The Peanut Butter Experiment

Because of the knowledge I gained from my South Beach Diet trial, I have been paying closer attention to the foods I consume. I now look at not only the nutrition information, but more importantly the ingredients on the labels in order to A. know what exactly I am putting into my body and B. make sure it is not one of the hidden ingredients that secretly makes people FAT!

Since peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite foods, I realized it was very necessary to see if this favorite of mine is as healthy as it is rumored to be.

I started my "experiment" by switching from my usual Jif/Skippy, reduced-fat, creamy/chunky peanut butter to strictly (at least according to the label) "Natural." Before I really knew what "natural peanut butter" constituted, I selected Skippy Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter.

I decided on this peanut butter as my new natural choice because of its claim to eliminate the drippiness of natural peanut butter with the added palm oil. The ingredients were only roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, and salt. Since it didn't contain the hydrogenated oils and corn syrup that my non-natural peanut butters had contained in the past, I believed the label that this peanut butter was 100% Natural.

However, I was wrong. Natural peanut butter only contains one ingredient. Can you guess it? Peanuts. So, I had to go on a new quest which consisted of A. finding the best way to get rid of this faux-natural peanut butter and B. find a natural peanut butter that didn't scare me away because of its drippy and flavorless consistency. The first part was easy (I ate it :x). The second part brought me to the peanut butter section of an aisle at the grocery store. I decided to go with Smuckers because it was apparent that my good old friend Skippy lied about being natural. I found a natural peanut butter (with no salt added) and decided to give it a try.

I first put it in the refrigerator in hopes of eliminating the drippiness. When I opened it a few hours later, the top was still sort of liquidy (which is yuck), so I stirred it. The thing about all-natural peanut butter, I am learning, is that it is much different from regular. So if you are not adventurous, the real stuff may not be for you. After stirring a lot, I tried some and got a mouthful of liquidy, peanutty oil. So I stirred some more and dug into the bottom where it felt more solid, and I tried again. This time, I actually enjoyed it! Though it is definitely not as sweet as the enhanced stuff, it is still very flavorful. If you can get past the absence of those unnatural flavors, it will definitely suffice either on a piece of celery, an apple, or even by itself for some people.

So, if you are also looking for ways to improve your eating habits, start by paying attention to ingredients on labels. If one of your favorite foods has a bunch of big words that you don't really understand in it, then chances are it isn't that great for you. You are in luck if you can find a healthier alternative! If you can't, then you probably shouldn't be eating it anyway :)

x Riana