Karissa did that.

I broke up with peanut butter and I have yet to look back.

———NEWS FLASH———

Peanut butter is not a NUT.

I am fairly certain this is not common knowledge..

I KNOW. (I’m still in shock too)

You’re thinking.. this chick is crazy. Captain obvious, why else would it be called pea”NUT” butter, if indeed it didn’t really fall into the nut family. That’s what grandpa thought, he had to see for himself (a true investigator that guy 🙂 ). I encourage you to hit up our dear friend google and see for yourself.

I can see the head lines now:

“PEANUT: The ultimate master of disguises! Turns out, to be a legume?!”

“But why?” 

“What is the peanut hiding? Is there something wrong with being a legume?!”  

Innocent bystanders demanding answers.  Panicking house moms claiming that in tough times peanut butter and white bread were a staple in their households. (maybe I will rant on white bread later, I don’t want to scare everyone all at once)

This leads me to wonder..  What the heck is a legume?  Sounds healthy enough.  How is it different than a nut? How do each of them process through the body and what can long term consumption do to the body?

After a little snooping around this article gives clarification on the differences between the two and highlights what is it that peanuts contain causing them to actually be unhealthy for the body.

Essentially you do not need to throw all your legumes out just yet, most beans are relatively fine for the body.  And peanuts themselves do have health benefits to be spoke of.  However- It is the mold that grows on the peanut called aflatoxin that thrives on the nut during the storage process, that is of concern.

AS FOR ME:

A true lover of peanut butter for many many moons… I chose to branch out to more nutrient rich nut butter, that is less susceptible to contamination.  May as well avoid long term health complications where I can, considering I am sure there are plenty of things I am doing and have done that I am totally unaware of their negative impacts on my life.

As I previously mentioned in, mind vs body part III, recently I discovered my love for cashews and just yesterday I started reaching for raw almonds in the grocery store too.

With nuts on my counter, nut butters in my fridge, and a mixture of fresh and frozen berries I decided to get creative yesterday!!!

Equal parts almond butter & cashew nut butter whipped together with a spoonful of melted coconut oil.  I chopped up some of the extra nuts for a little added thickness and nutrients. Tossed in some frozen blueberries and diced strawberries.

VOILA!

It is like a grainless, dairy-free Parfait!!!

At first I was eating it by the spoonful and then I sliced an apple and used the pieces as scooping devices.

BYE BYE Peanut butter. I do not think I will miss you, too much 😉