After tackling high-calorie fast foods and trans fats, the New York City Health Department is teaming up with other municipalities and companies to reduce the amount of salt in prepackaged and restaurant foods over the next five years. “Salt is a huge problem in our diets,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control Program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “The majority of us consume too much salt, which increases blood pressure and puts us at risk for heart attack and stroke.” Most people need about 1,500 mg of salt per day. However, the average American adult consumes upwards of 3,500 mg, mostly from prepackaged and restaurant-served meals. The goal of the New York City initiative is to reduce sodium levels in prepared foods, so as to allow consumers to add salt if desired. Subway, one of the participating restaurants, has already committed to reducing salt in their sandwiches nationwide. “If salt is reduced gradually, we won’t notice a difference in our palate,” Angell said. “Our palate will adjust and we’ll enjoy foods as much as we do now.” [via CNN]
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Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.