Thanksgiving 2025 prices through the roof; search out every deal

If you’ve started your Thanksgiving food shopping, you know food prices are through the roof. One store I shop that sold romaine lettuce hearts for $2.99 last year has them for $6.99 this year for example. Its likely imported.

So how do you survive, and enjoy, this Thanksgiving? Track down every bargain you can.

I spent roughly $70 today at a local Jewel, for example, but everything I bought was on sale and so I saved $40 on my bill.

I’m headed to a second store Tuesday to find more bargains, you can’t buy everything you need at one store and expect to save money this year.

Look non-traditional places too. I found light mayo at a dollar store for $1.25 for 10 ounces, for example.

A 20-ounce bottle at my local Jewel was on sale for $3.99, or $2 for 10 ounces if you do the math. This year, more than ever, DO THE MATH.

Good luck.

November 25, 2025 0

A healthy lunch spot & sushi by the pound

While I try to avoid generalities, one I do use is that the less processed food is, the healthier it likely is as well.

That’s why sushi has become an even larger part of my diet than it was before my two stents were put in to unclog my arteries.

Nutritionists do raise a red flag about eating a lot of white rice, but sushi can be found with brown rice and there’s also sashimi which is sushi’s rice-less cousin. But sushi can get expensive.

So I was excited to try a Chicago sushi lunch spot that sells sushi by the pound ($1.25 an ounce) rather than the piece. Grain & Sea is a very neat-looking spot with an almost limitless sushi buffet.

You walk the food line, taking whichever you want and have it all weighed at the end of the line.

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September 5, 2025 0

Eat healthy — your circulatory system will thank you

Me with the heart mascot, sporting my survivor's cap and beads for each year since my 2012 surgery. — *My heart mascot and I in a recent heart-health walk.*

People who know me know that I’ve had two near-fatal heart incidents, one in 2012 and a second in 2017.

Two different arteries were blocked, although not badly enough to cause damage to my heart (a heart attack causes heart damage; short of that is just an incident in medical jargon).

So worrying about my circulatory system is always on my to-do list. which is why I read this piece, How Diet Impacts Your Circulatory System on a site called Vitasupportmd.com.

“The foods consumed each day play an important role in how well the circulatory system performs. A balanced and nutrient-rich diet can support vessel tone, help maintain blood pressure within a healthy range, promote the balance of blood lipids like cholesterol, and encourage a healthy inflammatory response,” the article notes. One more important reason to eat healthy.

June 21, 2025 0

Summer weight-loss tips

Summer can mean more trips to the local swimming pool or beach. And seeing ourselves in bathing suits could lead us tot think about dropping a few pounds. Here are seven tips on weight loss from LoseIt!, the food journaling app.

My new tiny oil and vinegar bottles for eating out. — *My tiny oil and vinegar bottles for eating out.*

At its core, losing weight can be fairly simple, eat less calories than your body burns every day. But the devil is in the details, or the Hostess cupcake wrappers in my case. So, these tips might help you.

Chief among them — eat more fiber, avoid sugary drinks and watch for, and hopefully avoid, all the calories in salad dressings and sauces. I carry my own olive oil and vinegar whenever I plan to eat a salad at a restaurant. I’m overweight now, but would be so much more so if I ate fat- and sugar-filled salad dressings every day.

Give the list a read and practice eating slowly, one of the tips. Give our brain a chance to know your stomach is full. Happy Summer!

June 20, 2025 0

Use by dates have different meanings for different people

A new study finds that Americans have different ideas what “Use by” dates on food products mean.

Some see them as indications of deteriorating quality while others think they indicate the safety of consuming the food involved, found The International Food Information Council (IFIC) in a study released this June.

“When survey takers were asked what “Best by,” “Best if used by,” and “Use by” dates mean to them, 48% of survey takers say the date labeling indicates when a product begins to lose quality.

“Another 29% believe the dates signal when the food is no longer safe to eat, while 17% think they indicate when the product should be discarded. Just 5% say they do not know the purpose of date labeling on food packaging,” the IFIC says in a PowerPoint presentation it issued on the survey.

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June 6, 2025 0

Was it fiber or taste that propelled Olipop and Poppi?

Are Americans so worried about their stomach health that they’re willing to spend more than three-quarters of a billion dollars a year on gut-health-promoting sodas?

That might be too simple an explanation for the rapid growth of competitors Olipop and Poppi, according to a fascinating analyst in the Food Institute site by Dr. James Richardson is the founder of Premium Growth Solutions,rt a strategic planning consultancy for early-stage consumer packaged goods brands.

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May 29, 2025 0

Säti Slim — A sugar-free soda option for Memorial Day

I grew up drinking Coke and Pepsi. These days, I tend to drink Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi despite concerns about the sweeteners they use. But when an alternative come along, I’ll try it. The makers of Säti Soda Slim, rolled out late last year, were nice enough recently to offer me samples to review.

“Säti Slim’s ingredients were meticulously chosen to give you that caffeine kick at no expense to your health and wellness. Keeping with Säti Soda’s commitment to providing both function and flavor, Säti Slim includes:

Clean caffeine sourced from 150 mg of green coffee beans for that energy boost and appetite suppression
Functional Benefits: Includes PurC, an organic Vitamin C blend from Acerola fruit, which supports immunity, skin health, and acts as a natural preservative & Lion’s Mane supporting cognition and caffeine absorption
Zero-sugar, zero-stevia, zero-artificial sweeteners: Sweetened with only organic monk fruit.
Better-for-You Option: A clean, organic energy drink that prioritizes health without compromising on flavor,” explains a company press release.

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May 23, 2025 0

But I only had a salad — with a truckload of junk on it

“Oh, I’ll just get a salad,” is what people worried about gaining weight say when they eat out with friends. Salads are low-cal right?

That depends. Places like the Cheesecake Factory load salads with so many unhealthy things they soon become high-calorie, high-fat and high-salt.

*Opt for salads without much added to the lettuce.*

Indeed, salads made this list from AARP: 12 Foods That May Cause Unhealthy Weight Gain.

“Salads can be loaded with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals—but what you put on them matters. Piling on cheese, bacon bits, croutons or creamy dressings can pack more calories than you expect.

“Tip: Keep your portions in check when using calorie-dense toppings and opt for a light vinaigrette instead of creamy dressings. For an even bigger nutritional boost, go for a variety of colorful veggies and lean proteins to keep you full,” says the AARP article.

Other items on the list, such as nuts which are often touted as healthy, may surprise you too.

Even olive oil, everyone’s favorite fat these days, made the list. Quantity matters is the lesson here.

May 11, 2025 0

Seven 100-calorie snacking options

I’m always wary of stories with headlines like 7 Foods Under 100 Calories You’ll Love. Normally those lists involve mostly foods I don’t like to eat, such as nuts.

Eating watermelon doesn't fill me up, although it's high in water content. — *A fun snack, although I don’t find it filling at all given its high water content.*

But this list from LoseIt! actually has six things I do like to snack on — six out of seven, not bad. The only loser for me is hard-boiled eggs.

The rest — cherry tomatoes, yogurt, edamame, oranges, popcorn and watermelon, are all items I turn to when I don’t want to eat junk food.

Watch for them on sale at your local supermarket and then try them. Pints of cherry tomatoes and watermelon cups tend to be on sale regularly where I live, for example.

May 9, 2025 0

Back at Panera, but not for long

Before my first heart attack in 2012, the Panera chain of fast-casual restaurants was a regular stop for me at lunch time. But the overwhelming amounts of salt in most of their offerings meant I couldn’t go there post-heart attack, as I wrote back in 2014.

This week, however, I found myself with little choice but a Panera, so I thought I would give it another try. Panera salad offerings are plentiful and I found one with a reasonable amount of salt if I used my own oil and vinegar instead of a store dressing. But the tiny size of what I received compared to the high price means I won’t be heading to Panera again anytime soon.

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April 29, 2025 0

Category: smart eating

Thanksgiving 2025 prices through the roof; search out every deal

A healthy lunch spot & sushi by the pound

Eat healthy — your circulatory system will thank you

Summer weight-loss tips

Use by dates have different meanings for different people

Was it fiber or taste that propelled Olipop and Poppi?

Säti Slim — A sugar-free soda option for Memorial Day

But I only had a salad — with a truckload of junk on it

Seven 100-calorie snacking options

Back at Panera, but not for long

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