The rise in the popularity of peanut butter in the United States has been remarkable. Machines that could produce peanut butter didn’t become a thing until 1903, and the smooth peanut butter we know and love today didn’t hit the market until decades later.
And nowadays, there are dozens of options when it comes to peanut butter. When shopping for organic or natural peanut butter, look for those that are GMO-free, have less salt, and don’t have any added sugar. The healthiest peanut butter will contain only peanuts, without any additives. Meanwhile, some name brand peanut butter, such as Jif, and Peter Pan, contain 140 milligrams of sodium per 2 tablespoon serving. If you have some time to spare and own a food processor, making peanut butter at home is a fun and easy option. Doing so means you know exactly what will be in your PB: peanuts!
Now for the jelly or jam. The main difference between our sweet jams and jellies is that jam has more real fruit in it than jelly. Jelly is mostly made of fruit juice, so it’s easier to spread and lacks pieces of fruit. If you like to, you can cook up a batch of your own or pick up a homemade jam from the local farmer’s market. To make your own, you can cook your favorite berries with sugar and lemon juice for 20 minutes. Or, try a chia seed jam hack that only requires refrigeration. Does this all sound like too much work? If it does, you can always find some at the store without unnecessary additives. This may sound like a strange combination if your first association with peanut butter is jelly—but you can also try to have your PB sandwich with slices of banana or apple instead of jam, it’s still fruity and will give you more of a crunch. We like this sandwich best with a slice of soft wheat bread.