Category: ingredients

The quest for a new non-sugar sweetener goes on, with some bad news, some good

Finding a non-sugar sweetener for food and beverages, one without it’s own unwanted side-effects, has been the holy grail of food processors for as long as I’ve written about the food business (40 years). A new possibility,  brazzein, is getting some positive attention now.

Another, Xylitol, long used in sugar-free candies and elsewhere, is getting negative attention, however.

“A new study linking the low-calorie sugar substitute xylitol to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke,” reports The New York Times.

“For the new study, the researchers measured the levels of xylitol in blood plasma samples of over 3,000 participants who had fasted overnight. They found that people with the highest xylitol levels had roughly double the risk of heart attack, stroke or death within the next three years compared to people with the lowest levels,” the Times reports.

Xylitol, also known as sugar alcohol, has never been something I could eat much of without becoming bloated and…well, you know. So this study isn’t worrying me so much.

But I am interested to read a company has received permission to use brazzein, a sweet protein produced through fermentation, reports The Food Institute.

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Know what prebiotic sodas are? Here’s a primer

The term prebiotics has been part of the yogurt landscape for years but now prebiotic sodas are getting some attention. But there are obstacles that may keep more brands from moving into the category, notes a recent report.

To define, first, a prebiotic is “a nondigestible food ingredient that promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines,” according to a Google definition. That usually means fiber and, sure enough, prebiotic sodas have fiber in them.

“Prebiotic sodas have become a phenomenon, even if their ingredients remain a mystery to most consumers. Many industry insiders feel brands like poppi and OLIPOP are here to stay,” reports The Food Institute, an industry news site.

“Prebiotic sodas have substantial long-term potential,” Todd Redmon, partner at PA Consulting, told The Food Institute. “Scientific research continues to uncover the benefits of prebiotics for digestive health, immunity, and even mental health.”

Poppi (it may spell its name in all lower-case but here sentences start with capital letters) is the leading brand in the $100 million-in-annual sales category which has about a dozen brands already, the Food Institute reports.

But consumers largely don’t know what’s in these drinks and their price is relatively high, so experts wonder how popular they will become.

There also seems to be something intrinsically odd about drinking a carbonated beverage to keep regular.

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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. 

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New food words — believe it, the dictionary says it’s so

Cooking up more healthy foods for you in my outdoor kitchen. Thanks for reading all my posts!
I may have a chef’s jacket, but I can still learn new food words.

We all talk about food daily, don’t we? And we usually use the same words for it, a steak is a steak isn’t it?

But according to The 9 New Foods Words in Merriam-Webster and How to Cook Them, there are new food words you need to know.

Pumpkin spice leads the list, an easy one so you won’t be intimidated. But then comes omakase, ras el hanout, mojo and more.

Take a look at the list and the recipes suggested to see how current your food knowledge is, and to amaze your friends next time you talk about food.

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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.

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Unexplained listeria outbreak spreading across country

A recent listeria outbreak linked to deli meats and cheeses has spread to several states with no apparent source found as of Friday, Nov. 11.

Beware deli meats, a listeria outbreak traced to a New York supermarket deli counter is sickening people.

Most of those who have become sick are in New York and have been found to shop at the same local supermarket, which has closed its deli counter because of the outbreak.

But other people in Illinois, Maryland, Illinois, Massachusetts, California and New Jersey also have become ill and there appears no link as yet between them and the New York store.

“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” reports the Centers for Disease Control.

“In interviewing those sickened, CDC investigators found that five of the seven people in New York purchased sliced deli meat or cheese from at least one location of NetCost Market, a chain of stores selling international foods. However, that is not the only location of the illness, the CDC said, as people sickened in other states reported buying meats or cheeses from other delis,” CNN reports. A total of 16 people are known to have been infected so far.

Listeria is a nasty disease that is transmitted on food. One death already has been reported in this outbreak and another sickened person who was pregnant lost the baby she was carrying because of the listeria.

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The first food predictions for 2023: complex heat, comfort food, street food will be in next year

I just saw the first of many food predictions for 2023, this from The Food Institute, a food news site, which predicts that complex heat, comfort foods and street foods will be in next year.

When I go off my post-angioplasty diet, I want it to be for amazing treats I love. Nathan's hot dogs fit that bill.
Street food anyone? When I’m in New York, I always head to Nathan’s for hot dogs.

“Spicy food has been gaining popularity over the last decade, but today’s consumers crave more than just heat—they want to learn about different peppers and the complexity of their flavors,” the Institute reports, citing a survey by Spoonshot.com which I couldn’t access directly from the link provided. This flavor trewnd, like the others, is being driven by Covid and its aftermath.

There are also cuisines that are trending, as consumers seek new experiences through food, where spice levels are more complex and at higher levels than U.S. consumers are generally used to—Indian, West African, etc.” Robyn Carter, founder and CEO of Jump Rope Innovation told The Food Institute. “As those cuisines continue to go mainstream in 2023, we’ll see more complex heat ahead.”

Nostalgia and the desire for comfort food that reminds you of happier times is a trend that has been around and will continue next year.

And consumers looking for new food experiences while trying to hold down their food costs will turn to street food, which also carries an air of authenticity for Gen Z consumers, the Institute article notes.

What will you be eating in 2023? We’d love to know, leave your comments here to tell us.

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Think cereal is healthy? Think again when it comes to these not-so-magnificent seven

We blogged recently about proposed new food labeling requirements that would allow foods to be labeled “healthy” if they met certain criteria for salt, fat and sugar content, along with other requirements. Pundits already are looking at what those rules would mean for certain groups of products, like breakfast cereals.

CNBC.com recently reported that these seven cereals would not be considered healthy under the new rules:

“For a healthy stamp from the FDA, cereals have to contain three-fourth ounces of whole grains and no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium and 2.5 grams of added sugars,” CNBC reports.

These are only the tip of the unhealthy iceberg, expect a lot more processed foods to be called out if these new labeling rules get enacted.

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Another spice to consider — Casa M Spice’s Cattle Drive packs a kick

I’m not sure why, but I seem to be hearing from a lot of new spice companies lately. I recently reviewed some offerings from Burn Pit and now I’m going to tell you a bit about Cattle Drive from Casa M Spice Co.

I asked to sample Casa M’s Cattle Drive because it’s marketed as low sodium. And it is, 30 mgs a serving. The company says of it, “Use to replace pepper on your table and add to anything you’d add black pepper to.”

Casa M’s Cattle Drive and its nutrition info.

The original formula, which I tried, is rated at two peppers, but it tasted more peppery, read hot peppers, to me than that.

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Burn Pit BBQ spices offer good flavor, kick in the hot offerings

Back in July, I received some spice samples from a Wisconsin company, Burn Pit BBQ. I’ve since had the opportunity to use them, and to get reviews of the spiciest ones from my formerly food-blogging daughter who loves hot sauces. We agreed all our experiences with the samples were positive. We can recommend these to spice lovers.

A sampling of Burn Pit BBQ offerings we tried.

I particularly enjoyed the garlic seasoning, called Ground Pounder, on my steaks. My daughter tried the hot sauce and found it flavorful with a hint of cajun seasoning. We both tried the Fire in the Hole mixture and found it hot but not overwhelming, a plus for someone like me who avoids the hottest of the hot.

Keep in mind these are not salt-free mixtures, but can be considered low-salt (the garlic mixture, for example, has 110 mgs of sodium in half a teaspoon; Fire in the Hole has 95 mgs). Nutrition information for each offering is viewable on the company website.

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