Most of us are well aware that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for some of the UK's most common killers, such as stroke and coronary heart disease. But are you aware just how big a role salt consumption can play in developing high blood pressure in the first place?

Even if you are clued up on this, there's still a chance you're not entirely sure how much salt you're consuming – especially if you regularly eat processed foods (things like ready-made sauces, basically many of the foods you're not preparing from scratch), which, according to Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH), around 75% of the salt in our diets comes from.

We need salt to survive, so cutting it out entirely is NOT the goal. However, too much of it can lead to potentially serious problems down the line. 6g is the maximum daily recommended salt intake, according to the LoSalt survey.

There's two components in salt: sodium and chloride, and it's the sodium that is doing the damage because it can lead to high blood pressure. Although most people with high blood pressure don't realise they have it, it is responsible for around 50 per cent of heart disease cases and 60 per cent of strokes, according to the World Health Organisation.

Many people believe trendier sea and rock salts are healthier than regular salts, but this is incorrect.

We might think our dinner will taste bland without a sprinkling of salt, but this isn't strictly true.

"By reducing a little here and there, you'll soon find your taste buds become accustomed to not having such high levels of salt and you'll have less need for it in cooking and for seasoning food," says nutritionist and dietitian Azmina Govindji.

For those who really can't go without the taste of salt, brands like LoSalt offer an alternative to the traditional white stuff. It still contains all the flavour of normal salt, but contains 66 per cent less sodium.

Also, try herbs and spices, vinegar or a dash of lemon instead to give your food the punch of flavour that salt usually would. Dill tastes great with fish, rosemary is wonderful with meat, and basil will finish off a pasta dish perfectly.