Salt content of weetabix. Anyone have some nearby to check for me?

[PavlovtheCat]

DH has just done a fab shop, got everything we needed, did not spend too much money BUT, he came back with sainsburys basics weetabix. DS aged 16 months eats two weetabix at a time and I suspect these ones are high in salt (in fact I although suspect we had this same conversation, DH and I, when DD was little which is why we didn't buy them!).

We are out of other weetabix, so can't check myself to compare. We normally get sainsburys/morrison's own or branded.

Can some-one be so kind as to check the g/100g and g/biscuit (or whatever measurements they have written down)?

Thanks in advance!

www.weetabix.co.uk/products/cereals/weetabix

Sodium per serving 0.10g per 100g 0.26g
Salt Equivalent per serving 0.24g per 100g 0.65g

normal weetabix 0.26g SODIUM / 100g 0.1g Sodium per 37.5g (assume 1 weetabix)

Hi. I've got the branded organic version, and they've got 0.65g salt (0.26g sodium) per 100g, 0.24g salt (0.10g sodium) per 2 biscuits. HTH.

Sorry, x-posted!

thanks ladies.

0.68g salt / 0.27g sodium per 100g
0.42 / 0.17g per 36g (two biscuits but they are small).

so a little higher than normal weetabix but not too much.

Is the salt content high though? it seems quite hi (7% recommended amount for women, that seems a lot).

I think along with porridge, they are one of the best options, especially for kids, when it comes to breakfast cereals. If you're worried, could you try giving your DS other things some mornings, e.g. porridge, wholemeal toast with unsalted butter or peanut butter with no added salt or sugar, yoghurt & fruit, dippy egg? My DS loves Weetabix as well (he is 7, so alot older!), but I try to give him different things a few times a week just so he doesn't get bored really. His favourite is a croissant with butter and jam though .

i cant imagine for 1 day they will do harm

BUT a 1 year old should only be haing 0.5g salt per day.

I expect if you fed your child 2 weetabix and a slice of bread /toast it will be over that...

especially if you served with normal baked beans, cheese etc.

If 2 normal weetabix have 0.24g of salt and yours have 0.42g per 2 bisuits then they have nearly double the salt content than proper weetabix.

Children age 1-3 can have a maximum limit of 2g of salt per day

(up to 1 year - less than 1g
age 1-3 - 2g
age 4-6 - 3g
age 7-10 - 5g
age 11+ - 6g)

he does have 2 weetabix and 1 slice of toast! for breakfast! I shall not be feeding him that then. He does not have it everyday, he also has porridge, or ready brek, plus toast. He does not drink milk without it being on cereal (or, only 1-2 oz at a time), so sometimes if he does not have it at brekky, he will have it for supper (but then only 1 biscuit).

I will have to go back and double check the amount per biscuit...

so what is the different between sodium and salt, and what is the daily allowance of 0.5g or 2g or whatever based on - salt or sodium? because if it is salt, at 0.5, and two biscuits are 0.42, then that is impossible to keep within the limits, but if it is 0.17, that is more reasonable, but still not fabulous.

One teaspoon of salt is equivalent to 2,400 milligrams of sodium. Therefore, every ¼ teaspoon of salt equals 600 milligrams of sodium (Healthy Living for Life). This is a tool to use when one is keeping track of daily sodium intake through table salt.

ok so when thinking about how much salt a child should have, should I be thinking (and looking at cereals) of 'salt' or 'sodium'?

salt is sodium chloride and it is the sodium part that is the issue. If a product lists a sodium amount then you need to multiply it by 2.5 to get the salt content i.e. 0.17g (sodium in your 2 weetabix) x 2.5 = 0.425g of salt

the limit for age 1-3 years is 2g of salt (0.8g sodium), not 0.5g.

salt

the rule of thumb i learnt a while back was

no salt at all for 6months
total max 6-12 month 0.5g salt
1 year .5g
2 year 1g
3y 1.5g
4y 2g
5y 2.5
6y 3
7y 3.5
8y 4
9y 4.5
10y 5
11y 5.5
12y (& adults) 6g

made sense to me and what i can think of without "thinking"!

0.5g per year of age

ok so the 2g is salt not sodium. so 2 weetabix is 25% of his daily amount, or just under?

so seona says 2g and nanny says 0.5g!

I took my info from the site I linked to above which is from the NHS website - They are the official guideline amounts - I dont think it would be possible to stay under 0.5g salt per day - that would be 1 slice of bread!!

and yes, 2 of your weetabix would be about 20% of his intake

that was just a rough rule i learnt ages ago

my sainsburys tin says a 10 year old should only have 4g of salt a day! (just noticed as i put it in recycling)

and yes shop bought bread is really quite salty... much more so than you think.
Pitta have so much less salt, and homemade bread even less still. especially when you add less salt in the 1st place... I can do a whole loaf with just 2g of salt and it tastes just fine.

I am so at how much salt there is in food! I think we got a bit slack, I used to check the salt content carefully with DD as a baby, but less so with DS . I shall not be feeding him that weetabix then. He is a bread monster like his mum and would eat this all day if I let him. We do not cook with salt at all, or rather, I don't, DH does, but he cuts out the kids portions before seasoning. Both children like cheese, DD more so (aged 4) so I think they are probably close to their limit but not drastically over, I can't think of what other things have salt in that they might eat.

We do not make our own bread, but do make our own scones, cakes, pies, pastry etc. Not always but often. Will have to do that more!