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What’s in Your Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter has been a staple of American diet for a long time, and peanuts continue to be an economical source of good protein. Food manufactures have used various food additives to make their products last longer, taste better, and "seem" healthier. Peanut butter is not immune to this alteration either, and let me show you food labels from 3 different products. 1) Central Market Smooth Peanut Butter, 2) Skippy Creamy, 3) Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy.
Click on the above image
If you see the Central Market peanut butter on a store shelf, you'll notice that its oil separates and floats to the top. Skippy brand avoids this problem by adding hydrogenated vegetable and add salt to make it taste better. The reduced fat version removes some fat while adding more carbohydrate and salt to make it palatable (highly NOT recommended for people with diabetes). Have you noticed that the ingredients list gets longer as peanut butter is more processed?
This is why less processed food is generally better for you.
If you don't like the separation of peanut and oil, I have a simple tip for you. After you eat peanut butter, store the jar upside down. You'll see less separation.
