As Restaurants Cut Salt, Some See Reasons to Pass

[alp227]

It was a slightly curious gesture: last week, Boston Market, the national chain of rotisserie chicken restaurants, removed the salt shakers from its tables, replacing them with small placards — tucked next to the pepper shakers — promoting the company’s interest in reducing sodium.

As a marketing strategy, it was clever, earning the 476-restaurant franchise business more publicity than its popular macaroni and cheese ever could. As a health measure, however, it was unlikely to do more than to make customers shrug and to fire up the longstanding debate over whether people who do not have high blood pressure truly need to limit their salt intake.

“We are removing the temptation to put salt on food right away without even tasting it,” said George Michel, chief executive of Boston Market, in a telephone interview. “As part of our social responsibility and promise to deliver wholesome food, we wanted to take a bold step like this.”

Sodium reduction has lately become a culinary cause célèbre. Subway, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Burger King and Taco Bell, as well as food manufacturers like Campbell Soup and PepsiCo, have all publicly vowed to produce lower-sodium products. (To a degree: last year, Campbell decided to add sodium back into some of its soups after sales began to slide.)

Critics say the precautions are getting ahead of the science. Unlike tobacco, alcohol and other long-corroborated health risks, sodium remains a topic of sometimes angry debate among researchers. There is no evidence that average people — those without hypertension — need less sodium, critics say, and too little of the essential nutrient could be as dangerous as too much.

full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/science/some-restaurants-reduce-salt-but-critics-call-moves-unnecessary.html?pagewanted=all

[GP6971]

1. I miss

Boston Market. They pulled out of our area of WA years ago. Olf course now I look at the company's affiliation which I don't what it is. Example......go to Lowes over Home Depot....lesser of the 2 evils.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. Boston Market's food already has too much salt in it.

I wish they would stop putting so much salt in it when it's cooked.

I use sea salt and don't like a whole lot of salt anyway, and I have hypertension.

[greymattermom]

3. Salt should be on the table

So anyone who wants it can use it. I can't eat at a lot of restaurants because there's too much salt in the food. You can put it in but you can't take it out.

[On the Road]

4. I Have Kept Asking About This

and have had a hard time getting a satisfying answer:

There is no evidence that average people — those without hypertension — need less sodium, critics say...

I keep hearing how salt in general is bad for you. Have not been able to find out why other than exacerbating a condition that most people don't have.

It seems increasingly that nutritional and health information has a manichean or moralistic element to it, in which things are "bad" or "good" regardless of individual needs and risks. Some people are allergic to wheat, so now gluten-free products are healthier for you. MSG gives some people headaches, so now MSG is "bad for you." Many people consume too much fat, so fat-free products are "good for you."

It's sometimes hard to dive below the generalizations and find out if there's any actual substance there.