NEW YORK BEGINS SALT WARNINGS

New York City begins a new era in nutritional warnings this week, when chain restaurants will have to start putting a special symbol on highly salty dishes. The first-of-its-kind rule, which took effect Tuesday, requires a salt-shaker emblem on some sandwiches, salads and other menu items that top the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams – about a teaspoon – of sodium. Experts say most Americans consume too much salt, raising their risks of high blood pressure and heart problems. “When you see this warning label, you know that that item has more than the total amount of sodium that you should consume in a single day,” city Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said. The average American consumes about 3,400 mg of salt per day. By way of comparison, a T.G.I. Friday’s New York cheddar and bacon burger counts 4,280 mg; a Chili’s boneless Buffalo chicken salad has 3,460 mg.
* To be fair, restaurants are not putting all this salt in to harm you. They just want you to order more drinks.
* A salt shaker emblem on some sandwiches? You mean stamped right on the bread?
* A salt-shaker emblem doesn’t sound emphatic enough. It should be a salt shaker laying on its side, dead, with little X’s for eyes and its tongue hanging out.
* Don’t worry if there’s no salt symbol. You can sprinkle more salt on when the food arrives.
* I’m not getting in the right spirit for this, am I?
* Sorry, but if you’re eating cheddar and bacon cheeseburgers you’ve already made some poor decisions about your health.
* Nice to see government caring so much about our lives. Now why don’t you balance a budget and leave us alone?