Don’t Curb Your Appetite for Peanut Butter Just Yet
2009-04-09 at 08:56 am admin
You must have been groaning with desperation when massive recall of products containing peanuts was being implanted due to salmonella contamination. Or, you must have been choking in horror due to the possibility that your recent purchase of peanut butter might be one of those contaminated products. If you’re a peanut butter lover or a lover of anything containing peanuts, then a halt in getting a daily dose of your favourite peanut butter brand must be causing you great misery. Giving up on peanuts entirely is not only unacceptable on a personal level but also on your well-being because peanuts contain a lot of health benefits.
An ounce of peanut five times a week reduces the risk of heart disease and dieters get a lot from peanuts in the form of fibre and protein. Aside from heart-healthy fats, it is also loaded with nutrients that are beneficial to health. But salmonella scare may not be going anywhere for a while so instead of whining and pining for favourite peanut butter or peanut products, finding for alternatives maybe your only option. Find alternatives that give you the same satisfaction as your favourite peanut butter brands.
Making your own peanut butter spread safely puts you away from possible salmonella contamination. Make sure that your surfaces and utensils used in preparation do not house bacteria that can possibly be salmonella. Clean them thoroughly so your cravings for peanuts will not put you in danger. You can buy fresh whole peanuts at grocery stores. A whip in the food processor and some butter and you’ve just made yourself fresh homemade peanut butter.
For your favourite peanut-containing snacks, you can get creative by dipping crackers or fruits to your homemade peanut butter. You can also experiment with peanut-containing recipes. A lot of them are available online. You might find yourself enjoying your own craft that you might not want to go back to ready-made snacks that are laden with preservatives. Besides peanut, other nuts can be whipped up into butter spread, too. Cashew and almonds are good alternatives. Almond consumption gives you some of your needed dose of vitamin E, magnesium and potassium, the same nutrients found in peanuts. Recently, health department have advised against eating pistachios so you might want to stay away from those though, for safety reasons.