6 Reasons Why You Should NEVER Eat Peanut
Butter!
“Take me out to the ball game. Take
me out with the crowd. Show me your peanuts and Cracker Jacks. I don’t care if
I never get back.”
These classic lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ball Game directly link peanuts with America’s
pastime of baseball. Should the song’s lyrics be changed to reflect a healthier
America?
Peanut butter is one of those foods
that you just can’t seem to remove from the top of your mouth. Maybe there’s a
good reason why this so-called healthy food gets stuck. Is there a chance it
shouldn’t belong there?
Peanuts have been deceiving you
this whole time. I bet you even think they are nuts? Peanuts are actually part
of the legume family. They have lived a long storied history for thousands of
years. They originated in South America and were important for the diets of
Aztecs and other native Indians. In fact, one St. Louis doctor would create and
prescribe peanut butter at the end of the 19th century.
Peanuts and peanut butter contain
monounsaturated fats, which are linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular
disease. They are also high in nutrients such as manganese, tryptophan, niacin
(vitamin B3), folate, vitamin E, and copper. Peanut butter was promoted as a
healthy food, high in protein and low in carbohydrates, and although it does
have those benefits, today there are potential dangers and risks associated
with peanuts and peanut butter.
That’s enough of what makes peanuts
and peanut butter a healthy food. I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t be
consuming this tiny legume, whether it’s crunchy or smooth.
Here are six reasons you should
remove peanuts and peanut butter from your healthy food list today:
Peanut Butter Could Contain Trans Fats
When you purchase peanut butter,
always check the label. Like with any processed product, the fewer ingredients,
the better. With a lot of generic peanut butter brands, sugar and hydrogenated
(trans) fats are typically added for flavor.
Most Peanut Butters contain GMO Ingredients
Here is a list From mamavation.com
of typical ingredients that might make you think twice:
Sugar: “When
the ingredient list is “sugar,” it comes from GMO sugar beets. Cane sugar is
non-GMO – so organic cane sugar is your best bet if you are using sugar at all.
Planters and Great Value peanut butter brands contain sugar.
Corn Syrup Solids: Essentially,
this is merely dehydrated corn syrup – just sugar from GMO corn. Not necessary
in a good tasting peanut butter, especially if you are adding jelly or anything
sweet. Found in Skippy Peanut Butter.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed, Soybean
and/or Rapeseed Oil): All
three of these oils are derived from GMO crops. Rapeseed oil was formerly used
for industrial purposes only. Scientists developed an edible form, better known
as canola oil. As for the hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated
vegetable oil have trans-fats, but fully hydrogenated oils are still saturated
fats found in processed foods. That said, almost none of the labels I saw
denoted if the hydrogenated vegetable oil was full or partial, and therefore,
no way to know if they contain trans fats.
Maltodextrin: Found
in Smucker’s Reduced Fat Peanut Butter, this sweet additive can be derived from
GMO corn in the U.S. (or rice or potato). It also has a high glycemic index.
Soy Protein Concentrate: First
of all, with the non-organic brands, all soy is GMO. Processed soy hiding in
your food is a problem, too, because soy can possibly wreak havoc with your
estrogen levels. It’s a fickle ingredient and depends on all the chemicals
reactions in your body at time you process it, which can vary. It can be good
or bad for you but the GMO version is always bad. In addition, “soy protein
concentrate” can mean your product contains MSG, a neurotoxin.
Soy Lecithin: Again,
a GMO product.”
Natural Peanut Butter Isn’t Better
The better peanut butter brands on
the market include those with only peanuts and a little salt and are either
natural or organic—or so you think. That’s because even in its most natural
form, peanut butter is still detrimental to your health. It is more susceptible
to toxic mold growth because it is less processed, which is ironic.
Society thinks the more natural,
the better. In most cases this is true; however, all commercially produced
peanut butter must go through aflatoxin testing before going to market. This is
true, even if it is natural, organic, or straight from the ground.
Toxic Fungus Allergies
So, you’re allergic to peanuts. No,
you’re not—you’re allergic to the toxic fungus found within the peanut. Peanuts
are one of eight major food allergens in the U.S. The peanut allergy can
usually be linked to the natural mold aflatoxin, which can damage the liver.
It is also a potent carcinogen,
which can potentially cause cancer. Removing this so-called healthy food from
your diet also means you are cutting down on the toxic load exposure from the
environment.
Peanut Crops Are Heavily Contaminated With Pesticides
Other than aflatoxin, there are
even more nutty problems to worry about. Non-organic peanuts and peanut butters
are also contaminated with pesticides. This is a concern because peanuts have a
very light shell, which can easily leach to outside materials. Conventional
peanuts have a very high pesticide rate, as well as other chemical
contaminants.
Too Much Omega-6
Omega-6, or linoleic acid, is an
essential fatty acid, and is normally an important component for cardiovascular
health, mental function, and energy production. But when your omega-6 is too
high, it can result in inflammation.
This is a huge problem when every
day you eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In every 28 g (one-ounce
serving) peanuts contain 4,000 mg of omega-6. It’s more difficult to obtain
omega-3 in the conventional diet with fish and flaxseed being primary sources.
Oxalates Cause Health Risks
Peanuts also contain another
natural substance called oxalates. When we eat peanuts or peanut butter, and
the oxalates become too concentrated in the body’s fluids, they will
crystallize and lead to health problems. It is recommended that people with
gallbladder issues or with untreated or existing kidney problems avoid peanuts.
Nutty Replacements
You shouldn’t consume toxic peanuts
because there are other options. Tree nuts are less toxic and can also be made
into butter such as almonds; however, tree nuts are also one of the major food
allergens in the U.S.
If you’re looking for healthy butters, sunflower seed or pumpkin
seed butters are another option. Sunflower seeds help lower blood pressure,
while pumpkin seeds assist with heart disease prevention and reduce the risk of
cancer.
The Bottom Line
Sunflower seeds are a much better
option for a ball game and you should also try it on your organic whole grain
toast. The bottom line is that there are several concerns with peanut butter
and its toxins, so it would be more beneficial to your health if you just
skipped the Skippy.
Sources:
“An Important Message About Peanuts,” The World’s
Healthiest Foods web site;
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=101, last accessed
Dec. 23, 2013.
Stakal, K., “Skip the Skippy: Is Your Peanut Butter Full of Carcinogens?”
Organic Authority web site, April 17, 2011;
http://www.organicauthority.com/health/skip-the-skippy-is-your-peanut-butter-full-of-caarcinogens.html,
last accessed Dec. 23, 2013.
Hart, A., “Omega 6 oil overload from too-many peanut butter sandwiches or salad
dressings?” Examiner web site, Nov. 24, 2012;
http://www.examiner.com/article/omega-6-oil-overload-from-too-many-peanut-butter-sandwiches-or-salad-dressing,
last accessed Dec. 23, 2013.
Hawkins, H., “Mold Allergy,” Acupuncture Today magazine web site, April 2004;
http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2004/apr/04hawkins.html, last accessed
Dec. 23, 2013.
Novak, S., “Peanut Butter Carcinogenic? You May Be Surprised,” TLC Cooking web site;
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/peanut-butter-carcinogenic-you-may-be-surprised.htm,
last accessed Dec. 23, 2013.
“Peanuts are Both Good and Bad,” Mercola.com web site, Aug. 20, 2003;
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/08/20/peanuts-health.aspx,
last accessed Dec. 23, 2013.
Gunnars, K., “Is Peanut Butter Bad For Your Health? A Look at The Evidence,”
Authority Nutrition Evidence-Based Approach web site, June 26, 2013;
http://authoritynutrition.com/is-peanut-butter-bad-for-you/.
http://www.mamavation.com/2014/08/detoxing-unhealthy-peanut-butters.html
