Not all Peanut Butter is created equal!

Olympic diver Greg Louganis termed peanut butter "the breakfast of champions". Yet, despite peanut butters many benefits, depending on what brand you buy, how it's manufactured, packaged, and processed, you MAY not be getting the best of the best when it comes to peanut butter.

If you wander into the peanut butter isle you'll be bombarded with different types of peanut butter- the All American staple, Jif, it's competitors Skippy and Peter Pan, organic peanut butters, Smucker's peanut butter and jelly, natural peanut butter, crunchy peanut butter, no stir peanut butter, and the latest- peanut butters claiming to be "All Natural". Whatever that means.

I should start by saying under no circumstances should you leave your grocery store with Jif, Skippy, or Peter Pan in your cart. Period. For starters look at the list of ingredients in a standard jar of Jif:

• Roasted peanuts and sugar (yes that's right, those are the FIRST TWO ingredients. Not just peanuts, but peanuts and SUGAR.... you already shot the nutritional benefits of peanut butter to hell- but read on!)
• Molasses (more sugar)
• Fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (not as dangerous as partially hydrogenated oils which are loaded with trans fats, but it's still an addition of excess oils and fats to the peanut butter)
• Mono and diglycerides (hmmm sound yummy? Exactly. No thanks. Basically they're fats which are added to a product as a preservative. They stabilize food and give it consistency. In the case of peanut butter, they keep Jif looking like jif and not the peanut butter with separation you also see on the shelf. Basically it increases the saturated fat content, and it's an additive- an un-necessary one at that)
• Salt

So pass on Jif. Now onto my next point- what to do about these brands of peanut butter that are marketed as "natural"? What is the difference between "natural" and "organic?" Well first off, organic is not "organic" unless it is USDA certified so always look for that seal. Organic foods are foods that are processed, manufactured, and handled by means defined by the USDA per its Organic Food Products Act. Organic foods are granted and monitored by the government and are guaranteed to be free of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and preservatives. Natural foods on the other hand have NO governing board of certification and essentially are defined as being "foods derived from plants and animals." Hmmm. Pretty broad if you ask me. In most cases "natural" means foods that are "minimally synthesized", but still synthesized nonetheless. Let's take a look at Jif's "Natural brand of Peanut Butter":

• Roasted Peanuts (perk here, peanuts as the FIRST ingredient)
• Sugar (and here we are again. Sugar is not included WITH the first ingredient, but it comes in a close second)
• Palm Oil (an excess additive again)
• Molasses (more sugar)
• Salt

Small differences, but not BIG differences or GOOD differences. So no Jif, no Skippy, no Peter Pan and no brands marketed as "natural". What does that leave us with?

You're going to look for the following;

1. USDA seal meaning the peanut butter is certifiable ORGANIC- free of not only additives and un-necessary sugars and fats, but pesticide free as well.
2. Peanut butter that has separation, which typically demonstrates that is ACTUALLY natural, free from additives meant to stabilize (hold the oil) together.
3. Sodium Free
4. Sugar Free
5. Look for the following ingredients: ORGANIC PEANUTS. Period. That's it. Ground nuts is all you need!

Typically I recommend finding a place that allows you to grind your OWN peanut butter, right there in the store. Typically this doesn't result in seperation (since it's freshly ground and not stored) which many people love. I know Whole Foods Markets have this.

If you don't have that option though, be on the look out for peanut butter that complies with the tips I listed above. For example I found this brand at the nearest Giant: Nature's Promise Organic Sodium Free Natural Peanut Butter:

Notice how it has the USDA seal on the front, is sodium free (unsalted) and has ONE ingredient. ONE. That's all you need in peanut butter.

Now I know the stirring aspect of natural peanut butter can be frazzling for most, but if you stir it all up initially and set it in the refrigerator it will help to naturally stabilize it a bit more. Natural peanut butter is filling and satisfying, high in fiber, healthy fats, and protein, and helps lower bad "ldl" cholesterol. It's also rich in micronutrients, which synthesized peanut butters are not, including reserveratrol, which is a natural antimicrobial agent produced by the peanut plant to ward off potential pathogens (bacteria, virii, and fungi). Another fun peanut butter perk? It contains the substance p-coumaric acid, a polyphenol that helps combat oxidative stress (a syndrome which can lead to cardiovascular disease)!