Peanut butter, a staple in many American homes, was created in 1890 as a source of easy-to-digest protein. Commercial brands of peanut butter arrived on the market in 1914 and the Skippy brand was introduced in 1932. By law, peanut butter must contain 90 percent peanuts, the Peanut Butter Lovers website reports. About half the peanut crop in America ends up in peanut butter.
Ingredients
Skippy peanut butter has a fairly short list of ingredients for a processed food. Skippy contains peanuts, listed as the first ingredient, followed by sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oils, including cottonseed, rapeseed and soybean oils, and salt.
Nutritional Breakdown
A 2-tbsp. serving of either crunchy or smooth Skippy peanut butter contains 190 calories, or around 10 percent of the calories needed in an average 2,000 calorie a day diet. Of those, 140 calories, or 16 g, come from fat. Around 30 percent of your daily calorie intake should come from fats. A serving of peanut butter supplies 25 percent of your daily intake, according to the nutrition label. Skippy peanut butter contains no trans fats or cholesterol and around 3 percent saturated fat, or 15 percent of your daily requirement. Skippy peanut butter contains 7 g of carbohydrate, with 3 g of sugar and 7 g of protein. A serving supplies 2 g of fiber, or 8 percent of your daily requirement. You need about 60 g of protein per day, so a serving of peanut butter supplies more than 10 percent of your needs.
Vitamins and Minerals
A serving of Skippy peanut butter is fairly low in sodium, containing 120 g in the chunky, or 5 percent of your daily intake, and 150 g in the smooth, or 6 percent. A serving also supplies 4 percent of your iron needs, 20 percent of niacin and 10 percent of vitamin E.
Positives
Peanut butter is a good source of non-animal protein that contains little sodium and only a small amount of saturated fats, the kind that can cause atherosclerosis and heart disease, and no trans fats, the worst type of fat. Peanut butter also contains only a small amount of sugar.
Negatives
A small amount of peanut butter, 2 tbsp. contains as many calories as 3 oz. of chicken, fish or lean meat. A number of people, including children, have allergies to peanuts; eating peanut butter can cause a severe, even life-threatening, allergic reaction in people with peanut allergies.
Member Comments