peanut butter (1 Viewer)

[Micah Cohen]

My name is Micah, and I am an addict. ("Hello, Micah.")

I am addicted to JIF. Choosey moms choose it, ya know? But, JIF, usually bought in bulk at Sams, has become verboten in my house. My wife, who is the FDA of this household, says it contains "hydrogenated oils." These apparently cause instant death. My JIF is killing me in a jiffy.

But... nothing equals that first whiff of a fresh new jar of JIF. You peel that foil top off, and the peanutty scent bubbles up to your nose, and you can taste it even before you dunk your Hershey's bar into it and scoop up a big beige wad of smooth peanutty... Sorry, eh hem.

We have tried to replace my JIF with "more natural" brands, specifically without "hydrogenated oils." We tried Smucker's Natural (smooth), which you have to stir, you know? It's definitely good and peanutty, but it's also grainy and has the consistency of drying spackle. This graininess makes it no fun to scoop or smooth onto flimsy, unhealthy bread. Then, we tried something called "JIF Natural," which was smooth and really deliciously sweet, and apparently has no "hydrogenated oils." ("I'd eat that," my wife grants.)

The problem now is that I notice on the JIF Natural label the notation: "Contains 90% peanuts." Er, ninety percent? Even the "bad" JIF doesn't say that on its label. In fact, no other peanut butter product I have seen has a notation like that!

What's the other 10%? And how am I supposed to feel secure in my peanut buttery goodness with that 10% of unknown stuff hanging over my head?

Aside from grinding my own, which I could do if I were less lazy, what peanut butter should I be eating? What peanut butter are you addicted to? Is there a creamy natural peanut butter that is not grainy and spackley like the Smuckers? What the heck is the "10% other stuff" in my JIF Natural?

MC

 

[Kevin Hewell]

What does the ingredient list say on the label?

 

[KeithAP]

The trans-fats in peanut butter are not a problem. You can google and find several stories about it. Try this one:

http://www.peanut-institute.org/070303_PR.html

Enjoy your Jif, if not your wife.

-Keith

 

[Malcolm R]

Husbands shouldn't believe everything their wives tell them.

 

[Jay H]

I'm a Skippy SuperChunk fan! But I am an equal opportunity peanut butter eater too myself. Peanut Butter ice cream, PBJ, Peanut Butter brownies, yum...

I don't know why one would want to buy what Choosy Moms choose! I wish Moms to be flexible and understanding.

Jay

 

[Micah Cohen]

Mmm. Mmmm, mmm. Hold on. My mouth... you know... peanut butter. Mmmm.

The ingredients of this "Natural JIF" are: "Roasted peanuts, sugar, contains 2% or less of: palm oil, salt, molasses."

So, why only "90% peanuts"? It's 8% sugar?

Mmmmm.

MmmmmmC.

 

[Todd_B]

I enjoy the Krogers brand of all natural PB. Its good and cheap. Ingredients being peanuts and salt Also a lot of stores now have places where you can grind your own on the spot.

You may also give the myriad of other 'nutbutters' a whirl. Almond butter being my fav..

Enjoy!

 

[Trekchick]

My favourite power trip to take with me on bike rides:

tortilla shell
spread peanut butter on half of the shell
Top with either honey or marmalade(not jam or jelly because they bleed)
fold in half then in half again forming a 1/4 with two layers of peanut butter and honey/marmalade.

No worries about smashing bread in a lunch pail or in your pocket on the go.
Makes a great power snack when you're on a long bike trip or powder day on the mountain that demands skipping lunch!

That tiny corner is an amazing last bite.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

I'm pretty sure regular JIF has that much sugar in it too. Here's the ingredients list:

MADE FROM ROASTED PEANUTS AND SUGAR. CONTAINS 2 PERCENT OR LESS OF: MOLASSES, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES AND SALT.

The "2 percent or less" disclaimer doesn't include sugars other than molasses, and the serving size of 32 grams has 3 grams of sugar, or about 9.3%.

www.jif.com/products/details.asp

 

[Micah Cohen]

RAPESEED!



Hmmm. No wonder...




MC

 

[Jeff Gatie]

At least it isn't hydrogenated rapeseed oil.

 

[nolesrule]

Originally Posted by Todd_B

You may also give the myriad of other 'nutbutters' a whirl. Almond butter being my fav..

I've made my own cashew butter using Alton Brown's recipe (it's a sub-recipe of his cashew sauce). Yum!

 

[Brian W. Ralston]

Seriously...be careful in eating too much of any one food. I too use to be "addicted" to peanut butter. I loved the stuff. I went through phases. Sometimes JIF...sometimes Skippy...sometimes smooth, sometimes chunky. I had a peanut butter sandwich almost every day, especially in college. It was easy, tasty, etc...Peanut butter and banana Sanwich. Peanut Butter and Knott's Boysenberry Preserves sandwich...Peanut Butter warmed on Toast....everything. Then guess what?

After a near lifetime of eating peanuts and peanut butter through my entire teen years and into my mid 20's, the Peanut Butter gods I guess felt I was taking too much and wammo...one day...I became allergic to peanuts. Yep. It was anaphylactic in nature...but I was able to stop it with some benedryl. It scared me. I was a pre-med person at the time. Very in tune with what my body was experiencing. I thought...wow! That couldn't have been from Peanut butter, could it?

On the careful advise of my doctor and armed with the epi-pen and when I was not alone...a week later. I tried again to confirm what I had just discovered. I ate a spoon full of peanut butter.

Oh man...this one was a MUCH worse reaction. Not only was my body breaking out in hives in minutes...projectile vomiting it out along with a windpipe that was closing...it was not good. BUT...we stopped it.

NEVER AGAIN.

The lesson: I did it to myself. I ate so much of the stuff...my body became allergic to it.

Food allergies that are developed in this way can usually go away over a long period of abstaining from the offending food. This was over a decade ago for me. But guess what? It was so bad to the point...I don't want to even take a chance again. No peanuts, or peanut butter for me. And just to be safe, I now avoid ALL nuts cause I am not willing to experiment again.

Just sharing my story to other peanut butter addicts out there.

Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.

 

[ChristopherG]

Wow, Brian, that is some crazy story. I had no idea that this sort of thing could happen.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Can you become allergic to beer? Because that would suck.

 

[drobbins]

Mmmm.. Peanut Butter

 

[Micah Cohen]

Oh my god, Brian... Now I'm actually frightened! What if... ?

Every day I have to have a small piece of chocolate (keeps the big pieces at bay) and MAYBE a little peanut butter, sometimes I accomplish this at one time. Sometimes I only do one, sometimes only the other. But, rarely does a day go by when I don't at least TASTE some chocolate and some peanut butter. I'm talking just a taste (not even anything that would characterized as "a bite").

Am I over-indulging?!

I drink a lot of coffee and iced tea and water... Could I get allergic to these things?

Now I'm terrified! (No sarcasm.)

MC

 

[Marianne]

The 8 most common food allergies are:

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_allergy

The most common food allergies are:


Dairy allergyEgg allergyPeanut allergyTree nut allergySeafood allergyShellfish allergySoy allergyWheat allergyThese are often referred to as "the big eight."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_allergy#cite_note-9 They account for over 90% of the food allergies in the United States.

 

[Brian W. Ralston]

Micah,

My story was not intended to scare you. But since you describe how much you love it...it was meant to be just a warning and suggestion to not over indulge sooooo much with it. One can indeed develop food allergies by eating too much of any one food. And we never really know how our bodies will react to things as we get older and our body chemistries change. My allergy to peanuts was developed in adulthood after years of being ok with the stuff. So...if you want to continue to enjoy it...which you should...I would just suggest to not eat it "every single" day. Save it just a little bit and it will be more of a treat throughout the week.

I just know that for myself, I am a bit sad that one of my favorite foods became toxic to me by my own doing.

 

[Micah Cohen]

I'm trying to imagine a world without peanut butter. (Let alone with the hassle of figuring out what all is made with or near peanuts, as I know people who have this condition and they must do rigorous research before ordering any food.)

Sorry man. I'm happy to be aware of this danger, tho. So, thank you.



MC