Why do people think peanut butter is healthy? It's highly allergenic, it grows fungus, it's very
high in saturated fat, etc. Who got the idea that it's healthy?”
Wait, what? Who got the silly idea that peanut butter is unhealthy?
The “fungus” suggestion startles me, as for all my 60+ years, I have never seen anything furry
growing in a peanut butter jar, and that includes fresh ground, no additives. There is sufficient oil
in peanuts to make the peanut butter room temperature stable and resistant to furry things
Taking hold. I have eaten plenty of peanut butter, considering it was my default school lunch
growing up in a financially challenged household. No jar ever sat so long that there was a remote chance of the oils turning rancid. Rancidity would be the bigger first concern over new growth.
As to the saturated fat fuss, the proportion of unsaturated fats in peanut butter rests comfortably at
about 80%. This reality gives the peanut butter jar snuggling rights to the stately jar of olive oil, as
they are both of similar percentages between saturated and unsaturated fats. Just because
Saturated fat is present doesn’t make a food toxic. Peanut butter is technically a legume and not
quite the same as a tree nut, but its protein is like its lofty cousins in a solid contribution to
nut-eaters that side-step heart disease and diabetes. The key to eating peanut butter is a
tablespoon spread on toast, a tablespoon mixed in a Thai sauce, a tablespoon dabbed into a
celery stick. A tablespoon in a serving is good!
As to peanut butter allergies, I’m of the growing belief that our modern lifestyle just isn’t exposing
our younglings to enough challenges to boost their bored immune systems. In my youth, a
peanut butter allergy was rare; today, you can’t bring any home-baked goodie to a school event
With any nuts whatsoever, and bake sales have nearly disappeared because of the chronic worry
With the rise in peanut allergies. Kids need to play outside, make mud pies, taste a water puddle,
and spit a spoonful of dirt at some point. Curiously, some parents are turning around a worrisome
peanut allergy with a doctor-guided steady exposure of tiny amounts daily to push the immune
system into accepting the problem food as a thumbs up to consumption. This effort early in life
at least avoids any breath-stopping accidental exposures later in life.
Peanuts are a high-fat, solid protein source that has ample nutrients humans do well eating. In
moderation. Across a lifetime. It isn’t unhealthy as long as you don’t eat a small jar in one sitting
every day.
Edit: Much to my astonishment and a degree of perplexity, these answers and questions about
Peanut butter quality has pulled a huge swath of interest. Since I made an error as to the fungus
suggested by the OP, I’m adding an update edit.
The fungus referred to in the question is an aflatoxin, which is a toxic product of certain
strains of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Conditions for this to thrive and grow on RAW
Peanuts have more to do with the growing conditions and moist, humid storage before the peanuts
are roasted and ground into peanut butter. I first read about aflatoxin over a decade ago when
Some alarms were going up about its presence on wheat, rice, and quinoa, as these pesky nasties
haunt a long list of field crops. Aflatoxin on peanuts was a chill I stopped worrying about, as any
cluster incidence from this toxin hasn’t occurred here in the States or has yet to be actively tracked.
, In short, the problem here is rare. It has been a concern in China, South America and some African
areas where testing has not been as steady but, hopefully, is improving with this knowledge. If the
idea of hidden fungus worries you, pay attention to the country of origin indicated on what you buy
in the store.
Is the risk real with peanuts? Yes, it is nearly impossible to prevent the presence of fungus in the field
crops, but it is markedly reduced with the care of planting, harvesting, and quality checks at
different stages of peanut butter production, so the nagging doubt here in the states doesn’t need to
keep you up at night. Nor does it need to cut off the occasional peanut butter sandwich or a happy
Splurge on home-baked peanut butter cookies. My approach, then as it is now, is to purchase
peanut butter with the least amount of additives, preferably in a jar. I like Laura Scudder or Adams.
My elderly mother sniffs at the scientific info and prefers her Jif; she’s frail, loves peanut butter, and
can have whatever she wants at this point as it makes her happy. She doesn’t give a diddly as to
pea-nutty omega 6 versus the higher omega 3 in almond or cashew butter, so I pick my battles.
The only peanut butter I don’t buy is the grind-it-yourself. I have no idea where the peanuts have
been stored, how long they have been stored, how they were handled in loading the machine, and,
more importantly, how often and well the machine is cleaned out. Way too much potential for
trouble there, so I will buy mine jarred and sealed. That’s the line I draw in the sand for my
household when it comes to peanut butter safety.
Source: http://time.com/3719341/peanut-allergy-cure-treatment/
http://www.livescience.com/8268-peanut-allergy-cases-triple-10-years.html
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