They're Pouring Salt On Your Nutritional Wounds

Shopping for dinner usually means going to my local grocery store and picking up chicken to sauté in olive oil and seasonings. Rather than ordering in or stopping at some fast food joint for a quick bite, I prefer my own homemade meals. I even make my own tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and garlic – with all of the acid and sodium in jarred sauce, my own recipe is a nice change from the ready-made stuff that plops out into a dish.

A sad day for sodium lovers...Or is it???

But wait! The Health Department is once again trying to make us feel guilty for enjoying food with a lot of salt. Last week the Health Department announced that on December 1st, food chains with 15 or more locations nationwide will be required to post icons next to items with 2,300 milligrams of sodium – the total recommended daily limit.

At the beginning of this announcement, health officials reminded us that: “High sodium intake can increase blood pressure and risk of heart disease.” Really? Tell me more! I had NO idea, after years of looking at that food pyramid and hearing about overweight people dying from heart attacks that foods high in sodium are killers!!! Thank you, Health Department, for the moment of enlightenment!

The sodium warning label rule is not only flimsy and useless, it will go ignored by hungry and unhealthy individuals who probably won’t look at the signs when they’re ordering their next Big Mac or combination plate, which probably contains double the amount of sodium they should be consuming in one day.

Chain restaurants can implement any rule set forth by the Health Department – what choice do they have? If they don’t comply, they could face a fine. Ohhhhhh nooooo!!! Putting up a damned sign? How difficult is that?

Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said it best in a recent press release: “The vast majority of adults in New York City consume more sodium than recommended, and too few understand the link between high sodium intake and hypertension, heart disease and stroke.”

Do you think the obese family sitting in a restaurant like Chili’s or Applebee’s cares about how much they consume during that big meal? You might as well go a step further and ask the servers to ONLY give that family, and any “unhealthy” looking customers, a diet-only menu! They’re only trying to help, right? Load on the fat, sugar, grease and other nasty things that make food taste so good!

Let’s get real! Creating a transparent menu or warning for the public without changing the actual food that’s being served allows patrons to load up on other crap that they shouldn’t be indulging in – especially if they already have health issues. What if a family sits down in one of those chain restaurants and orders a huge cake or fattening dessert? Can you make any of those sweet treats healthy?

Sure, you can try to make main dishes “healthy” but when you offer to “add bacon” or “add cheese” for another dollar, the delicious decision to up your sodium and fat intake shouldn’t be taken with a grain of salt! Even if the Health Department wants you to inadvertently see how you’re slowly killing yourself, are you really looking to change your diet for the better?

I completely disagree that, as the Health Department states, “knowledge will lead to a decreased purchase and consumption of certain products.” It does NOT take a genius – or an ignorant person who can’t even translate a nutrition label – to realize that eating processed foods is just no good!

We also need to take into account that every person’s body is different and different age groups can consume different amounts of unhealthy nutrients. How will everyone know if the “average allowance” posted in a restaurant pertains to them?

My diet comprises a lot of carbs, protein and some fats. Hey, I could afford to splurge a little on the junk food! While I might inadvertently consume too much sodium during the course of the day, I also know it’s important to add healthy foods to my diet, like bananas and salads. Do you think people who taint their body with too much salt take the time to balance out their diet? Why did former mayor Mike Bloomberg try so hard to limit how much sugary drinks we consume when we’re out? The unconstitutional idea was overturned and is proof that you can’t force anyone to care about their health.

Have doubts or worries about how much sodium you’re consuming? The superstition says throwing salt over your shoulder wards off bad luck. Maybe you can prevent bad luck AND bad health by ditching those salty foods too!