Top 10 Reasons Americans Really Love Peanut Butter

In appreciation of November being National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, the top ten reasons Americans eat more peanut butter than any other nation in the world.

10. Peanut Butter is Cheap and the Kids’ll Eat It. OK, so this is two reasons in one. The busy mothers always are revealed when their children pull out the good ol’ PB & J in the school cafeteria at lunchtime. When a few children were found to be allergic to peanuts, peanut products were banned from some schools, throwing parents into a panic. Food labels had to be changed to record if the product was made with the same equipment as a peanut product because even a trace amount could harm the one-half of one percent of people allergic to peanuts. But this scare paired with the recent cases of e. coli contamination have still not been enough to make us give up the popular legume. (That’s right it’s not really even a nut, but related to peas.)

9. Elvis Loved Peanut Butter. A role model for millions of baby boomers, his public love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches is legendary. He inspired many people to try this creation for the first time and got them hooked, proving both the singer and his sandwich are king.

8. Peanut Butter is Good for You. Peanuts are nutritious and the US requires peanut butter to contain at least 90% peanuts with no artificial sweeteners, artificial colors or preservatives. If these ingredients are added to make the product low-calorie or low-fat, it is labeled “peanut spread”. The “natural” peanut butters often have to be stirred because they don’t contain the heart disease causing hydrogenated vegetable oil. So grab a spoon!

7. Reese’s . The Hershey Company reinvented peanut butter when they put it in between two disks of chocolate. The Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup was invented in 1923 and continues to be one of America’s favorite snacks. Other goldmines are my favorite bite-size peanut butter snack that is getting harder and harder to find, Reese’s Pieces. Recently added to their repertoire is the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup with Caramel which my husband claims is better than the original and is his new favorite.

6. Peanut Butter Saves Lives. According to CBS News, Plumpy’nut is saving the lives of the malnourished in Niger and other struggling nations. This fortified peanut butter paste was based on traditional peanut butter’s cousin, Nutella. Plumpy’nut is categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Easy to use and keep, with a two year shelf life, Plumpy’nut is curing the world hunger epidemic.

5. Peanut Butter Helps to Kill. Peanut butter has been a time-tested trick for baiting those pesky rodents around your home. Put a dollop on a trap to lure them in and you’ll soon have an end to the infestation.

4. Animals Make Funny Faces When They’re Eating Peanut Butter. Visions of Mr. Ed’s memorable talking horse on television have prompted many pet owners to try the treat with their best friends. Watching their lips smack together as they struggle with the goo stuck on the tops of their mouths provides endless hours of enjoyment, and a merchandizing market has spawned all manner of dispensing tools for this purpose.

3. A Dog Will Pleasure You For It. An urban legend that has been whispered and imitated repeatedly and is part of most public school educations claims that animals and their masters really love this delectable food.

2.”Peanuts” Comic Strip. Kernels of wisdom have radiated from Snoopy and the gang as long as I’ve been alive (or at least it seems like it).

1. The Guy Inside the Peanut. No other food has enticed me into eating it by advertising that there was a man with a mustached face hiding inside. I distinctly remember cracking open the nut and surprisingly finding the mysterious mustached man right where I’d heard he’d be. That’s all it took and I was sold.