I have been eating 2 tbsp of peanut butter on wheat bread every day for lunch. I was wondering if I am better off going with skippy natural or reduced fat? thanks guys!
I eat Jif Extra Crunchy ... I know there are some people who swear by the natural versions and so forth. But I do know that I'm eating more sugar than I would if I were to go with an all natural version.
I personally use Skippy Natural. I prefer to cut back on the sugar and other chemicals then worry about a little extra healthy fat. But that's just me, I am going to try to transition to 100% pure PB once I'm done with the Skippy Natural I have now. The Skippy still have some sugar in it.
Yeah, I'm a fan of the ones that are nothing but peanuts, though the oil does tend to separate out a bit. The trader joe's brand is one of the better ones as far as how much you have to stir it up.
If I remember correctly, the biggest difference between regular brands and skippy natural is that the natural has palm oil instead of hydrogenated vegetable oil. Both contain a fair bit of saturated fat, but hydrogenated oil also has trans fats, which you probably know appear to increase the risk of all sorts of nasty things. The other difference though is that hydrogenated oil has a longer shelf life. But it sounds like you eat it pretty regularly so you should have no problem with the palm oil (or straight peanut) going rancid.
Last edited by coldbrightday; 04-22-2008 at 05:34 PM.
The reduced fat takes out the good, heart-healthy fat and adds sugar to make it taste "good." I just use a nice, natural peanut butter - with nothing but peanuts/salt for ingredients.
It's interesting, I totally did without peanut butter while I was actually losing weight - it was a huge trigger for me and I just couldn't be trusted. I started adding it back when I hit maintenance. During the time I was losing weight, I had cut back on sugar so much that when I started eating natural peanut butter - it tasted AWESOME. Like, the best thing EVER. The few times I've eaten "regular" peanut butter, I am shocked by how sweet and WAXY and nasty it is. I just can't get over the texture and I'm amazed I used to like it so much.
During the time I was losing weight, I had cut back on sugar so much that when I started eating natural peanut butter - it tasted AWESOME. Like, the best thing EVER. The few times I've eaten "regular" peanut butter, I am shocked by how sweet and WAXY and nasty it is. I just can't get over the texture and I'm amazed I used to like it so much.
I have to COMPLETELY agree with this statement. I recently had a peanut butter epiphany myself. I remember when I was still eating the fake peanut butter (with added sugar/hydrogenated oils/etc.), I tried switching to natural and thought it was awful.
After going on Atkins Induction and cutting sugar out completely for over a month, I added in natural peanut butter and it was AMAZING. Like Glory said: "the best thing EVER". Which wasn't great, as I had some portion control issues So, PB's out again for the time being.
As for "regular" Skippy/Jiff tasting WAXY and nasty, it's SO true! When I went home to visit my parents, I grabbed a tablespoon of Skippy (my former favorite) for a snack and I was shocked at how waxy and sort of tasteless it was. It's amazing what our pallets get used to, and how changed and refined they become when we cut the junk out of our diets!
Ok, you guys have gotten me thinking. The Whole Foods that's just up the street from me has peanut grinders and you can grind FRESH peanut butter in the store. So I'm going ot finish my current jar of Jif and then see if I can buy maybe a few ounces at a time of fresh ground from the store.
I use the cosco/ kirkland organic peanuts and salt version. YUMMM
a little drippy so one tablespoon really has to be one real tablespoon- no heaping allowed with this one...
I eat Adams Organic Natural peanut butter (peanuts and salt only.) I'd buy it without salt if I could find an unsalted organic brand that was affordable. I miss Trader Joes!
I find that if I store the jar upside down before opening the first time it's much easier to stir. Then I store it in the refrigerator and I never have to re-stir. It doesn't separate in the fridge.
EDIT: If you buy peanut butter from a grind-your-own-station make sure they clean it regularly. Find the section manager and ask them if it gets cleaned, otherwise I'd stay away from it.
During the time I was losing weight, I had cut back on sugar so much that when I started eating natural peanut butter - it tasted AWESOME. Like, the best thing EVER. The few times I've eaten "regular" peanut butter, I am shocked by how sweet and WAXY and nasty it is. I just can't get over the texture and I'm amazed I used to like it so much.
I agree 100%! The last time I was out at my parents, I had some Skippy reduced fat--which mind you, has sugar as the #2 ingredient--and it was gross. It looked slimy in the jar and tasted like the peanut butter in a Reeses peanut butter cup. Just not the taste I'm looking for.
My favorite PB is SnacLite Power PB, which has half the fat, half the saturated fat, 1.5 times the fiber, and 1.5 times the protein of regular peanut butter. It tastes like peanut butter and has all natural ingredients. It has some honey in it, but at least it isn't the #2 ingredient.
I dump my peanut butter into a bowl, mix it up with my hand mixer, then dump it back into the jar and store it upside-down in the fridge. Once I've mixed it up that first time, I don't have any problems with separation.
i love pb from whole foods that is fresh ground..no preservatives extra sugar etc. Its is amazingly delicious. I personally feel that even though pb has a lot of cal/fat...it is a great power food. good healthy fat, good protein...and it taste great!
I had given up peanut butter till I found the "O organics" brand peanut butter at the Vons (Safeway), it's the old fashioned crunchy and is really low in carbs and just basically peanuts and sea salt. Six carb, 3 fiber. It's fabulous. And really tasty.
Peanut Butter
So, PB's out again for the time being.
