Expert Advice

Taming fussy eaters

Parents don't despair! If mealtimes end in tears with fights over food, you're not alone. A survey of Australian parents revealed that three out of four parents felt worried, guilty or frustrated that their children were not eating balanced meals.Kids aged between 3 and 9 were found to be the fussiest eaters. Guess what was rated the most unpopular? Yes, it was vegetables ..... followed by fish, milk, meat and fruit.

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Catherine Saxelby on Twitter - welcome

 

I invite you to follow me on Twitter and see if you like my style of advice - from news, helpful websites and reports plus my own personal commentary on modern-day food and where to find the healthy stuff. I enjoy Twitter as it's short and sweet - only 140 characters which is one or two sentences. Only a small time commitment and you're up to date!

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Q. Do all types of salt contain sodium and is any one type of salt healthier than others?

THE QUESTION IN FULL

Q. We have been advised not to add salt to our food as my husband has high blood pressure. Do all types of salt contain sodium and is any one type of salt healthier than others? I use small quantities of sea salt in cooking.

A. If your husband has high blood pressure, it would be prudent to keep your total salt intake as low as you practically manage. Around 75 per cent of all our salt comes from commercial everyday foods like cheese, ham, bread, cereals, sauces, baked beans and spreads so it makes sense to buy any supermarket foods in salt-reduced or no-added-salt form. Reduced-salt stock, soy sauce and unsalted margarines/butters are also a good idea for your kitchen.

When cooking, use lots of fresh or dried herbs, pepper, garlic, tomato, lemon, wine, chilli and pure curry powder, all of which help create flavour when you cut out salt.

Yes all kinds of salt contain sodium (salt is sodium chloride) and there's no benefit for you by switching to any one over the other. You simply have to cut out all of them and allow your palate to get used to the taste of less salt in your food.

Sea salt, rock salt and pink river/lake salt, even though they claim to be ‘natural', have at least 97 per cent sodium chloride (sometimes more - 99 per cent) so are still a form of salt and high in sodium. They are NOT an effective substitute for ordinary salt and all must be limited if you're on a low-salt diet.

You can try a ‘light salt' for a while if you need something to season your meals - it's a blend of 50% potassium chloride with 50% sodium chloride and allows you to halve your salt intake without giving up the taste of salt. It's worth a try.

Q. Are cashew nuts, particularly salted roasted, as nutritionally good for us as walnuts and almonds - I never see them listed in the 'good' nuts to eat?

 

A. Cashew nuts are nutritionally much the same as other nuts: they are high in fat (around 50 percent), rich in vitamin E and a good source of minerals, particularly magnesium and zinc. While high in fat, all nuts are rated for their healthy unsaturated fats.

Cashew nuts differ a little by being slightly higher in saturated fat - around 17 percent - than other nuts like almonds and walnuts which are around 6 or 7 percent. This may be the reason you don't see them listed as the best type to eat. Yet, if you had to choose between a fast food snack and a small handful of unsalted cashew nuts, I would go for the nuts every time.

The salted roasted versions aren't as healthy as raw cashews but certainly are more crunchy and delicious to eat.