Category: Uncategorized

AHA vs. Federal Guidelines: Meat Consumption Debate

While the federal government is pushing red meat consumption these days, the American Heart Association remains committed to recommending limited meat consumption, according to its newly polished food guidelines.

The federal guidelines highlight animal sources like eggs, dairy, poultry, seafood, and meat as “safe and high-quality options,” offered alongside plant proteins. The AHA, on the other hand, recommends shifting from meat to plant sources (legumes and nuts) and seafood, with guidance to limit red meat and choose lean cuts if consumed,” reports Mindbodygreen.com.

Two other major areas of disagreement emerge as well, Mindbodygreen.com reports.

Continue reading “AHA vs. Federal Guidelines: Meat Consumption Debate” →
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Understanding Boy Kibble: A New Trend for Men

Men, especially young men, can do some pretty strange things. But eating kibble? Isn’t that for dogs?

Not exactly, according to a recent New York Times piece, Move Over, Girl Dinner. Boy Kibble Has Arrived.

“Boy kibble — also known as “human kibble” since women eat it, too — is a ruthlessly efficient, male-coded rejoinder to the extemporaneous charms of “girl dinner.” The latter is a TikTok term for the assemblage of light bites that women sometimes cobble together and eat as a meal, with little care for gastronomic coherence,” The Times reports.

“Boy kibble, in contrast, focuses on some nutritional ideal — here a mix of carbs, protein and fiber — that helps one achieve a specific body type or fitness goal. Pleasure-seeking details like flavor and aesthetics are tossed to the side.”

The person profiled in the article makes his boy kibble with rice, vegetables and ground beef, all cooked in the same pan.

Part of the ongoing effort by men to define what being a man means these days? Perhaps, the article suggests. Or just another goofy fad? Time, as always will tell.

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Visit the No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal’s new Youtube channel

A friend and former journalism coworker contacted me via LinkedIn recently with a simply question, why don’t I start a YouTube channel for this blog? Good question!

I’ve launched YouTube channels for the theater I ran for 10 years and for my local chapter of a heart-patient support group, Mended Hearts.

But this blog, started in 2013 as a way to cope with the massive eating changes I needed to make in response to my first stet, has never made the leap to YouTube. I have posted videos here, but not there.

Well, that’s been corrected, so check out the new No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal YouTube channel. Just click here.

And expect more videos, here and there. And I’m open to suggestions of where to post videos next. TickTock? Instagram? Elsewhere?

This blog is the last vestige of my journalism career, the only way really, that I still know I’m a contributing member of society and not just a zombie waiting for my weakened heart to stop.

So all suggestions are appreciated.

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Contaminated Oysters and Clams: What You Need to Know

My incredible oyster plate at Pearl Tavern.

Oysters and clams distributed in nine states are being recalled because they could make you violently ill, reports the Food and Drug Administration. The suspect products went to restaurants and food retailers in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington.

They may be contaminated with norovirus, which sickens millions each year.

Involved are oysters from Washington-based Drayton Harbor Oyster Co. and manila clams from the Lummi Indian Business Council from Feb. 13 to March 3. Given the time that’s past, those should not be on fresh fish counters any longer regardless of the recall.

It’s still unclear if the contaminated products were sent to other states, so avoid raw oysters and clams for a bit. They’re an acquired taste for some anyway.

I grew up near a clam bar in Brooklyn and watched my cousins compete in contests to see who could down the most. But I never ate them raw myself until years later when I moved to the Midwest and was anxious to find any dishes I had been familiar with in New York.

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Maximize Savings: CVS vs Walgreens Couponing Tips

With food prices continuing higher, looking for deals, coupons, sales, etc. is even more important now than in years past. I’ve written about seeking out supermarket deals. But a lot of us turn to drug stores for personal care items. So you need to work every available deal in those as well.

The two national chains, CVS and Walgreens, each have extensive couponing programs. But after trying both, using tips I found online from extreme couponers, CVS is the clear winner in offering deals to consumers.

The Walgreen’s program has more conditions, fine print and road blocks than does CVS. It really seems designed to be a bait-and-switch system, luring you to shop at Walgreens but then forcing you to spend more than you expected.

One recent example I ran into — I bought something there that offered me a $5 register cash reward. Walgreens register rewards are printed coupons that normally come with the restriction they must be used in seven days. So they basically draw you back, likely before you need to shop there again otherwise.

But the coupon I got was even more convoluted. It was for $5 off a future purchase. But it was only activated after I shopped there again and spent a certain amount (I think it was $20). Only then would it be activated — and for my next trip!

So I would need to make three shipping trips to get that $5; the first one, the second to activate it and the third to spend it! It’s an insult to shoppers, really. Shame on you Walgreens.

Continue reading “Maximize Savings: CVS vs Walgreens Couponing Tips” →
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Red & white zucchini boats for July 4th

The Fourth of July usually means grilling lots of meat on a grill or two (or four like I have in my outdoor kitchen) but don’t forget your vegetarian family members or friends — here’s a great stuffed zucchini boat you can make on the grill as well.

It already has two colors for the 4th, kudos if you can find a way to add something blue — maybe the plates you serve it on?

Any regular reader of my blog knows I love zucchini and regularly post recipes from famous chefs like Giada D. Follow this link for a page of past posts with zucchini recipes.

Our tilapia, zucchini and corn dinner.
Our tilapia, zucchini and corn dinner. Another zucchini alternative.

But back to the latest recipe I found on a site called SimplyItalian Cooking. The ingredients:

  • Medium zucchini
  • Onion
  • Tomato
  • Garlic
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Italian cheese (Romano or Parmesan)
  • Olive oil
  • Basil
  • Salt and pepper (optional — leave out the salt)

The instructions:

Continue reading “Red & white zucchini boats for July 4th” →
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A failed try at touting “healthier” game-day snacks; try mine instead

The weight-tracking app LoseIt recently sent me this article in its e-newsletter, 7 Popular Super Bowl Snacks and RDs’ Healthier Alternatives. (RD stands for registered dietitian.)

The concept is a good one, leave behind high-fat, high-salt munchies for others that are less damaging to your health.

These mini cups are low in fat and salt and sugar-free. Fill them with salt-free treats for Super Bowl munching.

Try filling mini-puff pastry for Super Bowl snakes.

But the items included largely left me shrugging my shoulders. Things like Jalapeño Cream Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Poppers never made my Super Bowl table.

The list has a Southwest tilt to it, again not what I usually eat for game watching. The turkey sliders are probably the only item of the seven listed that I would try.

So I’d say this list doesn’t cross the goal line for a touchdown. Much better are some of my past pieces:

Low-salt, Low-fat recipes for Super Bowl
Super Bowl Low-salt, low-fat party menu — try swordfish steaks as a main course
Super Bowl Treats — Puff pastry shells with salasa, mushroom, tomato combo
Super Bowl Party dishes — try fat-free twice-baked potatoes
Salt-free potato chips for Super Bowl Sunday
Super Bowl Treats — Puff pastry shells with salasa, mushroom, tomato combo
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Looking for a Mediterranean Diet Plan? Here’s a 7-day one

One of the fun things about doing this food blog for more than 10 years is that now people send me food story ideas all the time. Most don’t apply to eating less salt, fat and sugar, but some do and I try to share as many as possible of those with you. The website Total Shape recently sent me a 7-day Mediterranean Diet plan, for example.

“Research found that the Mediterranean diet supports prevention of cardiovascular diseases, increases lifespan, and healthy aging. Also, when used in conjunction with caloric restriction, the diet may also support healthy weight loss,” a Total Shape nutritionist says.

The diet plan:

Continue reading “Looking for a Mediterranean Diet Plan? Here’s a 7-day one” →
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Thanksgiving food costs are down; here’s how to drive them even lower

The good news for Thanksgiving 2023 is that food costs are down compared to last year. The American Farm Bureau estimates you can feed Thanksgiving dinner to a family of 10 this year for $61.17 compared with $64.05 act year.

But if you’re a smart shopper, you can drive your costs down even more. To do that:

Continue reading “Thanksgiving food costs are down; here’s how to drive them even lower” →
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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.

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