An analysis of the Australian Health Survey data found only two per cent Australians were eating the recommended 30g of nuts a day. One of the reasons for this shortfall is concern about the salt in nuts. But do salted nuts deserve their bad rap? And how does their sodium content compare with other foods?  

It turns out salted nuts are not as ‘salty’ as some other common foods. If you’ve avoided nuts due to their salt content, it’s worth giving a daily handful of these nutritional powerhouses another shot!  

How much salt should we eat?

We need a small amount of sodium for good health. Sodium has a role in transmitting nerve impulses, contracting and relaxing muscles, and maintaining fluid balance.

An adult body needs between 460-920mg/day of sodium (or around 1-2g of salt) to function (1).

Research suggests that if population sodium intake levels were to reduce from the current average of about 3,600mg to 2,000mg/day (roughly 6g salt), we’d see a vast improvement in average blood pressure levels among Australians, which in turn would help prevent chronic disease (1).

Do Australians eat too much salt?

The latest data suggests the average daily intake of sodium among the Australian population is around 3,600mg (1) – which is roughly 9g (or 1 ½ teaspoons) of salt a day. And too much sodium can lead to kidney disease, osteoporosis and high blood pressure.

Did you know? A recent study found the risk of cardiovascular disease increased up to 6% for every one gram increase in dietary sodium intake (3).

What foods are contributing to sodium intake in Australia?

Around 75 per cent of the salt in our diet comes from manufactured foods (2), such as:

• Biscuits, muffins, cakes, sauces, pizza, burgers, pasta and noodle dishes
• Meat, poultry, and related products, including processed meats like ham, bacon and sausages   
• Bread, breakfast foods, and other products made from cereals and grains.

How much salt is in salted nuts?

In 2020, Nuts for Life conducted an audit to compare the sodium content of commonly-available ‘salted’ nuts. This found that, on average, a 30g serve of mixed salted nuts contains 95mg of sodium (or 317mg/100g).

In 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released global sodium benchmarks for more than 60 food categories. These outline targets for maximum sodium levels in foods, in an effort to reduce sodium intakes in populations.

For salted nut products, WHO recommends a target of 280mg sodium/100g.

If you like salted nuts, compare the sodium content of different products – and be sure to opt for those that are lower in sodium, over more salty options.

How does the sodium content of nuts compare with other foods?

The above figures are from the Australian Food Composition Database (AFCD) – Release 1.0. This reference database offers analysed nutrient data for Australian foods (10). For mixed tree nuts (salted and unsalted), the figures are from the 2020 Nuts for Life audit. This is because the AFCD has limited information on salted tree nuts (with data only available for salted cashews).

Above serve sizes are based on the serve sizes outlined in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, except for # – where serve sizes were not available, so are based on typically-consumed amounts. Additional serve sizes at * are based on the serve sizes used in the AFCD. Note: A serve of legumes is: as a vegetable serve = 75g (½ cup cooked legumes); as a meat alternative serve = 150g (1 cup cooked legumes).

Nuts for heart health

A large analysis of international studies, collectively involving more than 350,000 people, found that around 30g (a handful) of nuts a day helped reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20 per cent and coronary heart disease by nearly 30 per cent (6).

And for people with heart disease, eating nuts can reduce the risk of dying from it (6).

Separate research suggests that eating a handful of nuts daily can improve the blood markers that are linked with heart disease, such as high LDL (bad) cholesterol (7,8). The benefits of nuts are likely due to the unique nutrients and bioactive compounds they contain.

Did you know? A randomised controlled trial, involving 72 people, found that lightly salting nuts did not cancel out the heart health benefits of eating raw nuts (9). In fact, eating both raw and salted nuts improved HDL (good) cholesterol and systolic blood pressure over the 28-day study period.

The bottom line

If you’ve avoided nuts due to their salt content, it’s worth giving a daily handful of these nutritional powerhouses another shot! They offer many health benefits – and while unsalted nuts contain very little sodium, even salted nuts are not as ‘salty’ as many of us think.  

*Serve sizes are based on the serve sizes provided in the Australian Food Composition Database: Muffin (berry): 163g; Instant noodles: 145g sachet (cooked and drained); Potato crisps: 50g packet. Where serve sizes are not provided, standard serve sizes have been used: Cheese & crackers: 2 slices of cheese (40g) with plain, cracker-style biscuits (30g); Mixed nuts: 30g.