Denny’s is famous for staying open late, and serving food that your mom would make. Now, their famous “down home” cooking could be in trouble due to the amount of salt they add to each meal. Nutrition advocates have already won the battles against trans fats; now they are setting their sites on sodium.
“We have clear and convincing evidence that sodium is associated with high blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke— and it is pretty consistent across populations and ethnic groups,” said Dr. David Katz, a preventive medicine specialist at Yale University Medical School. “It is unconscionable that a single meal would have 2,000 milligrams or more of sodium,” Katz said.
The New Jersey Superior Court lawsuit alleges that Denny’s heavy use of salt puts “the restaurant chain’s customers at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.” The lawsuit asks the court to order Denny’s to list the sodium content of its food on the menu and warn about the hazards of consuming salt in high doses.
Salt-laden selections include the Meat Lover’s Scramble, an amalgamation of cheese, eggs, bacon, diced ham and sausage that comes with more meat on the side plus hash browns and pancakes. The meal has 5,690 milligrams of sodium — the equivalent of nearly three days’ advised maximum salt intake. A scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese meal on the Denny’s “senior” menu has 2,060 milligrams of sodium.
“For those Americans who should be most careful about limiting their sodium, such as people middle-aged and older, African Americans, or people with existing high blood pressure, it’s dangerous to eat at Denny’s,” Jacobson said (source).
I will be the first to say that I had NO IDEA that the sodium content was so screamingly high! Sure, you know you leave these chain restaurants feeling a bit bloated and swollen, but I had never linked it to the sodium. Rather, I assumed it was the fat content and carbohydrates in the meal.
Personally, I think that this is a legitimate lawsuit. Denny’s and other chains like this should be aware of how their food can affect the population. Especially since their main population in some of these restaurants is the senior community.
Adria Ali
Mustafa says