Hi, I've been doing the zone for a month now and am wondering why I can't use reguler peanut butter as opposed to the natural one.I know that the reguler one contains hydrogenated oil but I've read that this shouldn't pose too much of a health risk.Can someone please let me know the pros and cons for peanut butter?Thanks

[quote:b9c1161f8d="developper1"]Hi, I've been doing the zone for a month now and am wondering why I can't use reguler peanut butter as opposed to the natural one.I know that the reguler one contains hydrogenated oil but I've read that this shouldn't pose too much of a health risk.Can someone please let me know the pros and cons for peanut butter?Thanks[/quote:b9c1161f8d] Hi, The main reason not to use the type of peanut butter you mentioned is precisely the hydrogenated oil (and to a lesser degree the sweeteners, fillers, and other additives). This is the worst type of fat for your cardiovascular health and for your overall health in general. Sue

Who told you hydrogenated oil was not bad? The folks over at JIF? Natural PB is pure peanuts, an almost perfect source of monounsaturated fat. That jar of Peter Pan is but a peanut-flavored pot of Crisco, with sugar and chemicals added. If you prefer sweetened, plastic PB to natural, your sugar craving should be minimized when on the Zone. If you find it too much hassle to stir the natural PB, use this trick: Store it upside down at room temp when you get home from the store. It will be a bit easier to stir the first time; store it in the refrigerator after opening to retard separation. If you really can't stop eating the non-natural garbage, save yourself the time and just press it directly into your aorta with a putty knife.

Whoa, Adam! :shock: You are very concerned about this peanut situation! :) I admit I was a hard convert to the natural, but mainly for the flavor reason. Natural peanut butter that only contains peanuts, to me, tasted really bland. I don't like to eat unsalted peanuts, either. I found that if I buy a natural peanut butter with SALT added, the flavor is very good and I don't miss the JIF at all. In fact, now it smells yucky to me. As you begin eating more natural foods, your level of palate subtlety seems to be heightened, and process foods start to taste like what they are, big piles of nasty chemicals! Another tip is if your peanut butter is hard to spread (out of the fridge it may be) put your amount in a little dish and nuke it for a few seconds. I find this really helps the spreadability factor. I stir mine into hot oatmeal, which is very tasty. I find salted natural peanut butter at Whole Foods Market, under the brand 365. It's about $1.79 for an 18-oz. jar, which is considerably less expensive than Smucker's natural (no salt) at my local market. Before we found this, we would salt our peanut-butter-covered item before eating it. Happy Zoning! Ronica

Hi Adam, [quote:096a5af751="adam_h"]Who told you hydrogenated oil was not bad? The folks over at JIF? Natural PB is pure peanuts, an almost perfect source of monounsaturated fat. That jar of Peter Pan is but a peanut-flavored pot of Crisco, with sugar and chemicals added. If you prefer sweetened, plastic PB to natural, your sugar craving should be minimized when on the Zone. If you find it too much hassle to stir the natural PB, use this trick: Store it upside down at room temp when you get home from the store. It will be a bit easier to stir the first time; store it in the refrigerator after opening to retard separation. If you really can't stop eating the non-natural garbage, save yourself the time and just press it directly into your aorta with a putty knife.[/quote:096a5af751] This post looked 1,000,00 times better before. White Light

LOL! Note to self: Omit from posts all sexual similes. (before the moderators do it for ya)