"natural peanut butter" news and stories

Even with all the media surrounding peanut allergies in kids, peanut butter still remains tops when it comes to sandwiches. Newsday put the eternal question to the test with 11 kids and got the answer to "What is the best peanut butter?" They tested 16 brands of peanut butter including store brands like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and also controlled for crunchy and creamy preferences by testing them separately.

So who won out? As much as parents would love to have kids prefer natural peanut butters, national brand Skippy took first place in both creamy and crunchy categories, followed closely by Peter Pan and then Jif. For the full results, and more information about peanut butter in general, check out the Newsday article.

Whether you like them or not, there is no escaping the fact that natural peanut butters are healthier than their more processed counterparts because they contain no trans-fats. It can be hard to decide on a brand when you have reached for the same Skippy or Jif brands for so many years. EatingWell magazine took the time to review several brands and the health-conscious taste testers - ranging from a toddler to an attorney - picked their favorites:

• Nut ‘N Better Organic: Creamy - Smooth and silky, this peanut butter is sold under the Safeway Organics "O" brand.
• Smucker’s Natural: Creamy - With a very peanutty flavor, this brand was named "the crunchy-lover's smooth" and can be found in most grocery stores.

 

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This just in, if you ain't on the all natural peanut butter train, and you're eating all that "normal" stuff like Jiff, Skippy, or Peter Pan, then you are headed for trouble. They've got trans fatty acids, and that's no good. Time to smarten up and stir that oil that's separated to the top.

The fats you don't have to stir in are no longer "good" fats, which are what peanuts have before the Man starts hydrogenating them, these good ones are the monounsaturated fats. They are the Annakin Skywalker of fats. Hyrdogenation is the corrupting process by which the good fats become the bad. The reasons for hydrogenation are many -- but the main one here is the separation anxiety.