Another round of low-salt, fast-food options for the new year

Finding healthy food at a fast food outlet is a lot like grabbing gold out of the air — it’s impossible. Yet different sites keep trying to give you alternatives. I’ve written about some in the past, check this post, for example. But now there’s a new one from Cheapism.com, Low-Sodium Fast Food: 42 Menu Items to Order from Burger King to Taco Bell.

*Since McDonald’s dropped its salads, there’s nothing healthy on its daytime menu.*

The list shows just how hard it is to find low-sodium foods at these places (I’m sitting at a McDonald’s as I write this, ironically, after having some unhealthy free fries, a Friday give-away).

What’s listed for Chick-fil-A, for example? A yogurt, not any of its salt-laden chicken offerings.

A salad is listed at Burger King, but with no dressing because those are all high in salt and fat. Bring your own oil and vinegar like I do with portable, small bottles.

Americans are hooked on salt and fat until they start demanding alternatives, which doesn’t appear likely anytime soon. Happy New Year!

January 5, 2024 0

10 worst foods if you have high blood pressure

I’m just getting back to this blog after several months off and what better to start with than foods that cause high blood pressure. I recently came across this video from someone who calls himself TheCookingDoc.

Imagine soups are low in sodium and fat, a rarity for any prepared soup. — *If you must buy pre-made soup, read the labels and look for the lowest salt content.*

Canned soup is the worst on his list, likely because of all the salt. Cookies are on the list, added sugar, processed meats, candy. It’s a list of what Americans normally eat.

So if you have high blood pressure, watch it and then start changing your eating habits.

ThecookingDoc sounds like a kidney specialist, here the link to his website.

November 9, 2023 0

Five foods that naturally lower cholesterol

A guest post by Elizabeth Klodas, Step One Foods

Most people assume that LDL or bad cholesterol, can only be lowered with medications. That’s not true. We have a lot of control over our LDL levels based upon what we eat, especially the types of fats and the types of carbohydrates we choose.

Saturated fats that come from animal sources (think butter, cheese, the marbling in beef, etc.) help raise LDL. This is why some people that go on a keto diet will see their LDLs go through the roof. On the other hand, unsaturated fats that come primarily from plant-based sources (think olive oil, oils in nuts and seeds, oils in fish, and in avocados etc.) help lower LDL in most people and raise HDL (good) cholesterol while reducing triglycerides – yielding an overall much more favorable cholesterol profile.

Complex carbohydrates (think brown rice, beans, whole fruits and vegetables, etc.) are digested slowly causing small increases in blood sugar and lower insulin levels. Highly processed or simple carbohydrates (think puffed rice cereal, white bread, sugary soda and alcohol, etc.) are digested quickly causing big increases in blood sugar and insulin levels. Insulin is a storage hormone so when it’s floating around in our blood stream it pushes our biochemistry into storage mode.

Continue reading →

September 13, 2023 0

A new year, a new diet approach — make money from weight loss?

January is traditionally the biggest diet month of the year as people who stuffed themselves during the year-end holidays resolve to drop some pounds. I’m in that group this year and I found a new incentive to help — making some money.

Toward the end of last year, I received a press release from a website that runs weight-loss contests with cash prizes. I’d never heard of such a thing, so I immediately checked it out, it’s called HealthyWage.com.

HealthyWage offered $5,000 in prizes for a special free contest; the goal is to drop at least 6% of your weight by March 13.

I downloaded the app and did an official weigh-in which included having to photograph myself in a full-length mirror, not a pleasant task.

Continue reading →

January 17, 2023 0

Trader Joe’s is dead to me; its low-salt products are gone

Trader Joe's high fiber cereal is my go-to breakfast choice every day, high in fiber, low in sugar and sodium. — *Trader Joe’s high fiber cereal is gone, a very, very sad loss for people trying to eat healthy.*

I’ve been eating Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal for breakfast for longer than I can remember, definitely longer than the 10 years since my first stent was put in. It was lower in sugar and salt than competitors and tastier too.

But I say was because it’s disappeared from Trader Joe shelves for the second time this year and I fear this time its gone for good. I visited three Trader Joe’s in Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois, recently and the cereal is nowhere to be found.

I also discovered that Trader Joe’s has dropped it’s no-salt-added salsa.

The two losses join a string of Trader Joe product disappearances. Here’s what I once bought regularly at Trader Joe’s:

Salt-free whole wheat bread

No-salt-added marinara sauce

No-salt added shrimp sauce

High fiber cereal

No-salt-added salsa

Trader Joe’s has decided to make it easier for Americans to continue eating more salt than is healthy for them.

I have no reason to shop there any longer so #traderjoesisdeadtome.

It’s very sad to see a food store abrogating its responsibility to offer at least some healthy offerings.

November 18, 2022 1

If you must buy pre-made tomato sauce, go low-salt

As an Italian-American, I consider it my duty to make my own tomato sauce (we call it gravy) for the various macaroni dishes I create. But if you’re one of those people who buys pre-made sauce, please, please read the nutrition label before you buy. Most sauces are loaded with salt.

Trader Joe's organic low-salt marinara sauce was a bit peppery for my taste but will do in a pinch. — *Trader Joe’s organic low-salt marinara sauce is no longer being sold, a pandemic food casuality.*

A recent taste test on Myrecipes.com reminded me how much salt is crammed into the jarred sauce. The winner of this taste test was Mezzetta’s Napa Valley Homemade Spicy Marinara, Looking up nutrition info for it, I found half a cup has 520 mgs of sodium. That compares to 140 mgs for the taste test low-sodium favorite, Engine 2, plant-strong, classic tomato basil pasta sauce.

My favorite low-sodium marinara sauce had been Trader’s Joe’s salt-free version but it was among many low-salt products that have disappeared from store shelves during the pandemic.

I plan to look for this Engine No. 2 variety (the site I found its nutrition info on says it’s sold at Whole Foods) to give it my own taste test.

February 21, 2022 0

A quick primer on low-sodium, reduced-sodium, et. al.

This blog is all about eating less sodium (and less fat and sugar). Cutting back on salt helped lower my blood pressure over the years and can do the same for you. We write about low-salt foods and recipes so much, we assume everyone knows how much salt they should be eating every day. But of course that’s not true, so here’s a quick primer we found recently on tylerpaper.com.

“The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams a day of sodium and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults. On average, Americans eat more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day,” writes Claudann Jones Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Looks promising, lots of protein too. — Read every label for salt content!

The author talks about where to find salt content on food labels and also includes this handy primer of all the terms food processors use about salt, most designed to make you think the products have less sodium than they actually do:

• Sodium-free – Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving and contains no sodium chloride

• Very low sodium – 35 milligrams or less per serving

• Low sodium – 140 milligrams or less per serving

• Reduced (or less) sodium – At least 25 percent less sodium per serving than the usual sodium level

• Light (for sodium-reduced products) – If the food is “low calorie” and “low fat” and sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving

• Light in sodium – If sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving

She also reminds readers to think about how many servings of a given product they would normally eat. The label lists salt for one serving but who really eats only one serving of anything?

May 20, 2021 0

The low-salt message is being heard, even in South Africa

It’s always nice to see articles touting the low-salt message. I get regular Google alerts every day with stories that do just that and I was excited to see one recently from South Africa.

If the message has reached there, perhaps it’s really beginning to sink in with people, that eating less salt can help their overall health.

Salt is salt, I avoid it to help control my blood pressure.

The piece by a South African dietitian, is consistent with stories from other parts of the world in its recommendations that we strive for less than 2,000 mgs of sodium a day. Someone with heart issues such as I have should aim even lower, perhaps 1,500 mgs, depending on their weight.

One fun comment in the story, ““Lemon is the new salt. Lemon juice enhances the flavour [British spelling here] of the food. Adding a squeeze of lemon to a meal can give you flavour without the risk.”

Another fun fact, March 11-17 is World Salt Awareness Week!

The author’s tips for cutting salt ocnsumption:

1. Choose less salty food.
2. Cook with less salt, adding natural flavurs like a squeeze of lemon.
3. Do not add more salt to your meal at the table.
4. Remove the salt shaker from the table.
5. Taste your food before adding salt (it might be a habit).

March 14, 2021 0

Feel like a drink? Maybe you want to hold off on that idea

I try never to give medical advice on this blog because that advice changes so quickly and so frequently. I always have my doubts about any medical advice about which foods are healthy and which are not, or which are so-called superfoods and which are not.

I was reminded of why I’m a doubter by a recent story knocking down the idea that moderate drinking it ok, health-wise.

Put down that beer…at least until the next study comes out.

Headlined Study challenges health benefits of moderate drinking this Associated Press reports that “A new study challenges the idea that a drink or two a day could actually be good for you. Continue reading “Feel like a drink? Maybe you want to hold off on that idea” →

April 22, 2019 0

Getting the salt out — it’s everywhere, here are some examples

Salt has become one of the three evils for my body since my first stent in 2012, and the second in 2016. I’ve redone my eating, cooking and food shopping habits to get the salt out of my diet and seen my blood pressure fall as a result.

Salt can lead to stomach cancer, one more reason to get it out of your diet. — Too much salt will be in processed and restaurant foods for years to come.

Americans eat more than the recommended amounts of salt daily because salt is in almost every food we buy, especially at restaurants, If you don’t believe that, take a look at this WebMD slide show about where salt hides in our foods.

Some, like frozen dinners or processed meats, you might already know about. But what about cereals, juices and canned veggies? Yep, there too. Enjoy and learn from the show…and do pass [up on] the salt.

February 27, 2019 0

Category: blood pressure