Natural PB is much better than the regular ol' jiff and the like. Mostly to do with the trans fats but also the extra added sugar.

I eat plain ole cruchy PB. Often times the "light" versions have more saturated fat, so its regular for me. And all natural means all $$, too, so I dont even consider it. As far as the J portion, I like publix's Starwberry Preserves. Good stuff, beats the heck outta regular jelly.

Nicole ~ I try to go more for preserves rather than good ole Smuckers Grape Jelly, so that the sugars are coming mostly from the fruit rather than all sorts of added sugars, corn syrups, etc... And I think that most people would tell you that natural peanut or almond butters are your best choice, but to be honest I just use non-natural reduced fat Peter Pan or Jif.

Also, don't forget to up the overall sandwich value by using wholegrain/wheat/multigrain rather than white bread!

Peanut butter is the nectar of the gods -- the energy surge you get from that stuff is AMAZING :) -- BUT, sorry to say, the natural stuff is much better for you. It has no added sugar as previously mentioned and no trans/hydrogenated fat, which is the kind of fat everyone is telling you to stay away from. Essentially hydrogen is pumped into the already present fat to make it stiff at room temperature (like margarine), hence you don't get the separation that you get from natural peanut butter. Luckily peanut butter is naturally loaded with the fat that is really good for you -- unsaturated (liquid at room temperature) and is really helpful at lowering cholesterol, etc. I used to LOVE Jiff -- but now I'm so used to the natural stuff, it's way too sweet for me now. You get really used to the natural PB once you start eating it -- try with bananas and honey. Also, I haven't tried them yet, but I've been noticing these new natural peanut butter products out on the market that are advertised as "blended" - -thus showing minimal separation and I guess making more appetizing for those who are a little weirded out by the texture of natural peanut butter. Some people have texture issues with their foods -- I've met plenty, but just don't happen to be one of them. You can just blend the natural stuff yourself and then refrigerate it -- it will stay blended.

By the way -- for those who are obsessed with keeping the fat content low, they can just wait for the separation and pour the oil off the top-- not my choice -- that stuff is good for you!! (but for others who are concerned -- it's better than the reduced fat versions).

I don't really have a huge opinion on jelly -- seems a little like what a gel shot does for you but I'm not as informed on the subject so I won't talk about it ;)

Hope this helps!!!

i bought a jar of the all natural and throw the crap away. i was too runny and just wasn't the same as JIF (which doens't have any trans fat).

just my .02

Just to state the obvious --- peanut butter is loaded with fat (50%?).

I weighed myself this morning, and haven't been this light since about 1979.
Pass the peanut butter!!!

[url]http://www.peanutbutterlovers.com/index.html[/url] :p

thehitman

i left a jar of peanut butter next to my bed and some of my friends whould never let me live it down, i just thought it was a great snack before bed. peanut butter is a perfect food for the athlete that needs some extra calories. and dont leave a jar next to the bed people will get the wrong idea.

ok, thats another "you know your a hardcore triathlete when......" :D

Chris -

Or the right idea! :rolleyes:

Haha, we've been doing PBnJ on mountain bike rides for years, and I will probably be doing so forever, but by the bed??? Maybe you're on to something...

Chris,

To advoid that problem, I just keep a can of dry roasted peanuts in my night stand. Def. a good bed time snack!

Chris -

Next time, just leave out a can of Reddi-whip and Hersey's chocolate.

Better yet, use em, first!

[I]Uh; how do you use food?[/I]

thehitman

Okay boys - great ideas but, back to the original question....
Nicole, try Smuckers, they make a natural pb and a natural with honey which is pretty good - no trans fat either. Anyway, it takes better than the ones you get at the health food stores......

Ant

You can also try an Almond Butter.
Gives you the benefits of Almonds which are nutritionally a little better that Peanut butter.
Think of the Omega 3 Fatty acids.
A lot of the supermarkets are carrying it. I found it in a Wegmans in their healthy food section.

Yummy too.

I like mine with the banana slices, honey or some natural orange marmalade.

Good Stuff!

peanut butter, honey, milk, bananas and ice in a blender - awesome

do you guys get sunpat in america?

Had to pass this idea along for PB&J's....

I have 3 kids who eat PB&J's along with me each day... to cut down on prep time I make a loaf or two of 'em at the beginning of the week and then throw them in the freezer.

Take out what I need for lunches for the day and they thaw by lunch and I swear you'd thought you'd made it ten minutes ago...

Also... the o-natural PB can get be difficult to spread after you refrigerate it... since I make a whole Jar's worth at the beginning of the week - no more worries with tearing your bread apart with cold PB.

Try it if you like PB&Js and don't have a lot of time to spend making them each day....

: )

Skippy Super Chunk! However, I go for the good stuff when it comes to the "jelly" part. Smuckers Simply Fruit. It's just that...mashed fruit in a jar, no extra sugar.

Another quick Idea like the frozen PB&J idea.

I make a whole bag or box of Brown Rice ( the organic kind ) and you can season while cooking. Then I store that in a big container and throw into the fridge. When I prepare my lunch in the morning i just thrown some brown rice, Frozen broccoli, and a veggie Pattie in a container and there is lunch. Cheap and super healthy. You can also add some soy for some added salt.

funny how Jif and the others say that they dont have trans fats becuase of some FDA regulatiuon that changed. Their recipe sure didn't change though. They still all contain partially hydrogenated oils, I'll pay $0.50 extra to not get those in my PB.
You know if you mix your natty PB well when you first open it then refrigerate it upside down you won't have problems with it being too hard or too mushy on top. ;)

Dkidd -

Regarding trans-fats - its a marketing ploy. Change the definition, not the product.

[B]Low-Carb Sugar: [/B] Last year, I saw a "[I]low-carb[/I]" sign affixed to a display for pure white sugar. The manager's explanation? "Low-carb" means that its under 5g of carb per serving. The serving size of sugar is 1 tsp (4g), and it contains 4g of carbs. Low-carb sugar!! :confused:

thehitman

what was the marketing ploy behind 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' going to 'KFC' going back to 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' .. i guess people love the word FRIED

Chris,

If I had to bet, I would say the obesity law suits against fast food chains. At this point, I think the fast food chains want customers to know exactly what getting (ie "fried" chicken) or at least make it appear that way. Maybe try and cut the cost of some legal fees before they get started?

I think from what i read in a Financial Rag was they noticed a decrease in sales when it was KFC and then when they went back to the full name, sales increased ... 'the fattening of amercia' .

Wow I thought I was the only person that ate like at least a peanut butter sandwich or 2 a day! My Wife has benn buying natural stuff and the kind we put in the fridge stays pretty spreadable, It is not as sweet so it goes great on Ice cream with Chocolate syrup! lol

I still think that peanut Butter and chocolate were seperated in the Garden of Eden as a result of original sin!

Keep on tri-ing,
Eric

mmm pb&chocolate...

but for sandwiches I like PB & honey. A trick I learned at my last adventure race: add some honey to the jar of pb and mix it in (to make like a tablespoon of pb&h mixture) and then put that on the bread. Keeps honey from leaking out the edges!

PB and choc spread and banana mmmmmmmmm

Hazelnut butter and choclate. On multigrain, with some baby spinch greens and honey,

Yummy!!

my favorite snack after a hard workout... a handful of peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets and a FUZE! i've been craving lots of salt lately so the pretzels really hit the spot!