ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State lawmakers want to make sure you know how much sodium you're being served at dinner.
A bill that passed the State Senate requires chain restaurants to label single food items that exceed the FDA recommended sodium level for the entire day. The daily dietary guideline is less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
Dr. Derek Daniels is the Chair of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo. He specializes in the science of food, including salt intake.
Dr. Daniels says that the human body needs 500 to 1,000 milligrams of sodium per day.
In regards to the proposed legislation in Albany, Dr. Daniels says if you think it just impacts fast food, you're wrong.
"The more sit down restaurants, the entrees are going to get hit," he said. "Many of those are over. And portion size is a big thing. Also, you look at some of the sub places, sub chain, restaurants - the giant size, the big size. A lot of those are going to be over. But a portion of it isn't."
Supporters of the bill cite high sodium risks like high blood pressure. Dr. Daniels say that's not necessarily true. He says people trying to reduce sodium tend to make healthier choices overall. As a result, he says their overall health improves.
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