|
 Any menu item containing more than 2,300 milligrams (0.08 oz) of
sodium, the daily limit many nutritionists recommend and which
equals about one teaspoon of salt, must display the emblem of a salt
shaker in a black triangle.
The measure unanimously approved by the New York City Board of
Health in September applies only to restaurants with at least 15
establishments across the U.S., and concession stands at some movie
theaters and sports stadiums.
"It's not hard to get 2.3 g of sodium into your face," Dr. Howard
Weintraub, co-director of NYU Langone Center for the Prevention of
Cardiovascular Disease, said on Monday.
The new menu labels may be an eye opener for customers who flock to
chains such as Chipotle and Subway, which are perceived to be more
healthy. Until Tuesday, they may have been blissfully unaware of the
sodium content of a Chipotle loaded chicken burrito (2,790 mg),
Subway's foot-long spicy Italian sub (2,980 mg), TGI Friday's
classic Buffalo Wings (3,030 mg) or Applebee's grilled shrimp and
spinach salad (2,990 mg).
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in New York
City, claiming nearly 17,000 lives in 2013, the health department
said. It noted a "well-established connection" between sodium intake
and high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attack and
stroke.
A 2010 study found New Yorkers consume more than 3,200 mg of sodium
each day on average, with higher intake among blacks and Hispanics,
the health department said.
[to top of second column] |
Getting New Yorkers to start watching their sodium intake, is a
first step that health advocates hope will prompt other behavioral
changes.
"Things are not going to work out great if all you do is just not
eat salt," Weintraub said. "But maybe, just maybe, they'll start to
watch how much they eat, maybe they will get off the subway a stop
earlier and walk, instead of taking the elevator, they will walk two
flights, there will be some weight loss."
The sodium warning label pressed by Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed a
series of efforts by his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, including
banning smoking in public places and requiring fast food joints to
post calorie counts.
(Additional reporting by Lisa Bartlein in California; Editing by
Marguerita Choy; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
