I have an overload of estrogen already. It's one of the many factors of my present inability to conceive. So over the last several months I've slowly been weeding out everything that has soy and soybeans and soybean oil in it. It's really hard, but each time I learn to make something from scratch, sans soybeans, I get a little thrill.
This week it was time for the great peanut butter purge. Our last jar was running out and I sadly read the Jif label for the 1000th time. There staring back at me, unblinkingly, was "hydrogenated vegetable (soybean) oil."
Yes, I know there are natural peanut butters. But I like JIF! I like PETER PAN! I like SKIPPY! I even like STORE BRAND PEANUT BUTTER!!!! I've tried Adam's Natural (with the two inch layer of oil on top) and can I just say, "blech"?! Give me smooth, creamy, and hydrogenated any day!
So in the bulk section of our grocery store this week, my husband saw a vat of plain roasted peanuts that you could grind right into a container. It was a pretty cool gadget so we gave it a spin.
*crank crank crank, grind grind grind, whirl*
Out came some pretty neat looking peanut butter.
That evening my husband brought me a graham cracker with our new peanut butter and some Nutella on it (I let him keep his Nutella -- a man's gotta have some things he likes).
"Oh my goodness, this is delicious!! I wonder if it's just the Nutella or if the peanut butter is really just this good?"
"No, it's the Nutella. The peanut butter tastes like chewed up peanuts."
"No it doesn't! This stuff is amazing."
He shrugged and I basked in the triumph of another step towards freedom from Sir Soybean.
This morning I tried some of the peanut butter on a spoon (the best way to eat it).
"BLECH!! This tastes like chewed up peanuts!"
Mr. Amazing smirked.
I added salt. "Now it tastes like chewed up salted peanuts." I added honey. "Chewed up salted peanuts with honey."
*sigh*
I so want to Skippy on down to the grocery and be back with a Jif.
16 comments:
Do you have a Trader Joe's anywhere nearby? They have various nut butters (peanut smooth & chunky, salted and unsalted; almond; cashew; and probably some others), and all at a really good price. They do separate, because they don't have all the extra ingredients in them (you know... the ones you're trying to avoid). :)
I think all the major peanut butter brands now make non-hydrogenated versions that are just as creamy and non-separating like the hydrogenated ones. Try sky this one: http://www.peanutbutter.com/natural.aspx
Peanut butter is so gooooood and good for you when you buy that kind.
Pam- sadly no Trader Joe's within hundreds of miles.
Elisa- *sigh* I'm becoming a label Nazi. I've checked out all of the major market "natural" peanut butters, and they all contain "sugar." I'm also trying to (Dr. mandated) avoid highly processed sugars wherever I can. Even a negligible amount in peanut butter, if added to the negligible amount in countless other foods, becomes a noticeable amount.
I love the Skippy Natural PB, it has peanut(obviously) and palm oils in it instead of soy. I think it actually tastes better than the regular Skippy.
I buy the natural JIF peanut butter and it has no hydrogenated oils in it! It's creamy, just like JIF should be and doesn't require the obnoxious stirring that many natural peanut butters require. Give it a try!
Skippy and Jif's natural peanut butters both have added sugar (which I can't really have). :(
That makes you think, never hear of the effect on infertility.
We love the creamy stuff, too.
Mely
Look up Zimmerman's Natural PB. We use it, and my husband, a hardcore commercial PB fan, likes it well enough and thinks it better than most of the natural types. The ingredients are: Peanuts. I am not a big fan of peanut butter, but I like the Zimmerman's.
I LOVE Teddy's Natural Peanut butter. All it has is peanuts and salt. Tastes just as good as those beloved other ones too!
We switched to Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (after reading Omnivores Dilemma - did you read it? Soooooo good!) The only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Yes, there is that annoying inch of peanut oil up top but if you stir it before each use it's really fine. The boys didn't even notice when I switched from JIF (and THAT's the real testimonial!) It does taste really good - the texture is a little more grainy - but not much and it's worth it to be able to identify what you're eating! Just try a small jar and see for yourself.
Have you ever tried getting a progesterone cream? Stuff does a great job..I have to use it in early pregnancy instead of taking a pill..
A lot of women I know who had trouble with miscarriages started taking a progesterone suppository to counteract the extra estrogen, and had successful pregnancies. Just a thought. I had to give up dairy and soy while I was breastfeeding my third child, and man was that ever hard. I feel your pain :(
ok, so you all made me look at my PB tubs. OMG! I need to go buy some Jif Naturals ASAP. I can't believe I have been feeding that to my kid!!!
I believe there is a significant connection between food and fertility.
Do you have any nutrition therapists/clinics in your area?
I recently began going to a Nutrition Clinic near me and started taking whole food supplements (very different from store-bought vitamins), even some that balance hormones. I am doing this in preparation for marriage (wedding in May) b/c in charting for NFP (Creighton model) there have been some signs of hormone imbalances.
The nutrition therapist I am seeing practices Chinese medicine. She told me she has had women come to her who were preparing for IVF but conceived after changing their diet, adding supplements, etc.
Supplements can be expensive, but if they work, especially in regard to fertility, I believe they are worth it. Some of them only need to be taken for a few months to heal you body. Others may become part of your daily routine. I'm convinced we are not getting adequate nutrition from our food, no matter how many fruits, veggies, etc. we are eating.
Ok, I could go on and on and on....
God bless!
The best supplement for hormone balance/fertility I've used is Vitex, aka Chaste Tree Berry. Planetary Herbals makes a good one that is a combination of the berry and extract.
I switched to all-natural peanut butter a few years ago, due to hypoglycemia. The added sugar and fillers made it bad for me. I can honestly say once I got used to it, I can't eat the creamy, processed stuff anymore. It just doesn't taste right.
Do you shop at Costco? They have a Kirkland's organic peanut butter for a really good price, with no added sugar or fillers. It is just peanuts and maybe a little salt (I can't remember). I hate stirring up peanut butter, so I stir it up once when I first open it and then keep it in the fridge. That keeps it from separating again.
Peanuts themselves are estrogenic, my friend
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