Up for a wellness challenge? Check out NYT

The New York Times started the year with a five-day wellness challenge, a series to help you shop for healthier foods.

Fiber One ultraprocessed? Yes, according to the Times.

Day one defines ultra processed foods and gives you a digital game to see how much of what you buy can fit the definition.

Some of the results may surprise you, as I’m sure they were picked to do.

I found out, for example, that Fiber One cereal, my fallback buy when I can’t find Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal, is considered ultra processed because of thickening agents and Sucrolose it contains.

How does the series define ultraprocessed?

“Ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs, are commonly defined as products you couldn’t typically make in your own kitchen. They contain ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates, emulsifiers and artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners. Think chicken nuggets, hot dogs, flavored yogurts, sodas and many breakfast cereals, packaged breads and snack foods,” it states.

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We’re stepping it up in 2025

The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal (the blog you’re reading right now) drew 69,185 views in 2024, a jump of slightly more than 9,000 from 2023. Not bad for a year in which our attention was mainly focused elsewhere, producing what will likely be our last show for the Evanston 2nd Act Players.

This year, we’re returning this blog back to center stage, so to speak. Expect to see a lot more posts on relevant food topics, along with a lot more on the recipe page everyone loves here.

Our recipe page was the second most visited, after our home page, last year.

We’ll be writing about diet trends, food trends, new food products and more. If there are topics you’d like to see covered, just drop us a line by writing johnnfrank@gmail.com.

Happy New Year and happy eating in 2025!

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Sad news for low-salt eating — Mrs. Dash marinades are no more

A sharp-eyed reader left me a comment recently that broke my heart, and more importantly will impact my heart-health — Mrs Dash sodium-free marinades are no longer being made.

Preparing salmon with Mrs. Dash no-salt marinades.
Mrs Dash salt-free marinades are no longer being made. A sad day for healthy eating.

A quick check of the Mrs Dash site confirms the sad news but offers no explanation.

Mrs. Dash’s teriyaki marinade had provided a way for me to still enjoy some Asian dishes without overloading on salt. I’ve used it in recipes in place of soy sauce because even reduced sodium soy sauce is too high in salt for me.

Healthy Heart Market lists a low-sodium soy with 180 msg of sodium per tablespoon. How many tablespoons would go into a stir fry?

Continue reading “Sad news for low-salt eating — Mrs. Dash marinades are no more” →
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Listeria outbreak kills two, sends 33 to hospital

Subway's spicy Italian, avoid it like a salt plague!
A fan of cold cuts? Check what you bought, Boar’s Head has a major recall underway.

A major recall of deli meats has accounted for two deaths and put 33 people in hospitals, reports Patch.com. Products involved are from the Boar’s Head brand, with cases of people being sickened by the products reported in 13 states as of late July.

“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,” health officials said in a news release. “This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported, as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak,” Patch reports.

Boar’s Head already is facing at least one lawsuit. The recalled meats are thought o be causing listeria in people who eat them.

“The company last week announced a recall of several types of deli meats, including all liverwurst products, as well as some types of ham, salami and bologna. 

“The recall includes 207,528 pounds of products that were shipped to retail locations nationwide. See the full list of recalled products,” Patch reports.

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Why we love unhealthy foods — dah, it’s the taste

Tasty but not healthy, go figure.

Americans generally know that food high in sugar and fat are unhealthy for them, but knowing that and changing their behavior are two different things, reports a new analysis from the online data collection site YouGov.com.

“Nearly four in five US consumers (79%) say foods high in sugar are unhealthy, followed by high in saturated or trans fats (74%), and high in calories but low in nutrients (71%). Deep-fried (70%), fast food (68%), and salty snacks (68%) are also rated as unhealthy by a majority of respondents,” the site reports.

So why eat it all? “Data indicates that taste is the primary driver when asked about chips (65%), candies (58%), sodas (49%) and fast food (39%). The variety of flavors offered by these foods is a significant draw (33% chips, 30% candies, 20% sodas and 17% fast food),” the site reports.

Healthy food can taste good too, you just ahve to work on it. Try our recipe page to start.

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Fake meat meets grass-fed, which would you pick?

The makers of imitation meats such as Impossible Burger are running into more competition from grass-fed meats, reports The Food Institute, a food news site.

McDonald's third-pound sirloin burger has too much salt and fat for me to eat it.

“Growing interest in sustainably-raised meats, including grass-fed beef, is challenging meat alternatives, which continue to struggle with adoption and repeat purchases among their primary consumer base – flexitarians.

“Sustainable meat production is rising across the food industry, as products with Regenerative Organic Certification experience significant growth.

“Several major food companies have made regenerative commitments in 2024—including big meat players like JBS and Tyson—and some QSRs (quick-serve restaurants) have also revamped their menus to include more ‘climate-friendly’ animal products,” the Food Institute reports.

I’ve had the alternative meat products and worry about the salt in them. An ultra-lean grass-fed burger seems to me a better alternative to traditional 80% high-fat ground beef when you get that urge for red meat.

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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 primer on building your food budget

Rising food costs have obsessed consumers in these post-Covid times. While signs have emerged that costs have leveled off, they likely won’t fall any time soon, so everyone needs to work on budgeting for their food needs. If you haven’t done this, a good place to start is with this primer The New York Times ran recently entitled 9 Tips to Stretch Your Food Budget.

Among the tips are changes in lifestyle — eat less meat, snacking less and avoid wasting food. But there are also ways to save money, like using coupons and knowing your grocery store and how to find the cheaper offerings in a. given food category.

Coupons these days are largely digital, be sure to have the shopping app for every store you shop at to get their best deals. Also, check out national couponing sites. These tend to have coupons for major brands, which I tend to avoid because they’re usually the most expensive, but you can get occasional deals.

My goal is to only buy sale/coupon items every time I shop, and to save at least 30% off full prices overall. You can see an example of one of my recent receipts here with all the discounts noted.

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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.

Continue reading “The quest for a new non-sugar sweetener goes on, with some bad news, some good” →
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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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