Prevent the Peanut Butter Binge

I know I’m not the only peanut butter (PB) addict in the world. And yes, I’ve suffered from various PB binges throughout my life. A spoon and a jar of PB can be pure comfort!

However, before you rip off the pantry door, take a deep breath and check out the nutrition label below. This is a typical nutrition label for a typical jar of peanut butter. You’ll note that in just 2 tablespoons of this deliciousness, there are 190 calories. In just a few spoonfuls, you could eat an entire day’s worth of calories not to mention, gorge yourself on fat. Fat isn’t bad and neither is having a day where you exceed your recommended nutritional intake, but allowing these days to add up can easily pack on the pounds.

How to Prevent the Peanut Butter Binge

Remove the Temptation

One of the best ways to remove temptation is to simply REMOVE the temptation. What I mean is, just keep it out of your pantry. This is easier said than done! My daily comfort is a crispy apple and a little PB. It sort of rocks my socks off and I look forward to it.

Opt for Alternatives

After a wild and crazy trip to COSTCO, two mega jars of PB and calorie overload, I knew I couldn’t buy the stuff. I was too much of an addict. But, I still needed to get my daily PB! I found, products like PB2 filled the gap. PB2 is a powdered peanut butter that doesn’t seem to have the same addictive qualities (for me anyway) and significantly less fat and calories. Win win!

Purchase Single Serves

However, the cost of PB2 can put the budget conscious (like me) in a state of peanut butter panic. I decided to try the Jif To Go peanut butter cups. This was awesome! I new when my serving container was empty, my serving container was empty! I just ate my serving and that was it.

Unfortunately, the downside was the cost. When I did the math, it was significantly more expensive to buy these cute little individual PB cups than to just buy a great big ole jar of the creamy goodness. And there I was, back at square one. Rob and I have to be very frugal with our spending so, I reluctantly purchased a jar of PB.

Create Your Own Single Serves

This time was different however. I’d learned that having pre-measured portions curtailed my peanut butter binging. What did I do? I measured out my PB portions into individual baggies. By placing these baggies in the freezer, it was super easy to pop out the peanut butter chunk for my next apple and peanut butter snack.

Know Your Limits

Non PB lovers will think this entire post is pure insanity, but for fellow peanut butter addicts, there is a salvation. It’s simply called knowing your limits and using self control. I know that I don’t need several spoonfuls of PB… and, I know having individual servings prevents me from going overboard.

I hope this tip helps you fend off those unnecessary calories and extra fats but still allows you to have your simple peanut butter joy.

Enjoy! Do you have any tips for fellow peanut butter lovers like me?