A man from New Jersey, backed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI - one of my favorite groups) is suing Denny's in a class action suit for the insanely high levels of sodium found in the majority of the menu items at the restaurant. According to the CSPI website, "The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court of New Jersey in Middlesex County, and seeks to compel Denny's to disclose on menus the amount of sodium in each of its meals and to place a notice on its menus warning about high sodium levels." (
read entire article here ).
The main point of this lawsuit is seemingly the publicity behind it and not personal gain. Whether the man has a case or not this lawsuit brings the unhealthy truth behind the Denny's menu front and center. Again from the CSPI website: "Denny's and CSPI had been in private negotiations over sodium, but those talks ended earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, the chain made small sodium reductions in a handful of items, like cheese sauce, shrimp skewers and kids' meals, but the chain did not make the kind of broad sodium reductions or menu disclosures urged by CSPI."
While I am not sure I agree that it is entirely appropriate to sue Denny's, I'm really glad that news such as this comes out so people begin to understand what is in the food they are eating. I have been feeling increasingly passionate recently about getting the word out there that nutrition is not merely about weight loss, it's about your overall health. And four days worth of sodium in one meal as can be found in some of these entrees is deadly if eaten on a regular basis. I suppose if big policy changes aren't made to protect the public then smaller groups are forced to take matters into their own hands. What do you think?
Also- please check out the piece I wrote for the
American Society of Nutrition blog. I recently became one of their student bloggers and my first article was posted today!
A man from New Jersey, backed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI - one of my favorite groups) is suing Denny's in a class action suit for the insanely high levels of sodium found in the majority of the menu items at the restaurant. According to the CSPI website, "The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court of New Jersey in Middlesex County, and seeks to compel Denny's to disclose on menus the amount of sodium in each of its meals and to place a notice on its menus warning about high sodium levels." ( read entire article here ).
The main point of this lawsuit is seemingly the publicity behind it and not personal gain. Whether the man has a case or not this lawsuit brings the unhealthy truth behind the Denny's menu front and center. Again from the CSPI website: "Denny's and CSPI had been in private negotiations over sodium, but those talks ended earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, the chain made small sodium reductions in a handful of items, like cheese sauce, shrimp skewers and kids' meals, but the chain did not make the kind of broad sodium reductions or menu disclosures urged by CSPI."
While I am not sure I agree that it is entirely appropriate to sue Denny's, I'm really glad that news such as this comes out so people begin to understand what is in the food they are eating. I have been feeling increasingly passionate recently about getting the word out there that nutrition is not merely about weight loss, it's about your overall health. And four days worth of sodium in one meal as can be found in some of these entrees is deadly if eaten on a regular basis. I suppose if big policy changes aren't made to protect the public then smaller groups are forced to take matters into their own hands. What do you think?
Also- please check out the piece I wrote for the American Society of Nutrition blog. I recently became one of their student bloggers and my first article was posted today!