A note about peanut butter & jelly: fats & sugars

When we buy peanut butter, we buy natural. No trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup, no refined sugars. A brand that my local grocery carries that I really like is Smart Balance Omega, as it doesn't require refrigeration, the oils don't separate, it spreads well and tastes great.

As for jelly, we don't eat it unless we know it is vegetarian. Gelatin is not vegetarian. We eat jam, but again watch out for the high fructose corn syrup and sugar content.

Also of note, some sugar passes through cow bone char as part of the bleaching and refining process. We buy sugars that we know are not processed in that manner. My local grocery carries Florida Crystals. Backstrap molasses, and agave nectar are some nutritious sweeteners. Vegans will normally not use honey, but we are not vegan, and we do use honey. But, we don't eat artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes. There are other reasons why, but in the end, a big reason is that my taste buds object to the aftertaste.

Added April 19: At the Conscious Gourmet I learned a lot of new things that I wasn't aware of about sugars and sweeteners, including some natural sweeteners I had never tried before. I am rethinking my use of sugars and will be trying some alternatives that I have been exposed to. I'll keep you updated on this in newer posts.