In article <3F0F936C.7E8F5DC1@kiva.net>,
Dana Carpender <dcarpend@kiva.net> wrote:
Now, let's not scare people to death. It's true that grocery-store
peanut butter has been processed a bit more than a jar of nothing but
ground peanuts has been, but Jif is not the Jar O'Death. The fat in
commercial peanut butter hasn't been hydrogenated; instead, a small
amount of hydrogenated fat has been added to the peanut butter to
prevent the oil from separating out and floating to the surface. (I
don't know why this seems to bother people so much, but it really does;
I know people who can't even look at the stuff.)
Just last week, as it turns out, the USDA announced that...well,
let's let them tell the story.
---------------------
ALBANY, Ga., July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Peanut butter is an exception to the
general rule that says if partially hydrogenated oil is present in the
ingredient list, the product contains trans fat. Research from U.S.
Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS) shows
that both natural and commercial peanut butters, including all major
brand names, contain an undetectable amount of trans fat. The study,
"Non-detectable Levels of trans-Fatty Acids in Peanut Butter," was
conducted by Dr. Tim Sanders and concludes that there is no reason to
promote natural brands of peanut butter over commercial brands based on
the trans fat content(1).
This study shows that when it comes to peanut butter, the ingredient
list is not a good indication of the healthful fat profile. This is
about to change, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as
they prepare to announce mandatory trans fat labeling for food
manufacturers. It is expected that under new FDA guidelines, peanut
butter would declare zero grams trans fat on its label.
Trans fats have come under fire over the past decade because like
saturated fats, they raise total and bad low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol. In addition, trans fats lower good high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is needed to carry the bad
cholesterol out of the body. Earlier this week, FDA commissioner Mark
McClellan addressed health professionals and the food industry and urged
them to do more to warn Americans about the consequences of unhealthy
diets. He said, "Considerable recent research, including controlled
feeding and epidemiological studies, has provided pretty good evidence
that replacing saturated and trans fats with mono- and poly-unsaturated
fats can significantly reduce important health risks. According to some
studies, this substitution can potentially reduce the risk of heart
disease by up to 30 to 40 percent." McClellan emphasized the need to
relay this kind of information to consumers through better nutrition
labeling guidelines, including mandating trans fat labeling in the very
near future.
All peanut butter, by law, must contain a minimum of 90% peanuts. Both
natural and regular peanut butters may contain some sugar and salt for
flavoring. Some brands also contain a small amount of stabilizer
(hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil), of which about
60% is stearic acid, a saturated fat that has a neutral effect on blood
cholesterol levels. Stabilizer is added to peanut butter to keep the
oil from separating and to help maintain peanut butter freshness.
[I've snipped a bit here]
Over 75% of the fat in peanut butter is the unsaturated, heart-healthy
kind, and as with all plant foods, peanut butter contains no
cholesterol. Peanut butter is a good source of niacin, folic acid,
phosphorous, and vitamin E. Peanut products also contain significant
amounts of phytosterols thought to protect against heart disease and
cancer.
-------------------------
As for sugar and salt, I'm sure it's just my corrupted Western
palate, but I don't think they're the tools of the devil, and I don't
like peanut butter without them. I tried eating the unsweetened,
unsalted stuff and I just didn't like it; I found I was actually
sprinkling sugar and salt on it to make it palatable, so finally I said,
well, the heck with it, I might as well let the manufacturers do it for
me; it actually costs less that way.
Robert Matthews
