Or as the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) puts it, “Heart attack entrees with side orders of stroke.” The nonprofit organization has identified chain restaurant meals that have sodium levels high enough to endanger health and is again calling on the industry and government for change.
The recommended daily allowance for sodium is 1500 mg for African-Americans, middle-aged people or anyone with high blood pressure. For other adults it’s 2300 mg.
That Red Lobster Admiral’s Feast with a biscuit and lemonade on the side in the photo (courtesy CSPI) comes in at almost or above four times the recommended limit, but it’s not the only chain the group studied. Researchers examined 17 chain restaurants and found 85 out of 102 meals had more than a day’s worth of sodium.
Several others are close behind the Admiral’s Feast:
- Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas (with tortillas and condiments) and a Dr Pepper: 6,916 mg
- Chili’s Honey-Chipotle Ribs with Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Seasonal Vegetables, and a Dr Pepper: 6,440 mg
- Olive Garden Tour of Italy (lasagna) with a Breadstick, Garden Fresh Salad with House Dressing, and a Coca-Cola: 6,176 mg
- Olive Garden Chicken Parmigiana with a Breadstick, Garden Fresh Salad with House Dressing, and Raspberry Lemonade: 5,735 mg
This can be a double whammy for the elderly, many of whom have hypertension and eat at chain restaurants because of cost and convenience. Dr. Mel Daly, a geriatrician and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins says, “The high sodium levels in many of these meals can lead to a spike in blood pressure and even precipitate heart failure in some individuals.”
The group also identified several kids’ meals that have one or two days’ worth of sodium. The recommended limit for children 4-8 is 1200 mg daily.
For 31 years CSPI has been urging the government to require lower sodium in processed and restaurant foods. It says requiring chain restaurants to disclose sodium on menus would help consumers regulate their salt intake and would likely nudge the industry to provide more low-sodium choices.
For more information, see CSPI’s report on salt in processed foods (PDF) with brand-name comparisons and its full report, also PDF, on sodium in chain restaurant meals.
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So important to be reminded of this over and over. And even in the grocery store, my rule of thumb is: if it’s advertised as “low fat”, check the sugar and sodium levels immediately.
Which brings us to Velveeta – Mom had it on her grocery list last week. I refused to bring it into the house after an unfortunate experience with her consumption of a pile of string cheese had puffed her ankles up like balloons. The elderly are so salt sensitive, and those cautions above are well-founded.
But here’s a foodie “fun fact” you may never have run across. The best thing about 1940s and 1950s Velveeta was the wooden box it came in. The lids to those boxes were nice and springy, but sturdy. If you took the lid off the box, it made a perfect paddle for little five-year-old behinds
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First – for anyone else who might be reading this: swollen, puffy ankles can be caused by many things, some of them quite threatening. If this persists, please see a doctor for a diagnosis.
Okay, shore! You know I’ve never had Velveeta in my life? I’ve never had Spam either or one other thing that seems to be ubiquitous in old fashioned, processed food recipes but the name escapes me right now. If I didn’t know better I’d swear I’m not American.
I didn’t know about the Velveeta boxes or lids — which would be child abuse today! Thanks for the fun factoid.
You’re right about low fat — and it doesn’t mean low calorie or vice versa. Sugar-free doesn’t mean low-cal or low-fat. The older I get the more inclined I am to stick with foods that don’t come with ingredient labels.