Study: New Info on Foods' Salt Content

Aug. 18, 2005 — -- A new study from the Center for Science in the Public Interest says the amount of salt in comparable foods can vary greatly, making it difficult for people to regulate their salt intake.

Federal dietary guidelines recommend at most one teaspoon of salt a day, Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author of "You: The Owner's Manual," said that salt may not be the most important thing to worry about in terms of health, but it is a big risk factor for high blood pressure. He said what many people don't realize is that only 10 percent of salt consumed comes from the salt people add to food. Ninety percent is already there, added to food by processed food companies or fast food restaurants.

"Americans are comfortable eating a lot of packaged food, which means it has preservatives adding in the processing of it, and salt is the biggest weapon in preserving food," Mehmet said. "It is not there just for the taste, it keeps food a desirable color as well as preserving it."

To keep salt intake lower, Mehmet recommends:

Eating less processed food.

Reading food labels.

Using herbs instead of salt.

Here are some examples of comparable products with varying salt contents:

French Fries

McDonald's small fries: 140 mg salt

Burger King small fries: 410 mg salt

Edna Boone Johnson, head of global communications at Burger King, said: "At Burger King we are committed to give our guests choices and we are all about having it your way and our guests are more than welcome to order fries without salt. If our guest order fries without salt that will reduce the salt by about 70 percent."

Chicken Broth

Health Valley Fat-Free Chicken Broth (1 cup): 390 mg salt in 1 cup serving

Swanson 99 percent Fat-Free Chicken Broth (1 cup): 960 mg in 1 cup serving

Swanson did not return calls from "Good Morning America."

Pizza

Little Caesar's thin crust cheese pizza (1 slice): 290 mg salt

Pizza Hut thin crust cheese pizza (1 slice): 490 mg salt

A Pizza Hut representative said: "For customers seeking lower-sodium options, Pizza Hut is pleased to offer a large "Fit 'N Delicious" lower-fat pizza with green peppers, red onions, and diced tomatoes toppings. Two slices of this pizza equals less than one third of the daily recommended allowance of sodium."

Salsa

Chi Chi's Fiesta Salsa (2 tbsp): 150 mg salt

Pace Chunky Salsa (2 tbsp): 240 mg salt

Pace did not return calls form "Good Morning America."

Salad Dressing

Wishbone Ranch (2 tbsp): 250 mg salt

Kraft Ranch (2 tbsp): 310 mg

Alyssa Burns of Kraft corporate affairs said: "We are actively reviewing our products to see how we can improve nutrition profile by reducing nutrients of public health concern like sodium as well as calories, fat and sugars. Our goal is to make meaningful changes across a variety of products without sacrificing taste, quality or food safety."