Hidden Salt Danger In Popular Restaurant Meals Revealed

CLEVELAND - We all love to go out to eat when we can afford it. But perhaps we should be asking if our health can afford it.

Many popular chain restaurants are serving some dishes loaded with salt. "What"s the matter with salt?" you may ask.

For one, too much of it can eventually kill you.

"Salt drives up blood pressure and blood pressure is one of the key components driving coronary heart disease," said Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Dr. Steven Nissen.

Nissen said that's the No. 1 cause of death in this country.

So how much salt is too much?

Most people aren't sure. But the American Heart Association recommends less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. That's one teaspoon of table salt for the whole day.

But what worries Nissen and others is the salt you can't see.

NewsChannel5 showed Nissen the sodium content of one piece of Pizza Hut's large meat lover's pan pizza.

Just two slices put you over the maximum for the whole day.

But that's not the saltiest food out there.

According to the restaurant's Web site, grilled pork chops at Romano's Macaroni Grill are packed with 4,040 mg of sodium.

Even if you eat nothing else all day, you're still taking in almost double the maximum suggested.

Sometimes it's not even the entree that gets you.

At Papa John's, four cheese sticks along with 2 cups of buffalo sauce equates to 2,920 mg, according to the restaurant's Web site.

Sodium content for other popular restaurant dishes:**all content available on each restaurant's Web site**
• Chili's the skillet queso with chips appetizer: 4,770 mg
• Quizno’s turkey bacon guacamole sandwich: 3,700 mg
• McDonald's premium southwest salad: 960 mg (with southwest dressing: 1,300 mg ... with balsamic vinaigrette: 1,690 mg)
• Denny's side of hash browns with onions and gravy: 3,820 mg
• PF Changs hot and sour soup: 5,990 mg

Even if you don't have high blood pressure, you still need to be concerned about the foods you eat.

"Over time, you eat enough salt, your blood pressure will go up," Nissen said. "By age 65 in America, 50 percent of the population has high blood pressure."

Nissen would like to see legislation that requires restaurants to include sodium levels and other nutritional information on menus, because then at least you know what you're eating.

Related Link:
• American Heart Association: information on how much salt to have, how to reduce your salt intake and how to read labels.

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