Food Nexus: Nutrition

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Are You Eating Peanut Butter or Imitation Peanut Butter Spread?

Just in case you were wondering... side-by-side comparison of Skippy (or as I call it imitation peanut butter spread) and Peanut Butter (in this case, the Organic Creamy Peanut Butter from Trader Joe's.)

SKIPPY
190 calories (140 calories from fat), 16 grams fat, 150 milligrams sodium, 7grams carbohydrate, 7 grams protein.
Ingredients: Rosted Peanuts, Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Cottonseed, Soybean, and Rapeseed), Salt.

PEANUT BUTTER
200 calories (140 calories from fat), 15 grams fat, 45 mg sodium, 7 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams protein.
Ingredients: Organic Peanuts, Salt.

Let's just say all calories aren't created equal. Neither are peanut butters. But you already knew that.

about the creator

So, why am I blogging about food? I'm deeply troubled by the direction of food production and health are going in this country. I fear for the food future my children will inherit. I find myself a vocal advocate for sustainable food systems and ethical agriculture.

At age eight I was first introduced to the concept of hunger by images of children my age from Somalia on television, bellies protruding and eyes sunken. I was stirred by the injustice. At age twelve I became a vegetarian after reading Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe and abstained from meat for 18 years, observing a vegan lifestyle for 3 of those years.

I majored in agriculture in college, focusing on sustainable agriculture and biochemistry. I conducted four years of original research on soil ecology and microbial nitrogen mineralization, receiving funding from the National Science Foundation, McNair Scholar Program, the Mowbray Scholar Program, and the CS Mott Foundation. This culminated in a peer-reviewed publication in the proceedings of the National Conference for Undergraduate Research. I studied agriculture and rural development in China for a semester at the Beijing Agricultural University as the recipient of a National Security Education Program grant. I graduated with a B.S. degree from Michigan State University, honed my communication skills at Walt Disney World representing The Rodale Institute at the International Garden Festival at Epcot Center, and landed at the US Environmental Protection Agency on a 2-year fellowship followed by 4 years of work with the Brownfields Program.

Perhaps one concerned and passionate mom can spark valuable dialog and raise awareness of the food crisis in which we find ourselves?

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Are You Eating Peanut Butter or Imitation Peanut Butter Spread?

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