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Michael Erlewine -- Archivist Popular Culture

2 min readMay 20, 2025

By Michael Erlewine

The American diet, especially its processed foods, is riddled with salt. It’s everywhere in almost everything. I have to be careful with my salt intake, which was traced to one of my TIA ministrokes.

I have been wandering into using low-heat chili peppers like ancho and guajillo peppers which have almost zero salt, as well as no bad fats.

And if I make a vegan Chili Con Carne with kidney beans (no added salt), cans of diced tomatoes (no added salt), and chili powder made from pure ancho and guajillo peppers, I end up with a chili that is essentially salt free. And Chili peppers of all kinds, as mentioned, have almost zero salt. And I have found corn tortillas with no salt and 0% saturated fat.

The upside is that vegan chili con carne, although not salty, is very flavorful, doing the job of what salt often handles.

I favor guajillo chiles, which are the dried form of fresh mirasol chilies. Ancho chilies (dried poblano) are slightly less spicy, yet for some reason I naturally like the taste and texture of guajillo chiles. Go figure.

I like a little cheese in my Mexican cooking, but I am weaning myself from that and gradually getting used to just the flavor and effect of the dried chili powder. I am getting there. Cheese, while yummy, is not good for my health, except occasionally.

There is no question in my experience that chili peppers, because of their obvious heat, cause the brain to release endorphins, which are called the “feel-good” chemicals because they reduce pain and improve mood and wellbeing. I like to feel well.

And so, I am working on my diet.

[Midjourney graphic prompted by me.]