more. Salt is often listed as sodium on food labels. See Sodium and salt for more information.