New York puts a balanced diet at the heart of its concerns. The city has just announced that restaurants and fast food outlets will have to report the salt content of their menus. Indeed, all dishes exceeding 2.3 grams of sodium, more than the maximum recommended daily intake, must now be indicated on the menus by a black and white salt shaker.
This statement follows a bill from a member of New York City Council requiring fast food restaurants to change their menus for children. It would require manufacturers that menus intended specifically for the little ones, including gifts, include a portion of fruit, vegetables or whole grains. The meals offered in these menus should not exceed 500 calories and should contain less than 35% fat and less than 10% saturated fat, less than 10% added sugars and less than 600 milligrams of sodium.
Consumption of excess salt is dangerous for health. It leads to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and prematurely kills approximately 1.65 million people worldwide each year. These deaths are due to a daily salt intake above the recommended level, which is 2 g per day for the World Health Organization.
Tips for eating less salt
Prepare your menus with fresh products that have not undergone any transformation and avoid consuming industrial preparations that are much too salty.
Season your food preferably during cooking rather than after. This allows time for the salt to soak them in order to give them a fuller flavor with, however, a much smaller amount used.
Prefer spices and aromatic herbs to spice up a dish. And gradually reduce your daily dose to get your palate used to it.
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Slimming: learn to eat less salt
