Health and Menus: Salt It Away
As sodium comes under fire as a menu culprit, chefs rethink ways to bring out the flavor in foods.
By Scott Hume -- Restaurants & Institutions, October 5, 2009
Salt and pepper. They're arguably the cornerstones of Western cuisine. So how could salt have become so scrutinized—even demonized? The answer, to misquote Shakespeare, is that salt too often is loved not wisely but too well.
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| Brian Ritchie (left), executive chef at Bucknell University, says that college students are most interested in managing carbs and fats, “but sodium is becoming bigger.” (right, Cook Jerard DePaola.) |
For several years, the American Medical Association (AMA) has loudly advocated reducing salt intake to lower Americans' blood pressure and reduce incidence of cardiovascular disease. Since 2006, the AMA has urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take salt off the “generally regarded as safe” list, which would allow the FDA to more closely regulate salt content in processed foods. Last year, food watchdog Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in Washington, D.C., released a study showing that while everyone, including food processors, agrees that Americans consume too much salt, food companies haven't shaken their sodium habit.
Foodservice Under Fire
Foodservice came under fire this year when CSPI examined 17 restaurant chains' menus and claimed that 83% of the meals it tested contained more than the 2,300 mg of sodium that the Institute of Medicine has set as the maximum for an adult's daily intake. Some of the dishes it analyzed had more than 5,000 mg of sodium.
And in July 2009, CSPI lent its support to a New Jersey man's lawsuit against Spartanburg, S.C.-based Denny's, seeking to compel the chain to disclose sodium levels on its menu. A recent study reported in the American Journal of Health Promotion concludes that if all Americans kept under the daily sodium ceiling, it could save $18 billion in treatments for high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes.
Foodservice operations targeted to children have made some of the most important changes. Miami-based Burger King, for example, is pledging to keep all its kids meals (entrée, side dish and beverage) below 600 mg of sodium. And Philadelphia-based contractor Aramark this fall opened 500 “Cool Caf” dining environments in U.S. elementary schools where foods served are lower in added sodium as well as fat and sugar.
Full Flavor, Less Salt
“High blood pressure runs in my family, so absolutely I'm sensitive to the issue,” says Troy Graves, executive chef at Eve in Chicago. He advises foodservice professionals to make sodium reduction a top-of-mind concern but not to allow it to impinge on culinary creativity. “As a chef, I focus on flavors, and salt is obviously the No. 1 way to bring out flavor. But I also know it's not the only way.”
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| Bucknell University's “Hemisflavors” global-cuisines program has opened the university's cooks as well as students to interesting salt alternatives. |
Not even the best way for many dishes. Graves says he often calls on vinaigrettes, fruit, citrus juices or herbs to handle flavor-enhancement chores in place of salt. On Eve's menu, for example, huckleberry compote enlivens Pistachio-Crusted Ahi Tuna. Black-pepper vinaigrette brightens a goat-loin appetizer with watermelon and Cheddar.
Graves' version of an Egyptian dukkah nut-spice mixture is a blend of hazelnuts, black pepper, cumin and coriander that he uses to coat his lamb burgers before grilling. Salt is unnecessary with such a flavor-packed combination.
Table salt (which is 40% sodium and 60% chloride) accounts for only about 25% of the average adult's sodium intake. The rest comes from the sodium used as a preservative or flavor enhancer in processed foods, so responding to consumers' desire for fresh, locally sourced foods is a great way to cut back on salt.
“If you have nice, fresh produce, you don't need to bring out flavor by adding sodium. The flavor is there,” says Brian Ritchie, executive chef at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. (a Parkhurst Dining Services account). College students are most interested in managing carbs and fat, he says, “but sodium is becoming bigger.”
David Freeland, resident district manager for Bucknell Dining, says its “Hemisflavors” global-cuisines program has opened the university's cooks as well as students to interesting salt alternatives. Mediterranean cuisines' reliance on herbs (especially basil or rosemary) and spices such as coriander and cumin offer bold, salt-free highlights. Asian fish sauce is salty, but even a small amount adds great depth of flavor.
“We promote Hemisflavors as an ‘authentic flavors’ program, and it is,” Ritchie says. “But there are health benefits, too, because these are cuisines where the food speaks for itself.”
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Sodium: Signs of Progress The medical community's concerns about Americans' sodium intake are not going unheeded by most consumers and many food manufacturers. Chicago-based researcher Mintel finds that more than half (52%) of consumers say they're keeping an eye on sodium in their diet. And Mintel's Global New Products Database charts a 115% increase between 2005 and 2008 in the number of food products making low-, no- or reduced-sodium claims. However, consumers are not equally vigilant in monitoring sodium. Mintel outlines four main consumer attitudes:
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