Why I Don't Eat Peanut Butter Anymore {the dangers} + Shocking Facts You Didn't Know About PB & Companies

I'll admit, I was a BIG peanut butter lover. My favorite peanut butter candy was Reese's peanut butter cups. I loved almost anything that was peanut butter, really. But the funny part was, I didn't become a big peanut butter lover until I was a vegan. When I was younger, (a carnivore) I didn't really like to eat peanut butter sandwiches. I sometimes thought it was boring and tiring after a while.


I remember one summer, my brother and I would eat
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a glass of milk (sometimes, add in a banana, too) for lunch everyday. That summer, I loved eating peanut butter; I even told my brother that I could eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the rest of my life! I went threw what I like to call a "peanut butter phase". I was never allergic to peanuts - I just didn't like the taste of certain peanut butter brands. One day, I completely fell in love with peanut butter - the second day, I completely disliked it and got tired of it, all of a sudden. It kinda was like a love-hate relationship I had with peanut butter.

When I became a vegan back in 2012, I started liking peanut butter again. Everyday, I would eat 1-4 tablespoons a day of peanut butter! I was obsessed with it! I went threw a jar within a week. I couldn't last a day without my peanut butter (luckily, i managed, as you can see). I ate peanut butter for a
few months, then stopped when I went raw. I stopped eating peanut butter because I found out it wasn't so epic as I thought. There were a few disturbing things (by things, I mean research) that I discovered about peanut butter, and never ate it ever since.

The reason why I totally stopped eating peanut butter is, because I found out (threw LOTS of research last and this year) that peanut butter is high in fat, non-organic peanuts {butter} is GMO (genetically modified organisms) and contains salmonella! Ever wonder why the most common food allergy are peanuts?! And if you don't believe me when I say that peanut butter contains salmonella - Google search it! Even if the peanut butter company is organic and non-GMO (a perfect peanut butter company is Woodstock. they claim/promise that they are organic and non-GMO, which may be true, BUT.... their peanut butter contains recalls of salmonella!) it DOESN'T mean anything!!! The company could promise that their peanuts and butter is organic and non-GMO, but contain traces of salmonella. Salmonella is a bacteria food poisoning that occurs mainly in the intestine. Salmonella poisoning is also known as, "an outbreak of salmonella". Salmonella has killed many people. Oy, this topic is making me sick! =(

Ever since I found out about the dangers of peanut butter, I never ate it again! Yeah, it may starve away hunger and high in protein... I was still not convinced. Okay, so let's just say that you don't buy store bought peanut butter anymore - is peanut butter still considered healthy? The answer is no.
If you buy whole peanuts and decide to make homemade peanut butter from scratch - there could be a possibility that you are at a risk of salmonella contamination. But if the peanuts are organic and non-GMO, then you just gotta make sure the company you are getting your peanuts from is trustworthy (good luck on that; I already searched but could not find ONE!). Salmonella has its way of getting into peanut butter. Just read the article.

Unfortunately, I do not trust any form of peanut butter at this point in my life anymore. I'd rather use other nut butter alternatives such as almond butter (which is identical to peanut butter, in my opinion.... but in a good way), cashew butter, macadamia butter, walnut butter, pecan butter, etc. The only and BEST company that I trust is Artisana. I definitely checked them out and I am well satisfied with their butter/products. The company, Artisana had no nut butter recalls of salmonella, or anything fishy like that - which is an A+! *thumbs up* :) If you haven't tried their nut butters/products, I highly recommend that you do so. You will fall in LOVE (if you enjoy nut butters, of course!) And if you have already, which nut butter/product is your favorite?

If you don't believe me that peanut butter contains salmonella, watch Food, Inc! They talk about peanut butter and salmonella. I also encourage you to do your OWN research, too. this si real life, people. And even certain company's nut butters such as almond butter contains salmonella, too! You just have to be careful. Below is a list of {DO NOT TRUST; THE WORST} companies for peanut {nut} butters. This list may save your life (and others)!

Top 10 Peanut {nut} Butter Companies With Salmonella Recalls:

1. Skippy's
2. WoodStock
3. Justin's
4. MaraNatha (site is having technical problems)
5. Trader Joe's (a family sued them for salmonella poisoning) 
6. Smucker's  (this was the peanut butter my family used to buy) 
7. SunLand
8. Earth Balance
9. Peter Pan
10. Jif 

Plus, SO much more other company brands out there! Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. Pretty much ALL the peanut butter's out there are contaminated! Peanut butter lovers are not so happy. Even certain nut butter brands contain salmonella, too, like almond butter! Just watch out, guys! Come to think of it, I ate WAY too much salmonella, not only from peanut butter. I ate some really crazy things as a carnivore; it's disturbing!

Wanna hear hear something funny and weird? I searched on Google many times for organic, non-GMO peanuts and peanut butter, but no luck! I noticed that Artisana's do not sell peanut butter. Hmm.... wonder why? (read below to find out in the "did you knows") Seriously. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND ORGANIC, NON-GMO, SAFE PEANUTS AND BUTTER!?!?!?! Hmm... oh, maybe it's because all the peanuts and butters contain salmonella, not organic and GMO! Most people eat peanut butter, but they may not be aware of the salmonella contamination in peanut butter. So, I hope this post really helped you realize the dangers of peanut butter. I actually found jungle peanuts. I heard they are a better alternative than peanut butter. HAH, take that peanut butter! 

i really don't miss peanut butter, as they are other way better nut alternatives! HAH, take that peanut butter! :P 

4 Did You Know Facts!

DID YOU KNOW: Peanuts aren't a nut - they're a legume! It's part of the legume family. Interesting, right?! Most people I've asked don't even know that! Did YOU know that?? I sure didn't until I found out myself! Just because the word ends in 'nut' doesn't mean its a nut! Look at cocoNUT, for an example! Coconuts is a fruit, not a nut! It's a great trivia question. Mother nature is fascinating, isn't she?!

DID YOU KNOW: Monsanto (GMO) owns about 80-95% of seeds! Crazy! That's like pretty much ALL the seeds!

DID YOU KNOW: The company, Sunfood is owned my Monsanto! So, whenever you buy their products, the money goes to Monsanto's dirty green pockets! Just do a google search on "sunfood owned by monsanto" if you don't believe me. I encourage everyone to do their own research. I wound't recommend buying anything from them. 

DID YOU KNOW: Non-organic peanuts are pesticided. Crazy, i know. Like leave our peanuts ALONE! Geesh! 

 

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
What do you think about all this information? Is peanut butter still your favorite food? Would you continue to eat it, knowing it's not organic, GMO and contains salmonella? Did you know all (or some) of the information above about peanut butter? If not, how did you find it - interesting? Give me your thoughts in the comments below. 

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