The usual ingredients in peanut butter are peanuts and salt. Some brands add hydrogenated vegetable shortening or sugar. Hydrogenated vegetable oil is a saturated fat which may be added to prevent the peanut oil from separating out while the jar is sitting on your grocer’s shelf. Imagine your jar of peanut butter with a big spoonful of shortening added.
There are several brands of peanut butter available in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores that taste really good and don’t have added hydrogenated vegetable oil. Peanut butter is made by grinding blanched (no skins), roasted peanuts and adding salt. The oil does not separate out as long as the peanut butter is refrigerated. The old-fashioned or natural peanut butter on the grocery store shelf aren’t refrigerated and the peanut oil separates out. So each time you want peanut butter, you have to stir the peanut oil back into the peanut butter or remember to turn the jar upside down before putting it away as the peanut oil will float to the top.
One tablespoon of peanut butter is exchanged for one high-fat meat exchange. Peanuts contain some protein and fat in the form of peanut oil. So when you eat one serving of peanut butter (2 tablespoons) at a meal, exchange two meat exchanges and 1 fat at that meal. Peanut butter is a good breakfast meat substitute for an egg. Try peanut butter on whole wheat toast with one-half cup of orange juice or applesauce for a quick breakfast meal.
