A 'healthy' option not worth salt

WHEN it comes to excessive salt and fat content, salads from fast food outlets can be as bad for you as a Whopper.

IT may be the healthy lunchtime choice but, when it comes to excessive salt and fat content, salads from popular food outlets can be as bad for you as a Whopper or a Quarter Pounder.

The Heart Foundation conducted an analysis of salads from six popular outlets and found that most had sodium levels high above the recommended daily intake.

The worst offender, the Caesar Salad with Chicken, from shopping centre cafe chain The Coffee Club, had more sodium (2571mg) than a Hungry Jack's Whopper (2451mg) and a McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder (2343mg).

"It came out worst for salt and saturated fat and you think you are doing the right thing and you end up with more salt in that salad than you need in a whole day," said Susan Anderson from the Heart Foundation.

"Consumers are being duped, even at the salad bar."

The Sumo Salad Grilled Caesar Salad was a close second, also containing the maximum recommended daily intake of sodium.

"It's not just the dressing - it's the bacon and the meat which have been pre-salted as well," Ms Anderson said.

Sumo Salad's Grilled Chicken Low GI Salad sounds healthy, but it too contained excessive sodium.

Australians should eat 1g to 2g of salt per day, with a maximum of 6g, but most consume 8g to 10g.

Salt consumption is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death and disability in Australia, claiming the lives of 46,134 people in 2005, or 35 per cent of all deaths.

According to the Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) chairman, Professor Bruce Neil, consumers get 75 per cent of salt from hidden sources like processed foods and, now, even salads.

Reducing average salt intake by 3g per day would lead to a 22 per cent reduction in deaths from strokes and a 16 per cent reduction in deaths from coronary heart disease Professor Neil said, but consumers are unaware of where the extra salt in the diet is coming from.

"At a salad bar, you think you are doing the right thing, but you can't be expected to know the sodium content, so we need better labelling and industry needs to put less in," Professor Neil said.

Nando's Mediterranean Salad with Chicken and McDonald's Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad also failed the sodium test, despite claiming to be healthier options than the other menu choices at those fast-food restaurants.

"McDonald's does have some products that meet the guidelines for the Heart Foundation tick but this one is too high and does not get the tick," Ms Anderson said in acknowledgment that some McDonald's meals do, controversially, carry the tick.

The McDonald's Seared Chicken Classic Salad fared better but the best sample came from the Delaware North Companies Chicken and Chickpea Salad, available at sporting arenas.

Sumo Salads product development manager Dominic Cain said its salad ingredients were under review to improve the nutritional content. Mr Cain said: "We know those salads are high in sodium because of their ingredients like bacon and cheese, but we are in the process of doing a full review on our products. We are redesigning our dressings and looking at the nutritional levels and, yes, we will address the sodium issue."

The Coffee Club did not return calls.