You'll Regret Eating Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Here's Why
There are many advantages to indulging in a spoonful or two of peanut butter, like the tasty satisfaction you get from the salty and sweet combo of buttery smoothness. Peanut butter is one food you can eat every day without posing much risk to your health. In fact, it's full of healthy fats that can lower your risk of heart disease, and its fiber content helps you feel fuller longer, which is important in establishing and maintaining healthy eating habits. If you're a peanut butter lover, though, a deep dive into your favorite brand's nutrition is worth your while. Not all brands are created equal.
According to Eat This, Not That!, some of America's most popular peanut butter brands are loaded with hydrogenated oils, salt, and sugar. Topping their list of the worst brands of peanut butter to buy is Peter Pan. The outlet says just 2 tablespoons of Peter Pan's Creamy Peanut Butter has more fat than a small order of McDonald's french fries (yikes) and the crunchy version isn't much better. Crunchy Peter Pan has almost twice the sodium of some other brands, like Simply Jif. And while it's not the healthiest peanut butter you can buy, it also loses points for taste.
Peter Pan peanut butter tastes too sweet
People crave peanut butter for a few reasons, including the irresistible, creamy texture, and the fact that it releases a feel-good chemical called dopamine in our brains. If you're craving Peter Pan peanut butter specifically though, perhaps it's your sweet tooth taking over, rather than a longing for something wholesome. In addition to roasted peanuts, salt, and hydrogenated oils, classic Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter contains added sugar, which may explain its unappealing, artificial-tasting sweetness.
Peanuts already contain natural sugar (4.7 grams of sugar per every 100 grams of raw peanuts, according to Healthline). In a 2-tablespoon serving of Peter Pan, you'll find 1 gram of natural sugar and 2 grams of added sugar. Two grams doesn't sound like a lot but, in a taste test of eight major brands, Thrillist gave Peter Pan's "PB&J Potential" a 3.5 out of 10 because of the overwhelming sweetness — it wasn't able to contrast enough with the jelly. Good Housekeeping's tasters weighed in on the sugary flavor, too, comparing the taste of Peter Pan peanut butter to the filling of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. It's hard to deny the appeal of Reese's but that candy-sweet flavor might not be what you're going for on toast in the morning.