The Surprisingly Salty Muffin
New research has revealed the surprisingly high levels of salt to be found in popular coffee shop treats.
Whilst most of us would be aware of the high calorie and sugar contents of a coffee and cake, the high amount of salt in each could be equally dangerous as it is surprising.
Research conducted by the salt awareness campaigners CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health) surveyed 159 foods and 28 hot drinks in six of the biggest coffee and fast food chains.
The worst offender was Caffe Nero's luxury fruit scone, which had 2.1g of salt, which is over a third of an adult's daily recommended intake and the same amount as a McDonald's Big Mac!
In addition, 85% of muffins surveyed were found to contain more salt than a packet of crisps. And a McDonald's Low Fat Blueberry Muffin with a regular Latte contains more salt than a Bacon and Egg McMuffin and White Coffee. Professor Graham McGregor of the Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine and Chairman of CASH called this "absurd" and claimed that "manufacturers still have a long way to go."
However, it is not all bad news; notable improvements have been made in the past few years: the average salt content of muffins and pastries has been reduced by a quarter.
And so what can we do to make sure we're not consuming too much salt? CASH provides the following pointers:
- Go for a filter coffee or a tea and add your own milk to keep the salt to a minimum.
- Go for cupcakes in favour of muffins
- Avoid pastries which also tend to be high in saturated fat
- If you want to opt for a lower salt option, the best choice is the Starbucks Dolcetto al Cacao (a biscuit with 0.03g salt) with their signature hot chocolate (0.11g) totalling just 0.14g salt.
"Swapping salty treats for others with less salt, often available at the same cafe, is a really good step to take to reduce your salt intake" says CASH Nutritionist Hannah Brinsden. "Unfortunately there is almost no nutritional information available in store, making it very hard for people to make a healthy choice".
Full CASH Article Available Here: http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/media/press_releases/coffee_breaks_2010/coffee_breaks_2010.html
Written: 16th November 2010
