Anybody Want a PeanutButter?


The news recently has been filled with the story of peanut butter causing several recent deaths and recall by the FDA of all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter has lead me to ask some very serious questions such as why do we eat peanut butter at all?   Why the peanut not the lima bean? And also when did we start all of this peanut butter business anyways?
Well it turns out that the first peanut butter was made way back in t 1890 or so by a doctor who was looking for a good meat substitute for his patients with poor teeth.   These people had a hard time chewing meat and so a paste would make things much easier for them.   George A. Bayle Jr, discovered that peanuts made and excellent paste and were extremely nutritious so began to hand grind peanuts selling the butter for about six cents a pound.
The next big leap in peanut butter tech came from the African American genius, George Washington Carver who discovered over 300 uses for the peanut.   His discoveries projected the peanut to one of the leading crops in many southern states and created enough raw product for the production of peanut butter.   Carver is considered by many to be the most influential person behind the peanut industry we see today.
Peanut butter is nutritionally better for you than hamburger, pizza and many other protein foods because it contains less cholesterol, more fiber, and less sodium than many other leading sources of protein.   It can be used in a diet to help lower blood pressure, protect against breast cancer and help prevent adult onset diabetes.   On the other hand about one half of one percent of the American population is allergic to peanuts.   Those aware of their allergy should avoid products with peanuts in them including peanut butter as the consumption of peanut products could be very dangerous for them      
March happens to be National Peanut month and a time for all of us peanut butter lovers to celebrate with a good old PBJ sandwich.  Or peanut butter and banana or what ever you like to eat with peanut butter and celebrate.   
