What is wrong with my peanut butter?

[rebecca]

My peanut butter contains 100 calories for every two tablespoons - about 50% less than most other peanut butters. Each serving has 2.5 grams of fat, compared to about 16g in most others. There are 95 mg of sodium (4% DV), 13g of carbs (4% dv), 2g of sugars, 4g of protein. It has some Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron.

Here's the kicker: my peanut butter is yummy. I haven't done a side by side comparison yet, but I don't mind buying this over "normal" peanut butters.

BUT THERE MUST BE A CATCH. I live in fear of anal leakage, or sudden infant death syndrome, or perhaps good old peanut butter-induced cancer.

"How'd she go, she was so young!" they'll cry at my funeral.

"They say t'was . . . the PEANUT BUTTER."

Here are the ingredients, reproduced exactly as on the label:
Peanuts (as defatted peanut flour and natural peanut butter), tapioca syrup, pure water, dehydrated cane juice, rice syrup, vegetable glycerin, soy flour, salt, tapioca starch, natural flavors, paprika & annatto, calcium carbonate, lecithin, vitamins E & C (antioxidants).

The question I put to you now is: how will my peanut butter kill me?

[Mojo]

Originally Posted by rebecca

The question I put to you now is: how will my peanut butter kill me?

It will fall from a high shelf onto your head.

[rebecca]

Originally Posted by Mojo

It will fall from a high shelf onto your head.

While it is true that the peanut butter jar contains one pound (16 oz) of peanut butter, I keep it in the refrigerator a mere two feet off the ground. Thank you for trying, though.

Also, this brings up another warning signal: the jar demands that it be placed in the refrigerator. I have never before kept peanut butter in the refrigerator. Something is fishy.

[Jeff Wagg]

Originally Posted by rebecca

My peanut butter contains 100 calories for every two tablespoons - about 50% less than most other peanut butters. Each serving has 2.5 grams of fat, compared to about 16g in most others. There are 95 mg of sodium (4% DV), 13g of carbs (4% dv), 2g of sugars, 4g of protein. It has some Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron.

Here's the kicker: my peanut butter is yummy. I haven't done a side by side comparison yet, but I don't mind buying this over "normal" peanut butters.

BUT THERE MUST BE A CATCH. I live in fear of anal leakage, or sudden infant death syndrome, or perhaps good old peanut butter-induced cancer.

"How'd she go, she was so young!" they'll cry at my funeral.

"They say t'was . . . the PEANUT BUTTER."

Here are the ingredients, reproduced exactly as on the label:
Peanuts (as defatted peanut flour and natural peanut butter), tapioca syrup, pure water, dehydrated cane juice, rice syrup, vegetable glycerin, soy flour, salt, tapioca starch, natural flavors, paprika & annatto, calcium carbonate, lecithin, vitamins E & C (antioxidants).

The question I put to you now is: how will my peanut butter kill me?

I don't know, but "dehydrated cane juice" sounds so much worse than "sugar." Then there are those mysterious "natural flavors." Arsenic? Cyanide? Who can say? They say cyanide smells like almonds.. almonds are sort of like peanuts..

Enjoy.

[tkingdoll]

Uh...Rebecca...what's that growing on your skin? Looks kinda like a hard, mottled shell....OH DEAR GOD!

[hgc]

rebecca, I'm glad you like your peanut butter, but that ingredient list makes me sad. I like natural peanut butter (Smucker's) because it just tastes better. Their regular creamy, 2 tbsp, has 16g fat (2.5g saturated) and only 6g carbs (1g sugar). That's 210 calories. They also have a reduced fat version, but the calories are practically the same.

How will your peanut butter kill you? If it's too sticky, it'll lodge in your throat and you'll asphyxiate. If you rub it all over your body, you'll be eaten by bears. If you shampoo with it, it'll seep into your brain. The biggest threat to your health, really, is the Wonder Bread you're spreading it on. Eat it right off the spoon like I do!

[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by rebecca

Here are the ingredients, reproduced exactly as on the label:
Peanuts (as defatted peanut flour and natural peanut butter), tapioca syrup, pure water, dehydrated cane juice, rice syrup, vegetable glycerin, soy flour, salt, tapioca starch, natural flavors, paprika & annatto, calcium carbonate, lecithin, vitamins E & C (antioxidants).

The question I put to you now is: how will my peanut butter kill me?

Looks like they removed peanut oil and replaced it with water and thickeners and such. So it is a more processed food, but does not look to have anything that jumps out at me. They just put in other viscous fluids in for the peanut oil and partialy hydrogenated vegitable oil(to keep the oil from seperating), normaly in peanut butter.

[rebecca]

Originally Posted by hgc

rebecca, I'm glad you like your peanut butter, but that ingredient list makes me sad. I like natural peanut butter (Smucker's) because it just tastes better. Their regular creamy, 2 tbsp, has 16g fat (2.5g saturated) and only 6g carbs (1g sugar). That's 210 calories. They also have a reduced fat version, but the calories are practically the same.

I'm sorry my unnatural peanut butter makes you sad. It makes me happy because it has half the calories of yours so I can eat twice as much.

Also, thank you for reminding me to add the fact that my peanut butter contains no saturated fat and no cholesterol. 20 of the calories come from fat.

Originally Posted by hgc

The biggest threat to your health, really, is the Wonder Bread you're spreading it on.

That's a good guess, but I am actually scooping it out of the jar using celery stalks. Further guesses as to how my peanut butter will kill me should focus primarily on the unholy peanut butter and not its means of conveyance.

[rebecca]

Originally Posted by ponderingturtle

Looks like they removed peanut oil and replaced it with water and thickeners and such. So it is a more processed food, but does not look to have anything that jumps out at me. They just put in other viscous fluids in for the peanut oil and partialy hydrogenated vegitable oil(to keep the oil from seperating), normaly in peanut butter.

Interesting. This certainly sounds like a benefit, but surely there must be some evil behind it, or else all the peanut butter companies would do it.

Oh, and another fact for everyone to take into consideration when calculating how my peanut butter will kill me: my peanut butter is smooth, not chunky. I did not see a chunky option.

[SteveGrenard]

Since you PB is so yummy why arn't you telling is which one it is?

[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by hgc

rebecca, I'm glad you like your peanut butter, but that ingredient list makes me sad. I like natural peanut butter (Smucker's) because it just tastes better. Their regular creamy, 2 tbsp, has 16g fat (2.5g saturated) and only 6g carbs (1g sugar). That's 210 calories. They also have a reduced fat version, but the calories are practically the same.

How will your peanut butter kill you? If it's too sticky, it'll lodge in your throat and you'll asphyxiate. If you rub it all over your body, you'll be eaten by bears. If you shampoo with it, it'll seep into your brain. The biggest threat to your health, really, is the Wonder Bread you're spreading it on. Eat it right off the spoon like I do!

Also with the reduced fat, you will get different results if you bake with it

[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by rebecca

Interesting. This certainly sounds like a benefit, but surely there must be some evil behind it, or else all the peanut butter companies would do it.

Oh, and another fact for everyone to take into consideration when calculating how my peanut butter will kill me: my peanut butter is smooth, not chunky. I did not see a chunky option.

You can always make it chunky yourself, put some peanuts in the food processor and break them up a bit and mix them in, that is how all chunky peanut butter is made.

As for why everyone doesn't do this, well it is a much more engeneered product and so has many more steps in it so it would be more expensive to produce.

[rebecca]

Originally Posted by SteveGrenard

Since you PB is so yummy why arn't you telling is which one it is?

I didn't want to be accused of shilling, but if you're curious: it's called Better'n Peanut Butter and it can be found at Trader Joe's for $3.69.

[rebecca]

Originally Posted by ponderingturtle

Also with the reduced fat, you will get different results if you bake with it

Good point, though I've never baked with peanut butter in my life. And now I never will.

[Jorghnassen]

Some mad scientist will make an artificial peanut allergy plague that'll wipe out all the peanut butter eaters of the world.

/cretons are so much better than peanut butter anyway, in every way.

[jon]

Sadly, checked the nutritional info on the peanut butter (plain ground peanuts) in my fridge. Looks like your butter has less protein (mine is 28% protein), but also less calories... Does yours fill you up as much as 'normal' peanut butter?

The way your peanut butter will kill you is when you find and swallow the one chunk of peanut they missed

[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by rebecca

Good point, though I've never baked with peanut butter in my life. And now I never will.

On the whole it seems best to not think of your peanut butter as peanut butter, but rather peanut flavored sandwich spread.

[rebecca]

Originally Posted by jon

Sadly, checked the nutritional info on the peanut butter (plain ground peanuts) in my fridge. Looks like your butter has less protein (mine is 28% protein), but also less calories... Does yours fill you up as much as 'normal' peanut butter?

The way your peanut butter will kill you is when you find and swallow the one chunk of peanut they missed

The peanut butter appears to fill me up rather well, though it's tough to tell because just after eating it I had a giant slice of cake and a piece of fudge.

On an unrelated note, I think I'm going to barf.







edited to add for Lisa Simpson:

[rebecca]

Also, I don't know what 28% protein means. How many grams is that?

[casebro]

Sounds to me like they have found a marketing gimmick to sell the leftovers after making peanut oil. You know, that "defatted peanut flour" that was previously sold to the pig farmers? The comparably lower protein content is probably due to the dilution of all the additives like DihydrogenOxide, tapioca and other sludge. It sounds about as natural as modern ice cream, what with all those gums and starchs that were NOT in my ganny's recipe.

Hey, If I want to eat gums and starches, I'll buy a bag of Gummi Worms, lots more fun.

[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by casebro

Sounds to me like they have found a marketing gimmick to sell the leftovers after making peanut oil. You know, that "defatted peanut flour" that was previously sold to the pig farmers? The comparably lower protein content is probably due to the dilution of all the additives like DihydrogenOxide, tapioca and other sludge. It sounds about as natural as modern ice cream, what with all those gums and starchs that were NOT in my ganny's recipe.

Like I said it really isn't peanut butter, but peanut flavored sandwich spread

[Almo]

Several-year-old peanut butter is horrible. Don't ever eat any.

[ZirconBlue]

Originally Posted by rebecca

My peanut butter contains 100 calories for every two tablespoons - about 50% less than most other peanut butters. Each serving has 2.5 grams of fat, compared to about 16g in most others. There are 95 mg of sodium (4% DV), 13g of carbs (4% dv), 2g of sugars, 4g of protein. It has some Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron.

Here's the kicker: my peanut butter is yummy. I haven't done a side by side comparison yet, but I don't mind buying this over "normal" peanut butters.

BUT THERE MUST BE A CATCH. I live in fear of anal leakage, or sudden infant death syndrome, or perhaps good old peanut butter-induced cancer.

"How'd she go, she was so young!" they'll cry at my funeral.

"They say t'was . . . the PEANUT BUTTER."

Here are the ingredients, reproduced exactly as on the label:
Peanuts (as defatted peanut flour and natural peanut butter), tapioca syrup, pure water, dehydrated cane juice, rice syrup, vegetable glycerin, soy flour, salt, tapioca starch, natural flavors, paprika & annatto, calcium carbonate, lecithin, vitamins E & C (antioxidants).

The question I put to you now is: how will my peanut butter kill me?

I've been using Smart Balance Peanut Butter. It contains "Peanuts, natural oil blend (flaxseed and palm fruit oils), salt, molasses". It still has 200 calories and 17g of fat, but those are broken down into:

2.5g saturated
2g polyunsaturated
12g monounsaturated fats (1000mg of Omega-3)

Plus 6g of carbs and 7g of protein. Complete Nutrition label can be found here. It tastes good, has no transfats, and doesn't require refrigeration.

[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by ZirconBlue

I've been using Smart Balance Peanut Butter. It contains "Peanuts, natural oil blend (flaxseed and palm fruit oils), salt, molasses". It still has 200 calories and 17g of fat, but those are broken down into:

2.5g saturated
2g polyunsaturated
12g monounsaturated fats (1000mg of Omega-3)

Plus 6g of carbs and 7g of protein. Complete Nutrition label can be found here. It tastes good, has no transfats, and doesn't require refrigeration.

Does it seperate much?

[fuelair]

Originally Posted by ponderingturtle

Does it seperate much?

28% protein means if your Pb weighs 16 ounces then 4.5 ounces are protein.

Refrigerate to prevent seperation and (no preservatives) decay and rancidity.

Under normal circumstances you should have no death fears from it.

[Starthinker]

I just buy raw peanuts and chew them until they are suitable for spreading on bread.

[Dazed]

What's wrong with wonderbread?

Wait.. Do I even want to know this?

[Ririon]

*Ririon looks at the ingredient list on his own peanut butter*:

100 % peanuts.

Short and sweet. No worries.

Now, if I could only find some grape jelly (or even strawberry jelly) in this country.

[hgc]

Originally Posted by Dazed

What's wrong with wonderbread?

Wait.. Do I even want to know this?

It's best to get your carbs packaged with fiber. Whole grain bread is the way to go.

[CriticalThanking]

Originally Posted by Ririon

Now, if I could only find some grape jelly (or even strawberry jelly) in this country.

What - you don't like lingonberries? Or whatever small, tart berries grow there in the 5 minutes of summer?

CT

[ZirconBlue]

Originally Posted by ponderingturtle

Does it seperate much?

Very little. I think the palm oil keeps it all together. It specifically says on the label it doesn't require refrigeration. I love the taste of the 100% peanut stuff, but you either have to choose the hassle of stirring forever to reincorporate it or the hassle of trying to spread cold peanut butter. The Smart Balance stuff occasionally gets a little bit of oil that needs to be stirred in, but nothing like "natural" peanut butter.

[Wowbagger]

Originally Posted by rebecca

it's called Better'n Peanut Butter and it can be found at Trader Joe's for $3.69.

Yes, I've had that peanut butter! And I can tell you, from experience, exactly how it will end up killing you! (If you are ready to hear this):

You are going to get so hopelessly addicted to this peanut butter, that you will insist on eating nothing else, besides it! You will ultimately die from malnourishment, but your corpse will probably eventually spawn a peanut tree or two.

I've seen it happen. It's not pretty. But I'm afraid that shall be your fate, unless you are immortal like I am.

[RSLancastr]

I was going to start a parody thread titled "What is wrong with my William Shatner?" but decided it would be too "inside."

[jon]

Originally Posted by rebecca

Also, I don't know what 28% protein means. How many grams is that?

per hundred grams, there's 28g protein, 51g fat and 13g carbohydrate. Not entirely sure how many grams of peanut butter are in a tablespoon...

[jon]

Originally Posted by Ririon

*Ririon looks at the ingredient list on his own peanut butter*:

100 % peanuts.

Short and sweet. No worries.

Now, if I could only find some grape jelly (or even strawberry jelly) in this country.

I know, I somehow feel that because my peanut butter's pure peanuts it's relatively healthy. More than half fat, though, and a good amount of carbs on top of that Compared to that, streaky bacon or belly pork is probably fairly lean; not so good with banana, though...and I was wanting to put on some weight anyway

[Mojo]

Originally Posted by rebecca

Something is fishy.

That would be the salmon jerky.

[rebecca]

I'm fascinated by how many skeptics here buy into the whole "natural" versus "unnatural" thing -- I like eating things with just a few ingredients, too, but in this case my peanut butter has a crap load of ingredients but none of them are apparently deadly, it tastes delicious, contains less fat and calories than any other peanut butter, and still it's somehow not as good as just pure peanuts. WTF!

And Mojo: LET IT GO! The salmon jerky is delicious.

At least Wowbagger understands.

[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by ZirconBlue

Very little. I think the palm oil keeps it all together. It specifically says on the label it doesn't require refrigeration. I love the taste of the 100% peanut stuff, but you either have to choose the hassle of stirring forever to reincorporate it or the hassle of trying to spread cold peanut butter. The Smart Balance stuff occasionally gets a little bit of oil that needs to be stirred in, but nothing like "natural" peanut butter.

Oh yea if I remember correctly palm oil is the only fully saturate fat that is liquid at room temperature, that might have something to do with it.

[Terry]

Originally Posted by rebecca

Also, thank you for reminding me to add the fact that my peanut butter contains no saturated fat and no cholesterol. 20 of the calories come from fat.

No peanut butter has cholesterol. Unless the adulterate it with lard or something in this weird-ass country I seem to have moved to...

[Hamradioguy]

Originally Posted by rebecca

The question I put to you now is: how will my peanut butter kill me?

Aflatoxin! Can't recall the risk of this but it's real. I used to compare the risks of eating peanut butter to living next door to a nuclear plant. The PB risk was significantly higher. (A fact I never fail to mention when purchasing my favorite freshly ground PB from the local health food store. The checkout folks hate to see me coming their way.....)