Tag Archives: peanut butter

Condiments Revealed! What’s Really in 14 of the Most Popular Condiments

condiments

Condiments are one of the easiest ways to amp up the flavor in your foods. While the addition of some condiments provides flavor and little else, some can actually ramp up the health factor of your meal, while some of your favorites may be heaping hundreds of calories and unnecessary sugar, fat, and salt onto your already healthy meals, sabotaging your efforts to eat lighter and cleaner.

Anything in excess can be bad for you, so just because a food is low in calories doesn’t mean it’s free license to eat as much as you’d like. To keep our condiment analysis true and accurate, always stick to recommended portion sizes.

7 Basic Steps for Cleaner Eating Without Going Paleo

Salsa: 1 oz, 8 calories, .9g sugar

Veggies, herbs and spices, what could go wrong? If you’re whipping up your own, not much, but grabbing a jar of name brand salsa off the shelf can mean you’re pouring on preservatives, chemicals, loads of sodium, and even added sugar if you’re a fruit salsa fan. Big companies will pump their salsa full of preservatives to keep it shelf stable. Think about it — how else can “fresh” veggies sit on a shelf for weeks and still be edible?

If you go fresh and all natural, salsa can be an amazingly healthy and delicious option for just about anything. If buying from the store, you should be able to recognize every ingredient on the label. If making your own, dice up fresh roma tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic and a little jalapeno and pile that pico high to sneak in an extra serving of veggies. Try it on eggs, over chicken, or mixed with brown rice and kidney beans for a satisfying meatless Mexican filling. (more…)

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Kelly

Peanut and Nut Butter Recall Due to Salmonella Risk Announced by FDA

If you’ve purchase peanut or other nut butters from Kroger, Safeway, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods recently, you may want to toss it before you eat any of it. Nut butter producer nSPIRED Natural Foods, Inc. announced on August 19 they are voluntarily recalling many of their products.

nut butter

The recall came about after routine testing by the FDA showed evidence of salmonella in the company’s nut butter products. Prior to FDA testing, the company received reports of four people falling ill that may be related to consuming products contaminated with salmonella.

Brands under the recall include:

Arrowhead Mills Peanut Butters

MaraNatha Almond Butters and Peanut Butters

Whole Foods private label

Trader Joe’s private label

Kroger private label

Safeway private label

The FDA has a full list of brands and products affected on their website.

Most of the products under the recall have a sell-by date between December 2024 and June 2024. They were sold in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and the Dominican Republic. (more…)

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Elizabeth

The Great Gatsby Recipe Guide: 10 Party Foods Inspired by the Roaring Twenties

The roaring twenties will no doubt be a theme of many a summer party this year as The Great Gatsby film release has everyone reconnecting with this classic novel that embodies one of the most fabulous periods in our history. When most people think of the 1920s in the U.S. they think of the flappers, Prohibition, gangsters, and jazz. What people often overlook are the great advancements in home cooking and recipe development during this period. A comprehensive listing of the top rated diet plans can be seen when you click the link here.

gatsby

The availability of “sliced bread,” refrigerators, and other convenience foods that are dogged today helped (mostly) women spend 44 hours each week in their kitchens preparing meals. By 1965, women were only spending 25.7 hours per week cooking, and research in 2024 revealed women today spend only 13 hours each week on all household chores.

If you plan on hosting a Great Gatsby party this summer, you’ll want to dress the part of course, but the food can play a major role in pulling together the theme. If healthy is your goal, stick to the recipes we’re sharing. But if authenticity is most important, you’ll appreciate the homemade, healthified versions of many of these processed foods that are still popular today.

Thai Blueberry Old Fashion

old fashioned with blueberries

Alcohol was banned for much of the 1920s during a period known as Prohibition, but that didn’t keep the booze from flowing. The Old Fashion, a tart whiskey-based cocktail, was a creation of this decade that we still raise a glass to today. Guests will easily celebrate with this jazzed up version with fresh blueberries and a Truvia simple syrup. See what diets were rated as the best when you follow the link here.

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Posted on May 15, 2023 by Natalie K

Food Blogger Spotlight: Brittany Barr of Barr and Table

I’ve been loving our new food blogger spotlight series more and more as it’s allowed me to branch out and meet new healthy bloggers I would’ve otherwise never known about. One such new-to-me face is Brittany Barr of Barr and Table, who just happens to be an amazingly talented recipe developer with a healthy dose of personality and passion for fitness. I found myself scouring her recipes page and was hooked right away!

If you visit Barr and Table expect to find healthy, creative recipes for breakfast, post-workout snacks, and filling, simple week-night meals. We recently spoke with Brittany about her blog and her approach to health and fitness. Here’s what she had to say. (more…)

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Dana

Chia Bar Battle and a “No Bake Cookie” Chia Bar Recipe

Not all chia seed bars are made equal. We realized this in a recent taste test where we faced Health Warrior Chia Bars with Chi Innovations Chi Bars to see which one came out on top.

So what’s the big deal about chia seeds? For starters, one 16 ounce bag contains the same amount of Omega-3 fatty acids as 10 pounds of salmon. Yes, 10! As Health Warrior points out, Omega-3s are essential for brain function and cell and tissue growth. One pound of chia seeds also contains the same amount of protein as three pounds of tofu, and the same amount of fiber as four pounds of oatmeal. That’s a lot of nutrients in a tiny package.

Our competitors both tout the superfood chia seed as their star ingredient, but beyond that the two brands are worlds apart. Let’s dig into what makes them unique. (more…)

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Dana

4 New Ways to Shake up Your Snack Routine

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., TheBestLife.com lead nutritionist

I snack on the same stuff that I recommend to clients and readers: fruit, yogurt, lattes, nuts, carrots and other raw vegetables. But I also concoct more offbeat snacks that I don’t tend to recommend because they might seem too weird or too health-foody to someone just coming off a potato-chips-and-snack-cake habit. I figure you DietsInReview.com readers have seen it all…and might even enjoy some of these yourselves.

Numi Organic Savory tea (5 calories; available at Whole Foods)

Nutrition highlight: the Broccoli Cilantro has 90 percent of the Daily Value for calcium and the Beet Cabbage has 20 percent (I haven’t tried the four other flavors yet)

How to: Steep teabags in boiling water for 10 minutes. (more…)

Posted on March 15, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

The Doctors Discuss the Peanut Butter Recall and Roseanne’s Bid for President

Tune in Wednesday, October 24 as The Doctors talk peanut butter, health headlines, and Roseanne Barr’s campaign for president.

The peanut butter recall, traced to products manufactured by Sunland Inc., has infected 36 so far, although no fatalities have been reported. Most were children, and eight people required hospitalization. The Doctors talk about what products are recalled, from ice cream to granola bars to peanut butter moon pies.

Next on The Doctors are shocking health headlines that may make you cringe. They examine new health dilemmas caught on tape, like the bagel head documentary, Japan’s beauty trend that injects saline into people’s skin to make a temporary bagel shape appear on their forehead. (more…)

Posted on October 22, 2023 by SarahS

Trader Joe’s Peanut Butters Recalled Due to Salmonella Risk

If peanut butter is your jam, be on the lookout for some recalls this week. Last Friday, Trader Joe’s made headlines when it announced a voluntary recall of its Salted Valencia Peanut Butter on suspicioun of it containing a rare strain of salmonella. 

Since then, Trader Joe’s peanut butter producer, Sunland Inc., has followed suit after several people were reported sick.

The company recalled all of the nut-based spreads it sells to other companies, including Target’s Archer Farms and Earth Balance.

The nut butter recall initially included only peanut and almond butter, but was extended to include cashew butter, tahini, and roasted blanched peanut products manufactured between May 1, 2024 and September 24, 2024.

As reported by the NPR’s ‘The Salt,’ the recall was initiated after Sunland learned that 29 people were reported having the illness Salmonella Bredeny PFGE in approximately 18 states. Those states included Washington, California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maryland, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Dana

5 Healthy After-School Snacks for Your Kids

By Kiera S. Campbell, author of “Yummy Healthy Tummy”

You finished survived your back-to-school shopping for your kids. Now that they’re completely school-bound, why not plan on nutritious and easy-to-make snacks when they get home from school?

The temptation to serve packaged snacks can be overpowering when your youngsters beg for sugary treats with their pleading eyes, but do not succumb. Here are five healthy after-school snacks that your kids will love.

Frozen Bananas. No kid can resist the sight of a Popsicle-skewered frozen banana (pre-rolled in yogurt and rice cereal or any crunchy cereal). Have these awesome treats ready for your tot to satisfy his sweet tooth. The idea of sweet treats at the end of his kiddie-sized version of a “grueling school day” may look appealing to him. Serve frozen bananas instead of the traditional processed chocolate chip cookies.

Also Try: One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream (more…)

Posted on August 9, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Manhattan Mud Oatmeal Cookies with NY Superfoods Chia Kind Butter

We get a lot of yummy stuff sent to us. I mean, sometimes the office looks like the world’s healthiest pantry. We’re not complaining by any means! But once in a while we get something that we can’t wait to share with you. This week was one of those times, when a box from New York Super Foods arrived full of their ChiaKindButter. One bite was all we needed to be downright obsessed!


Catherine and Jason met at a 10K and fell in love. Then, with a mutual love for natural foods that taste good they launched New York Super Foods, which makes a variety of products using chia seeds, which are just about one of the healthiest things you can eat. They have hydration properties, loads of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, they are high in fiber, and have a delightful little crunch that’s perfect in just about anything you add them to. Like their Chia Chargers.

Chia Chargers were their answer to a healthy, natural, great-tasting post-workout snack. When no one else offered what they wanted, they made it themselves, and they were such a hit they started selling them. They have four flavors: original granola flavor, xpresso, agave nectar, and paprika. Dense, filling, and chewy, they’re completely satisfying and one little 100-calorie nugget is all you need. The ingredients are completely recognizable and include things like chia seeds, peanut butter, agave nectar, sunflower seeds, blueberries, oats, and cranberries. (more…)

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Natalie K

Top 7 Healthy Foods to Keep in Your Tornado Survival Pack

Now that it’s spring, mother nature is reminding us just how much power she can bring by hitting several states with tornados. Officials say this is only the beginning of what looks to be a very busy tornado season.

If you live in an area where tornado activity is possible and if you haven’t already, you must get a tornado survival pack prepared. It doesn’t take a lot of time and most items are around your house already. If you ever do find yourself in a severe storm with the potential of tornados, you’re going to be very thankful you prepared ahead of time.

Your list should include obvious things like a flashlight, radio, batteries and medical supplies. But you should also include nonperishable snacks and food. You may think tossing in some twinkies is good enough, but if you do find yourself dealing with a disaster your body is going to need good nutrition to maintain your immune system and health. So what are some healthy items to keep in your survival pack? I thought you would never ask. I have come up with seven healthy items you must include. (more…)

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Kristina