Companies Sign Up to Reduce Salt in Foods

New Yorkers have long set trends in fashion, but now, they're making their mark in the field of health. The New York City Health Department is bringing awareness to the amount of salt used in packaged and restaurant foods, according to NYC Health, and the impact of the city's actions will be felt across the country.

The NYC Health Department is going nationwide with its National Salt Reduction Initiative, and it seems to be working. There are already 16 companies who have publicly declared their intention to voluntarily reduce the amount of salt they use, reports Salon. Companies include deli chain Boar's Head, Heinz ketchup, Starbucks and Uno Chicago Grill.

The biggest issue with salt is that consumers are often unaware of just how much is in a given product, according to Marion Nestle's blog, Food Politics. For example, Nature Valley Granola Bars -- a food generally perceived as a fairly healthy choice -- provides 10 percent (160 mg) of your daily allotment of sodium.

What does this initiative mean for you? Well, it doesn't mean that all foods from a participating company will meet the lower salt standards. Rather, a company has to pledge that its overall sales in a particular category will meet the reduced salt levels, but individual products (like a top-selling salty snack) can keep the higher salt levels. That being said, this is still a step in the right direction.

However, we couldn't help but wonder whether reducing salt alone is the answer. Often, salty foods are also high in fat and calories, so are the health problems mentioned by NYC Health (high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke) solely related to salt, or could they also be caused by issues the National Salt Reduction Initiative isn't addressing?

To find out, we talked to Phyllis Meadows, Associate Director of Office of Public Health Practice and Clinical Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan. She said that salt is, in fact, a major culprit. "High salt diets (especially for those who are highly sensitive to salt) increases the amount of water that is retained in the body. This excess water does show up as increased body weight, but more significantly it increases the blood volume, causing our hearts and kidneys to work harder," she said. "Too much stress on these vital organs can lead to heart [e.g. hypertension] and kidney disease."

"Salt in reasonable quantities is not bad for you," she added, "and actually has value in supporting overall health. However, there are large amounts of salt hidden in many of the processed foods that we eat each day, and can be found in many types of foods irrespective of the amount of fat and calories."

Wondering which fast food items are highest in salt? We've got a list right here.