On Tuesday, December 1, New York City added high salt warnings to menu items at chain restaurants, as stated in this NY Times article. Chain restaurants are those who have more than 15 locations across the United States. There will be a small icon with a salt shaker added to menu items that have a high salt content. This is an extremely important step for making the United States a more healthy country.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control, CDC. Today, Americans are consuming far over the recommended daily salt intake. Although small amounts of salt are necessary to sustain life, consuming too much can be detrimental. According to Action Salt UK, consuming high amounts of salt can lead to a number of health issues including, high blood pressure, increased chance of stroke, coronary heart disease and many more. Many Americans aren't aware of the amount of salt that they are consuming on a daily basis.
Many Americans are also on very tight and busy schedules and eat out often. By including these symbols on menus in the most popular restaurants, individuals are able to identify and avoid the high salt choices. The American Heart Association has recently changed their recommendations for daily sodium intake from 2300mg / day to 1500mg/day. This was changed after the CDC realized that many Americans were at risk for developing high blood pressure, which in turn and if not controlled, can lead to heart disease, which again, is the leading cause of death. To put this into perspective, here is what sodium looks like:
Back in 2006, NYC also banned most trans fats in restaurants, according to this NY Times article. This goes to show that the city of New York and it's mayor Bill de Blasio are one huge step ahead of the rest of the country. It is imperative for the future of our public health to implement these rules across the rest of the country and major cities. By adding these few simple changes, the United States can become a much healthier place to live. The levels of high blood pressure can lower, and we can change the leading causes of death.
