Fast-Foods With An Insane Amount Of Salt

Salt is a natural preservative that helps extend the shelf life of food by stopping bacterial growth.

However, most fast food items contain far more sodium than is needed for taste or preservation, leading to concerns over public health.

Salt is also used liberally in fast food to cover up the blandness that results from overprocessing.

This is especially important for fast food chains, which rely on pre-prepared ingredients stored for extended periods before cooking or serving.

Many fast food ingredients lose their natural flavor due to overprocessing (e.g., freezing, drying, or refining), so salt is added to cover up the blandness and bring back some semblance of taste.

High salt levels not only ruin the natural taste of ingredients but also pose significant health risks, including high blood pressure and heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg of Sodium per day, with an ideal limit of 1,500 mg for most adults. (“How Much Sodium Should I Eat per Day?,” 2021)

Let’s look at some of the most over-salted fast food items being served in fast food right now. These items pack a significant amount of Sodium, often exceeding recommended daily limits.

Subway’s The Hotshot Italiano

This Subway wrap has a monstrous amount of Sodium: 2710 mg (118% DV).

It consists of pepperoni, Genoa salami, and double provolone cheese wrapped in lavash bread.

Popeyes 5Pc Classic Tenders

Five pieces of Popeyes’ famous chicken tenders are marinated in Louisiana herbs and seasonings, then battered and breaded in their crunchy southern coating. They are then deep-fried to a golden brown color.

It sounds delicious, but they contain 3040 mg of Sodium (132% DV).

Hardee’s BLT Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich

This massive burger has chicken fillet hand-dipped in buttermilk, lightly breaded, and deep fried to a golden brown. It is topped with two strips of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise, all served on a potato bun.

It racks up 2,840 mg of Sodium (123% DV), making it one of the saltiest burgers in fast food.

Arby’s Half-Pound Beef’ n Cheddar

This burger monster has half a pound of roast beef, an onion bun, cheddar cheese sauce, and red ranch, making it even heavier.

The roast beef is heavily seasoned, and the cheddar sauce adds more Sodium, totaling around 2,530 mg (110% DV) for the sandwich alone.

Subway’s The Ultimate B.M.T.

Another wrap from Subway makes the list with 2430 mg (106% DV) of Sodium per serving.

This one has Genoa salami, spicy pepperoni, Black Forest ham, and double provolone cheese topped with a parmesan Vinaigrette® wrapped in lavash bread.

Chick-fil-A’s Cobb Salad w/ Spicy Filet

Chick-fil-A® Cobb Salad has mixed greens with roasted corn kernels, a blend of shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, crumbled bacon, sliced hard-boiled egg, and grape tomatoes. While it sounds like a healthy option, the fried chicken filet, bacon bits, cheese, and dressings result in a sodium total of over 2400 mg (104% DV), even before adding extra dressings.

KFC’s Famous Bowl

This famous bowl from KFC, with layers of mashed potatoes, gravy, cheese, and fried chicken, is loaded with Sodium.

A single bowl contains around 2,160 mg (94% DV) of Sodium, making it one of the saltiest items on their menu.

McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes

The sausage, eggs, biscuits, and hash browns total about 2,070 mg of Sodium (90% DV), not including the pancake syrup.

Wendy’s Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger, Triple

This burger combines three-quarters of a pound of beef, roasted mushrooms, Applewood smoked bacon, muenster cheese, and a creamy garlic spread, leading to a sodium count of 1890 mg (82% DV), a salty overload for one meal.

Pizza Hut’s Meat Lover’s Pizza

This pizza combines highly processed salty meats like pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, and cheese, resulting in an extremely high sodium count. A single large slice of Meat Lover’s Pizza can have over 900 mg of Sodium (39% DV).

The bottom Line

Salt is an inexpensive ingredient that boosts the flavor of cheap, low-quality ingredients.

Fast food chains can use salt to make processed and mass-produced food taste more appealing without adding expensive, high-quality ingredients.

Understanding why salt is used so much in fast food reveals how these chains prioritize taste, cost, and convenience at the expense of our health.