Loading ...Hummus and other 'healthy' dips contain more salt than FOUR bags of chips
Katie Morley
Telegraph
Hummus and other “healthy” supermarket dips are laced with high levels of salt and fat, it has emerged, as health campaigners have revealed some pots contain more salt than four packets of crisps.
For decades savoury dips have been enjoyed with crudites as a “light” snack, but according to a damning report by campaign group, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash), this may not be as virtuous as people think.
Diets high in salt and fat are attributed to people developing strokes and heart disease, two of the leading causes of death in the UK.
Cash tested 210 chilled dips from high street supermarkets and found a total of zero packets were marked with a green traffic light for salt, indicating a low level.
Overall taramasalata was the most salty dip, with an average content of 1.25g per 100g, with a serving of Asda’s taramasalata containing as much salt as thirteen Ritz crackers.
Health-conscious snackers often avoid crisps, but new research shows dips could be even worse. The least salty dip was salsa, which has an average of 0.49g of salt per 100g.
Among the saltiest hummus dips was Marks & Spencer’s Caramelised Onion Hummus which contained more salt per 100g (1.53g) than four packets of ready salted crisps. This is equivalent to over a quarter of the daily maximum recommended intake.
The salt added to hummus dips ranged from 0.43g per 100g (Lidl Red Pepper Hummus) to 1.6g per 100g (Tesco Caramelised Onion Hummus). Both contained more salt than 100g of KP original salted peanuts, the research showed.
Around three quarters of the hummus products tested were marked with a red traffic light label for fat, showing that as well as being excessively salty, many are also laden with excess calories.
For example, a pot of Essential Waitrose Sour Cream and Chive dip was found to contain more total fat than a Big Mac.
Hummus, which is predominantly made from chickpeas, contains on average 280 calories per 100g, more than 10 per cent of the recommended daily intake for women.
Cash is calling for the Government to produce a “strong and robust” Obesity Strategy that will include reducing salt and fat in the nation’s diet.
Sonia Pombo, nutritionist and campaign manager for Cash, said: “Food companies need to take action and reduce both the salt and fat content in dips.
“The variation of different products revealed in our survey shows it can be achieved which is why it’s equally important that we as individuals read the label carefully and opt for healthier brands.
“Also remember to swap unhealthy sides with vegetables e.g. carrots, peppers and tomatoes, for added bonus.”
Professor Graham MacGregor, of Queen Mary University of London and chairman of Cash, said: “Once again we demonstrate the unnecessary amounts of salt and fat being added by the food industry to what could be a healthy product. “A diet high in salt leads to strokes and heart disease – the commonest cause of death in the UK.
“Reducing salt is the most cost effective measure to reduce the number of people suffering which is why it’s imperative the government announce a new robust plan for reducing salt in our diet.”
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk