McDonald salads 2023 — gone, gone, gone

*Bye, bye McDonald’s salads. Bye, bye McDonald’s.*

My most-read post last year was about McDonald’s bringing back salads in some locations after killing them during the pandemic. But it looks like the return of McDonald’s salads is over. A search through the Northern suburbs of Chicago the past two weeks (via the McDonald’s app) shows no outlets with salads on their menus in 2023.

I sent a note to McDonald’s customer service and got back a form reply saying salads are no longer part of the national menu and it’s now up to individual franchise holders whether they offer them. I find only a little truth in that since suppliers have to be found for them and I don’t see corporate letting individual outlets go rogue on finding suppliers. Corporate has decided to walk away from any pretense of having a healthy menu option.

That means there is now nothing even remotely healthy on McDonald’s menu and I can no longer frequent them. My favorite McDonald’s in the suburb of Winnetka was like my away-from-home office since I retired in 2015.

I’d go there twice a week and everyone on staff knew me and treated me wonderfully. I will miss them tremendously, but sadly McDonald’s now, just like Trader Joe’s, too is dead to me if I want to keep to my heart-healthy diet.

I’m going to test a Wendy’s salad to see how they measure up but looking at their nutritional information, they mostly seem loaded with salt. The same is true for Panera salads. I’ve had salads at Culver’s but found them bland in the past, it might be time to test them again as well.

January 25, 2023 2

No salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal tops 88,000 views in 2022

This blog, the No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal, recorded a record 88,398 views in 2022, blowing past the record set in 2021 of 80,127. The number of visitors also set a record in 2023 with 57,344 people coming to our site, well above the 43,64 who visited in 2022.

“Last year was an amazing one for us, people are finding us and, in the process, hopefully they’re cutting the salt, fat and sugar in their diets,” says blog founder and editor John N. Frank.

*Our reporting on the partial return of McDonald salads brought thousands of visitors to our site in 2022.*

The most popular post last year had to do with the spotty return of salads at McDonald’s, First look: McDonald’s 2022 salads – a shadow of what they used to be. That post attracted 16,319 views.

An earlier post, among the first to report the return of the salads which were eliminated during the Pandemic, McDonald’s salads are sneaking back onto menus, attracted 5,225 views.

“Salads are the only almost-healthy item on McDonald’s menus. There is obviously interest in them. LEt’s hope the burger chain does more to make them healthier, and tastier than what they offer now,” says Frank.

January 5, 2023 0

Aldi, Walmart promise Thanksgiving food price breaks

Aldi and Walmart have captured media attention recently by saying they’re rolling back prices on their Thanksgiving offerings to 2019 or 2020 price levels. The moves come in response to what seems like a public obsession with inflation these days. (That obsession is overblown in my opinion, you can adapt by how and where you shop to still find food deals as I’ve written about here).

Checking their sites for more details, I found that Walmart is very specific in terms of what prices will be held down.

“We’re removing inflation on an entire basket containing traditional Thanksgiving items. We made significant investments on top of our everyday low prices so customers can get a traditional Thanksgiving meal at last year’s price at Walmart*,” according to a press release on the Walmart site.

Having covered Walmart as a food business journalist, I can tell you its senior execs are very serious about always offering the lowest prices. Their buyers get continually pushed to find lower prices. So this move doesn’t surprise me, it fits with the DNA of the brand.

Aldi is less specific about what prices are being rolled back. When you click on its Thanksgiving Price Rewind graphic (on the Aldi website), it simply takes you to an online shopping page. Aldi is claiming to roll back prices to 2019 levels, significant since we did express price increases in 2020 and 2021.

I’m going to be checking both locations to see if either is offering low-sodium turkeys, fat-free gravy, or healthier butter substitutes for prices lower than the local supermarket chains. I’ll let you know what I find.

November 7, 2022 0

Grocery shopping tips from Nicolette Pace

You may have seen Nicolette M. Pace on TV, her demo reel shows her making the rounds of the TV talk shows, discussing food and healthy eating. Her PR people recently reached out to me with her list of healthy grocery shopping and I’ve decided to share them with you here, just click the continue reading button if you’re seeing this on my home page. Enjoy and let me know what you think of them.

Continue reading →

October 7, 2021 0

Pandemic food price gouging – demand advertised sale prices

The continuing increase in food prices throughout the pandemic has been well documented, in posts I’ve written and elsewhere. And I’ve given tips on how to cope, such as shopping dollar stores that stock produce and buying essential items in bulk.

Today, I ran into one of the most egregious examples of pandemic food price-gouging I’ve seen. My local Jewel, an Albertson’s chain in Illinois, had advertised filet mignon for $5.99 for a six-ounce steak.

Filet is normally the leanest cut of steak and so fits in my efforts to minimize my fat intake. Because it is an expensive cut, I’m always watching for deals and so jumped at the chance to buy some 6-ounce fillets for $5.99 each.

When I arrived at the meat counter of the Jewel in Wilmette, Il., a neighboring suburb, however, the signs posted said the filets were $6,99 each, not the advertised $5.99. Asking the meat counter attendant got me no answer, he had to follow what the sign said, he told me.

What price are these steaks? The ad says $5.99, the store is charging $6.99. The flyer has language lawyers wrote to allow this, but really, who expects to see an ad for one price only to see a different price in a story #ShameonJewel, #Shameon Albertsons

So I went to the store service counter. The person there had no answer for the disparity and so called the head of the meat department. She replied that store had decided to charge $6.99, not the advertised $5.99. But since I had complained, she would sell me some for $5.99

Continue reading →

August 23, 2021 0

Sabra Hummus recall — check the states to see if you’re affected

Salmonella has reared its ugly head again, this time in a tub of Sabra hummus. As a result, roughly 2,100 cases of the product ahve been recalled in 16 states by maker Sabra Dipping Company, LLC.

The states affected are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Details of which products are involved:

Product name: Sabra’s 10-ounce Classic Hummus
UPC code: 300067
Best by date: 4/26/21
Production date: On: Feb 10 Between: 18:00:27 and 23:49:00

If you have this in your fridge, you can return it to where you bought it or visit www.sabrahummusrecall.com for a refund. Consumers can also contact Sabra Consumer Relations at 1-866-265-6761 for additional information Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern time.

April 5, 2021 0

A different idea for Easter dinner — roasted salmon with thyme and honey-mustard glaze

Easter is almost upon us again and, in the age of Covid, Easter dinners are likely to be smaller affairs with far fewer guests than in times past. So maybe put aside any ideas of a giant leg of lamb or turkey, and try something different, like this honey-mustard-glazed salmon recipe.

Place salmon on the lemon and coat with lemon-infused olive oil and spices. — Another way to prepare salmon — in foil with lemons.

Salmon is a great main course for people worried about salt, fat and sugar in their diets, given it falls into what is these days perceived as the “Good Fat” category. This recipe does include some salt, I’d leave it out. The honey might be an issue if you;re ona low-sugar diet, a mustard crust is a tasty alternative.

Here’s the information you need for the hoey-mustard recipe:

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

10 thyme sprigs
1 (3-pound) skin-on salmon fillet (preferably sustainable), pin bones removed
¼ cup country Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I’d leave this out)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions

Step 1 Preheat oven to 450°.
Step 2 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange thyme sprigs in a long row on parchment. Place salmon, skin side down, on top of thyme.
Step 3 Combine mustard, honey, and vinegar in a bowl. Brush mixture evenly over top of salmon. Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Arrange lemon slices over salmon.
Step 4 Bake salmon at 450° in center of oven 26 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cooking Light includes nutrition information for this recipe, which is great for those of us watching our salt, fat and sugar intake.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 387 calories; fat 17.4g; saturated fat 4.1g; mono fat 7.6g; poly fat 4.2g; protein 48g; carbohydrates 6g; cholesterol 116mg; iron 1mg; sodium 527mg; calcium 29mg; sugars 4g; added sugar 4g.

March 29, 2021 0

Funny and true…

July 11, 2020 0

Coronavirus impact: your food bills are climbing

Feel like you’ve been paying more for every item you can find in your local food store during this Cornoavirus Pandemic? You’re right and now reports are coming out to prove it.

The food at home index, compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics rose 2.7% in April compared to March 2020, its sharpest one-month climb since February 1974. Prices in April are up 4.1% compared to April 2019. Prices are up pretty much in every category, according to the bureau. Examples include:

Poultry, meat and fish — up 4.5% in April compared to March
Cereal, baked goods and non-alcoholic beverages — up 2.7% in April compared to March

Grocery prices are climbing during this pandemic — if you can find the items you want in stores that is.

Demand has soared as people eat at home more than they ever did before the virus struck and supplies dwindle as processing plants close because of sick employees. Imported food supplies likely also are down. And we’ve yet to hear about deliveries breaking down because of sick truckers, expect some of that as this goes on too.

Don’t expect the price picture to brighten anytime soon. People who are filling their shopping carts to the brim every time they go to a store likely are wasting a lot of that food because they aren’t accustomed to planning meals to use everything before it goes bad. So they’ll likely be back in stores making the same mistakes all over again and keeping demand for everything high — along with prices.

May 13, 2020 1

Say it ain’t so — ginger ale doesn’t calm stomachs????

One of the few things I remember enjoying when I was sick as a child was drinking ginger ale to calm an upset stomach. I had terrible reactions to things like milk and aspirin as a child. Each sent my stomach reeling (you can imagine the details, I’ll leave it at ‘reeling.’)

But then there was ginger ale, tasty, soothing, calming. And I had a crush on the White Rock Ginger Ale girl (New Yorkers will remember that brand).

My mother also believed in the healing powers of ginger ale, always calling for it when she was sick as “bring me the ginger.”

So imagine my disappointment when I saw Ginger Ale Isn’t the Key to Calming Your Stomach—Here’s Why.

“One report finally sets the record straight, with the help of a leading gastroenterologist: ginger ale does not calm queasiness or aid other sickness symptoms. It’s ginger that does this best, but ginger and ginger ale are not one in the same,” reports Cooking Light. Continue reading “Say it ain’t so — ginger ale doesn’t calm stomachs????” →

February 24, 2019 0

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