First of all, there are so many people I come across that are using the wrong type of peanut butter. By "wrong" I mean they are eating ingredients in their peanut butter besides just peanuts. Who wants to eat trans fat that raises your "bad" cholesterol and lowers your "good" cholesterol? Who wants to eat added sugar? Leave that to a place you know you'll find it..ice cream. At least that's what I tell myself. So why would you want that in your peanut butter? And how do you know if you're eating it? Well, you're eating it if you're using Skippy, Jif, Peter Pan, and other such generic crunchy and creamy peanut butters.
With that being said, is there hope for pb'n'j lovers out there? Of course! That's where I come in to help. You want to look for a peanut butter with very few ingredients. For example: peanuts and perhaps salt. NOT peanuts, salt, sugar, and hydrogenated oils.
One could argue you that if it's a small amt of sugar, who cares? Well I care and so should you. Avoid those items in your condiments and everyday items, and enjoy them more moderately in something you REALLY enjoy. Not just something you spread on whole grain bread.
Some brands that I LOVE which do not "rip your bread" when you spread them:
Parker's peanut butter (Formerly Parker's Farm)-Made in Coon Rapids, MN which is nice, local, and FRESH!
Trader Joe's organic natural peanut butter
Trader Joe's raw almond butter
(I can't leave out the fact that almond butter is equally delicious and that it might taste EVEN BETTER than regular peanut butter on an apple. Plus, it's packed with Vit. E and calcium.)
So there you have it, all you'll ever need to know about peanut butter. Probably more than you ever wanted to know, but I hope it helps. Hope you're having a great week!
Do any of those recommendations come without the layer of oil on top? I've tried to get past it but I can't, it freaks me out.
ReplyDeleteAs of now I eat Simply Jif which has less sugar and sodium, but still isn't perfect.
Have you ever tried making your own peanut butter? You use a Cuisinart (food processor). Get a jar of unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (the ingredients are "peanuts", no oil, nothing else). Turn on the Cuisinart and pour the peanuts in. Leave it on until it turns into peanut butter. The longer you leave it, the smoother it gets--but it'll never get as smooth as "commercial" peanut butter.
ReplyDeleteIt might bog down or get slow, but just wait it out. You can then put it in the fridge and it won't develop a layer of oil on it at all.
It's delicious, and has a lovely texture. I can't eat smooth commercial peanut butter anymore. It tastes and feels like paste. Bleh!
Try it. I guarantee you'll never go back to the commercial stuff. And it's SO yummy!
Enjoy!
Karina
Michael-That's more the Farm/Trader Joe's route. The Trader Joe's isn't quite as good (in my opinion) as the PF, but PF is made locally. : ) Try it, I know you love TJ's!
ReplyDeleteKarina-I need to do that! Now I just need to buy a food processor. How do I not have a food processor? GOOD QUESTIONS! Add that to my list! Thanks for the idea!