much salt, and the consequences for our health could be dramatic. “On average we are eating 10-12 grams of salt a day,” he says. “The recommended maximum intake for an adult is 5-6 grams (one flat teaspoonful). Ninety per cent of the population exceed that, which is the major cause of strokes and heart attacks in this country. It’s a very major problem. “If we did reduce total salt intake by the recommended amounts, it would save approximately 30,000 heart attacks and strokes in the UK every year.”