food labels – The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal

Find the hidden sugar…and help yourself eat healthier

Salt, incredibly high amounts of salt, hides in almost all processed and restaurant foods. That’s why I spend so much time looking at food labels and writing here about low- and no-salt alternatives to salty products. Check my smart shopping page and my ingredients page for those.

I've found two brands of low-sodium,low-sugar ketchup, Westbrae and LocalFolks Foods. — I’ve found two brands of low-sodium,low-sugar ketchup, Westbrae and LocalFolks Foods.

But sugar also hides in many foods and these days nutritionists think too much sugar may do as much if not more harm to your body as too much salt does. Continue reading “Find the hidden sugar…and help yourself eat healthier”

Consumer Reports takes a great look at healthier eating

Consumer Reports is a magazine I look at whenever making a major purchase such as a car or large appliance. It’s reviews are the bible of product reviews, in my opinion. So I was intrigued to see its November issue carrying a cover story about healthy eating.

What’s in the issue is as good as other work Consumer Reports does. If you cans till find one to buy, buy it and refer to it as you cook or eat out. If you can;t find a physical copy, go to the website, it appears you can read at least some of the stories there without being a member of Consumer Reports. Continue reading “Consumer Reports takes a great look at healthier eating”

A heart-related discount from Healthy Heart Market

Healthy Heart Market is a good online shopping alternative if you can’t find low- and no-salt offerings in your local supermarkets or food stores here you shop. I’ve written about it’s offerings in the past.

But shipping products, especially liquids, can get expensive. So it’s nice when the Market offers discount, such as one that is ending today for 10% off. The promotion is tied in with the American Heart Association’s Go Red Day, which was Feb. 3 and is designed to help promote heart health among women. Continue reading “A heart-related discount from Healthy Heart Market”

New guidelines for safer fish consumption, will these be the last?

The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency recently put out new guidelines regarding fish consumption that includes this handy infographic showing which fish have less mercury (that’s the interpretation of healthy, or best choices, here).

The chart is aimed especially at pregnant women and parents but we all should be aware of mercury content in the fish we eat. The FDA and others position fish as a healthier alternative to fatty meats, but mercury content is the wild card here that throws a wrench into all of that. Continue reading “New guidelines for safer fish consumption, will these be the last?”

Costco offers diabetes, heart-healthy shopping guide

Regular readers know I’m a big Costco shopper and usually deconstruct a Costco food court salad once a week for a lunch there after my shopping trip.

You can find healthy items there, but like everywhere else, you need to know what to look for and you need to read labels, especially because products come and go at Costco. I’ve written about that before, click here to read that post.

You can download the booklet at this link: cdiabetesshoppingnov21

It covers the basics, so if you’ve researched food and diabetes or heart issues before you might not need it. but if you;re new to the topics, it’s a good first step.

Think you’re eating healthy? Think again

Read every label and don’t buy foods, whether at a supermarket or restaurant, if you can’t see nutrition information.

When I first met with a nutritionist to discuss health eating after my 2012 angioplasty, I brought along four pages of foods I liked to eat. She told me one by one that they were all unhealthy. Most had too much of one or more of what I call the evil triangle of American food — sugar, salt or fat.

My low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar pantry. Are these healthy? For me, they are. Read every label before buying any food products.

This blog is the result of that meeting and of my attempt to keep eating foods I find tasty while cutting out the evil triangle. But it is extremely tough in a world of so many mixed food messages. That point was brought home to me by a recent piece I read on npr.org headlined 75 Percent of Americans Say They Eat Healthy — Despite Evidence To The Contrary. Continue reading “Think you’re eating healthy? Think again”

Know your chicken — here’s a great guide

Sorry organic chicken lovers, you cans till buy it for the taste, or if you feel it helps the environment overall, but don’t expect massive nutritional benefits.

As red meat has become demonized because of high fat content in recent years, people are turning more and more to chicken, and specifically lower-fat white meat chicken. I’ve been eating more chicken since my 2012 angioplasty on orders from my nutritionists, leading me to continually search for ways to bring some taste to white-meat chicken.

When you go shopping for chicken, remember all chicken is not the same and a lot of the things you think you know about what makes for healthy chicken may be plain wrong. Cooking Light recently put out a great overview of the chicken world, The Definitive Guide to Healthy Chicken, which I recommend you read.

It goes after the myths about chickens, which far too many people believe. Continue reading “Know your chicken — here’s a great guide”