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10 Peanut Butter Facts

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Peanut butter in a jar.
Image via Wikipedia

You’ve probably heard about the most recent Salmonella outbreak. The culprit this time seems to be a batch of infected peanut butter, of all things. In his blog, Bill Marler deduces that the most probable cause is rodent or bird poop finding it’s way into a mix at the manufacturing facility.

While this is an unfortunate incident, don’t let it deter you from enjoying the many health benefits of peanuts and peanut butter.

Now for some interesting peanut facts, nutrition and buying tips.

What you need to know:

1. Americans consume 700 million pounds of peanut butter annually, about three pounds per person!

2. Peanuts are technically legumes (like beans), not nuts.

3. One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

4. Peanuts are a new world food, probably originating in Brazil and working their way up to Mexico. The Aztecs mashed them into a paste as early as 500 years ago.

5. 75% of homes in the US have a peanut butter jar.

6. 60% of the peanuts in the US are grown in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Half are used for peanut butter.

7. Peanuts are rich in monounsaturated fats, which help reduce the risk of heart disease.

8. Peanut butter is a good  source of  protein. Just 2 tablespoon’s worth provide more than 10% of the daily recommended value. Those same 2 Tablepoons also provide 200 calories.

9. Peanut butter is also a good source of  vitamins B3 and E, magnesium, folate, and dietary fiber.

10. Animals like it too. Peanut butter is considered an effective bait for mouse traps. (hmmn … maybe this explains the salmonella?)

What to do at the supermarket:

Look for peanut butter with no hydrogenated oils (code for trans fat). Sugar should not be an ingredient either. You’ll get enough sweet from the jelly in your sandwich instead. The ideal ingredient list includes just one item – peanuts.

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  • http://www.marlerblog.com Bill Marler

    People get Salmonella Typhimurium from eating Peanut Butter, Minnesota points the finger at King Nut, who points the finger at Peanut Corporation of America, so what is next?

    Minnesota Department of Health announces late Friday that the have linked thirty illnesses ( and a death) to the consumption of King Nut Peanut Butter (and Parnell’s Pride?). There is nothing on the CDC website or other State Health Department sites naming names – yet. On Saturday King Nut and the FDA jointly release a recall notification, but King Nut blames the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) for its problem. PCA’s lawyers write a press release that tries to deny as much as possible.

    So, what is next? Here are a few ideas (not in any particular order) that the companies involved and the government should do Monday morning:

    1. Make sure ALL product is promptly recalled;

    2. Do not destroy any documents;

    3. The companies should pay the medical bills and all related expenses of the innocent victims and their families;

    4. The companies should pay the cost of all related Health Department, CDC and FDA investigations;

    5. Provide all bacterial and viral testing of all recalled product and any other tested product (before and after recall);

    6. Release all inspection reports on the plants by any Governmental Entity or Third-party Auditor;

    7. Release all Salmonella safety precautions taken by either King Nut or Peanut Corporation of America – especially after the 2007 Salmonella Peanut Butter Outbreak;

    8. Provide the public with the Epidemiological investigation (with names redacted), so it is clear who knew what and when about the likely source of the outbreak; and,

    9. Show the public what is being done to prevent the next outbreak.

    Taking these steps will go a long way in convincing us that food safety and consumer confidence is of primary importance both to the companies and the government.

  • Hopey789

    yes  i love peanutbutter i love it more than i love cows!!!!!!!!! but i still love four-wheelers better like the yamaha yfz 450 hahaha but peanutbutter is still awesome

  • Helen

    Chocolate and peanut butter go together like peas and carrots.  I mix organic dark cocoa powder and honey in my all natural peanut butter, sometimes adding walnuts or almonds. Keep in the frig. Super good and healthy for a snack anytime. Just need a spoon………

  • Gary

    its a load of shit

  • Michaela

    I appreciate the information contained in this article, and I have one suggestion: When talking about the health benefits of a food, starting with a story about that food that will gross people out is not the way to go!

  • mamatha basappa

    The fresh grinding of peanut butter like in Whole Foods, is it a better option to the bottled ones?

  • Leslie Settles

    I love Krema brand peanut butter. One ingredient: Peanuts

  • http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/ parisbreakfast

    So easy to make yr own peanut butter
    Just buy ‘roasted’ Valencia peanuts to skip oil and roasting step and process
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDNxGBFt0mU

  • Edogg

    Try Joseph’s peanut butter sold at Whole Foods. It contains no salt or added sugar. It’s made from all natural roasted valencia peanuts! So good and yummy!!

  • http://www.efficientarticlemarketing.com/ AnneM.

    I was amaze that peanut butter is made from legumes and not from nuts. This post has been really interesting, particularly, i love peanut butter.

  • http://www.cellulitetreatmentscenter.com/ Info

    I love peanut butter. No matter how much I try not to include it in my diet, I just can’t resist it.

  • Troublecook

    my grandfather’s 90th birthday lunch was peanut butter and jelly  how can u beat that!! at time I have a good mood for the same thing  time to time and i’m 60  and no complains! It bring the childhood to you by like ten to twenty yrs smile  best use blueberry with !! and toasted bread  means heavens!

  • Winterjazz

    Skippy’s “Creamy” peanut butter is the best! No hydrogenated oils, only like six ingredients (nothing fishy), and it is yummo!

    I love to use 1/2 a tablespoon of it on a delicious homemade wheat roll for lunch. :)

    • Thmp

      its has hydrogenated oils (cottonseed,soybean, and rapeseed) which means it does have a small amount of trans fat

      • Nancy

        Use Teddie’s Natural, peanuts and salt, or if preferred just peanuts.

  • Funguscancer

    Peanuts grow in the soil are have a great deal of fungus attached. Almond butter is healthier due to this.

  • Ayanna

    I love peanut butter. It’s my favorite, and it turns out to be kinda healthy

  • rspens

    It states that peanut butter is a “good source of protein” since “just 2 tablespoon’s worth provide more than 10% of the daily recommended value.”

    That sounds great until you think about it a little more. To get your complete daily recommended amount of protein from peanut butter you’d have to eat 20 tablespoon’s worth (which would be 2000 calories before you eat anything else).

  • Pat C

    Peanut butter can be addicting! I buy Soy Butter and Almond Butter; both similar to p’nut butter, with fewer fat grams!!

    • Nancy

      Soy is a genetically modified crop and implicated in estrogen problems.

  • Spideyinperu

    who writes these blogs???? idiots!  full of mistakes…..everyone do research on everything you read on the web.

  • Sharen

    Peanuts (along with corn and potatoes) are 3 of the most fungally infested crops.  The fungi create mycotoxins which are deadly to our bodies, and may be behind many of the diseases and ailments which afflict us nowadays. Source: knowthecause.com; also phmiracleliving.com.
    Almonds, on the other hand are safe to eat.
    I am not, nor do I proclaim myself to be an expert, so please don’t argue with me, just go to the above mentioned websites to research it further.
    Thank you.

    • Nancy

      Almond in the raw state are poisonous.

  • Tess

    If peanuts are legumes and people with peanut allergies can eat legumes, why can’t they eat peanuts??

    • Nancy

      Cuz there the same dopes who won’t vaccinate their healthy kids. Endangering a hundred years of progress in eliminating serious complication from contagious diseases.

  • Wellness Warrior

    Also, peanuts/peanut butter are high in several toxins: lectins, associated with autoimmune disease and possibly obesity (check out Wikipedia for a brief explanation). 
    Peanuts are usually contaminated with a carcinogenic liver toxin, a mold called ”Aspergillus flavus” (Wikipedia again).  Besides this, they are one of the most highly allergenic foods in the United States.Other nuts are much higher on my list, like freshly shelled walnuts and macadamia nuts. Sorry, peanuts and Jimmy Carter!

  • Rachel

    Love, love, love, love. I can’t get enough. True there are health benefits and drawbacks to peanut-butter (as with nearly all foods), but to be honest it is one of the best sweet treats! (With moderation as always, and in its natural form–no h-oils!). Plus it’s a MAJOR benefit to those of us (hello!) who are allergic to other nuts, and can’t receive their nutrients. GO PEANUT BUTTER!

  • SpooNMan x

    This sounds like a very ANTI-Peanut Butter article disguised as “facts”.. Hmm…

    With lines like this:
    “8. Peanut butter is a good source of protein. Just 2 tablespoon’s
    worth provide more than 10% of the daily recommended value. Those same 2
    Tablepoons also provide 200 calories.”

    A good source of protein? Only 10% of a daily value and 200 calories doesn’t sound all that good to me.

  • chris

    Should you balance the article and also talk about what companies add to peanut butter to make it more sellable? No mention of hydrogenation in here.

  • chris

    oops, sorry, I saw the 3 small lines at the end with the cautions.

  • Rob314

    Try PB2 as well. It’s a powdered peanut butter product that you just add water to and make your own peanut butter to your desired consistency. Only 45 calories for 2 tbsps

  • nuitgoddess

    Avoid peanuts if you suffer from hypothyroid disease.

  • SweetPea

    If you haven’t tried the PB 2 you are missing out. It is awesome! It is powdered peanut butter and I use it in almost everything I eat including smoothies. Try it, you’ll love it!

  • Joanne

    My kids are allergic to peanuts so anytime someone is eating. This food they leave the room or they could die from inhaling the fumes. More and more people are becoming allergic to it. Yes they carry epi pens to give themselves a shot if needed. I cringe anytime someone eats it in front of me.

    • Nancy

      Documrnt this.

  • Odi

    What do u think about PB2?

  • Nancy

    Wish the allergy Nazi’s banning peanut butter in schools could read this.

  • Nancy

    Teddie’s Natural does it. Cheaper too.

  • Heather

    I love peanut butter and banana. It’s my favorite and it also tastes great grilled. :)

  • bonnie

    Glad to find out i have been choseing my peanutbutter wisely! Always buy natural with no added sugar,salt, oils. Also i pour off excess oil at top of jar before stiring. I dont mind it a little dryer. I eat it with apples and toping for other friut. Never with bread, as I limit wheat products and carbs