Most people come to low salt diets at the recommendation of their doctor - typically because they are at risk from high blood pressure, a contributor to strokes, heart attack and kidney damage.

Low salt diets are therefore usually undertaken under medical supervision, with intake of fluids usually being restricted as well. Following a low salt diet means being highly vigilant as sodium is added to so many different foods.

Key things to remember include reducing or eliminating salt in cooking, and not adding it to food at the table.

You should also avoid high sodium foods such as tinned meat, bacon, cured meats, ham, sausages, meat pastes or pates, smoked fish, tinned fish in brine or tomato sauce, and shellfish.

Other foods to be careful with include hard cheeses, most savoury snacks and biscuits, tinned and packet soups, Oxo, Marmite and Bovril, stock cubes, gravy powder/ granules, soya sauce, monosodium glutamate and salted or flavoured nuts and crisps.

If that all sounds pretty restrictive, bear in mind that you can still eat all types of fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, cream, yoghurt, cottage cheese, bread, rice, pasta, all animal and vegetable fats and oils! In general, if you don't add salt to your food, and avoid processed foods, you will immediately effect a dramatic reduction in your sodium intake.