Consumers fret over food costs; here’s where they hurt most

Consumer confidence has been dropping in recent weeks as food prices remain high. Some foods, like eggs, remain extremely high because of a plague sweeping the country’s bird population.

USAToday recently reported on a study by WalletHub that showed people are paying the highest percentages of their incomes for food mostly in southern states.

*Food prices remain stubbornly high. Here are the states feeling the most pain.*

States where shoppers spend the highest percentage of income on groceries are:

Mississippi (2.64%)
West Virginia (2.57%)
Arkansas (2.49%)
Kentucky (2.41%)
Louisiana (2.39%)
New Mexico (2.36%)
Alabama (2.34%)
South Carolina (2.27%)
Tennessee (2.23%)
Oklahoma (2.21%)

“The top states also coincide with the states where the median income is the lowest in the country, said Chip Lupo, writer and analyst for WalletHub,” USAToday reports. U.S. food prices have risen a total of roughly 25% in the past five years, the newspaper reports.

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February 25, 2025 0

Does eating heart-healthy mean losing weight? Duh!

LoseIt!, which I’ve used and endorsed, is getting into he spirit of February being National Heart Month with a piece about how eating heart-healthy can lead to weight loss.

*Counting the hours until I can have one of these again. And there’s the rub.*

The article, which you can read by clicking here, goes through the usual — the Mediterranean and DASH diets, both of which are big on veggies, olive oil and fiber. But then LoseIt! asks if eating healthy can lead to weight loss. This is an obvious question — the answer is — of course!

If your old diet is full of fried foods, desserts, sugary content, etc., and you stop eating all that, of course you’ll lose weight. It would be impossible to cram enough vegetables into your stomach to equal all those lost calories.

After my first stent in 2012, I changed my eating habits and lost 25 pounds over the next several months. I had simply stopped eating everything I enjoy. Junk food is called junk food for a reason, it’s loaded with calories.

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February 20, 2025 0

How safe will the U.S. food supply be?

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services seems a prime target for staff cuts these days and that raises questions about how safe our food supply will be going forward. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates food safety, is part of that department.

Take care buying food in the coming years, food safety may become a much larger issue than it has been.

“FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones’ abrupt resignation on Monday (Feb. 17) following the wholesale termination of thousands of employees across the Department of Health and Human Services late last week does not bode well for the Trump administration’s ability to “Make America Healthy Again” as promoted by recently appointed HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, according to public health advocates,” reported Food Navigator USA on Feb. 19.

Jones oversaw something called the Humans Food Program within the FDA, which had been looking at safety issues involving food additives. But 89 employees in that program were lied off recently, prompting Jones to resign.

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February 19, 2025 0

A real-life deadliest catch — canned tuna recall

Frozen ahi tuna from Costco. — *I’ve never eaten canned tuna, thankfully. I much prefer tuna steaks like these*.

A major canned tuna recall is underway. The product may cause deadly botulism, reports the Associated Press. Botulism can bring on difficult in breathing, paralysis and, ultimately, death.

“Tri-Union Seafoods of El Segundo, California, last week recalled certain lots of tuna sold under the Genova, Van Camp’s, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s brand names, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“The company said that lids on the “easy open” cans may have a manufacturing defect that could cause the products to leak or to become contaminated with the bacteria that causes botulism.

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February 12, 2025 0

Another Chicago-area fast-food salad option

Regular readers of my blog know that McDonald’s salads, without the high-salt dressings, were a mainstay of my lunch diet over the years. But in 2023, those salads disappeared from McDonald’s menus. victim of Pandemic-related menu changes.

I’ve been searching for a quick-salad alternative ever since, trying Wendy’s and a chain called Zupas among others. I’m adding another option now, a salad at Chicago-area chain Buona Beef, its Tuscan Harvest Chicken salad.

Priced at $11.19, the salad has a nice mix of chicken, cranberries, apples, spinach and romaine lettuce. Eat at a Buona’s and it comes in a real bowl, not a plastic container, a civilizing touch absent at other outlets.

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February 11, 2025 0

Eating healthy on restaurant week, sort of

Chicago is in the midst of its annual restaurant week, a time when local restaurants offer specially priced menus to draw people in on cold winter days and nights. It’s a good time to try new places but can you find healthy offerings? Well, sort of.

Restaurant food is notoriously high in salt, fat and sugar. So you need to be picky, and also know you’ll likely go off your healthy menu more than once.

My wife and I so far have gone to two restaurants, Pescadero, a suburban seafood place; and Big Jones, a Cajun restaurant in Chicago. We also plan a trip to L Woods, another suburban spot, since we live in the suburbs.

Seafood dishes tend to be healthier per se, assuming they aren’t loaded with sauces heavy in fat and salt.

I opted for the oysters to start my Pescadero meal, they’re served raw, so aren’t mucked up with salt or fat. I had the octopus for my main course. It was grilled and wonderfully tasty, if you love octopus as I do.

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February 5, 2025 0

Time for some healthy Super Bowl snacks

Grilling our swordfish steaks. — Grilled swordfish steaks could be a hearty Easter dinner choice. Or try this recipe from the Times..

Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just about football and new TV ads. It’s also about snacking, big time. But most American snacks are not heart healthy, so I’ve tried over the years of doing this blog to give you some healthy, and tasty, alternatives. Just click this link to review all my Super Bowl-related posts.

To get into specifics, how about swordfish steaks for your main course of the day? Use a salt-free spice rub to give them great flavor.If weather allows, grill them outside to spare your house a fishy smell afterwards.

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February 4, 2025 0