By Lauren Duffy

When we all came back from our Winter Break, two of our campus’s Dining Commons had a pleasant little surprise waiting for us…. Berkshire and Worcester now have make-your-own natural peanut butter machines! They are absolutely amazing! Not only are these machines really easy (and kind of fun) to operate, but they also provide a healthy alternative for students looking to satisfy their peanut craving. Just as before, all four Dining Commons still offer their usual Jif® Peanut Butter, but I highly suggest that you give the more natural stuff a shot…

The Jif® Regular Creamy Peanut Butter that you’ll find at all four of the DCs (located near the bagels and toast) is a highly processed peanut spread. In order for it to be so creamy and a bit on the sweeter side, Jif® adds molasses, sugar, preservatives, salt, and various oils. This may cause the peanut butter to be a bit more spreadable, but it also makes the numbers on the Nutrition Facts significantly higher.

The new peanut butter machines at the Dining Commons are completely different. Just by looking at the machine, you can see that there is one main ingredient: peanuts. No sugars, no molasses, no preservatives– essentially nothing to take away from its nutritional benefits. The peanut butter it makes has less fat, less calories, less carbohydrates, less sugars, and less sodium… but more protein and nutrients! You can’t see it, but the machine may add a little bit of vegetable oil to make the peanut butter easier to spread, but it’s nowhere near as much as Jif® adds, so don’t worry about it too much.

So next time you’re looking to add peanut butter to your bagel, banana, sandwich, or celery, be sure to try going for the more natural choice and test out the new peanut butter machines! They have signs on top of them that tell you how to operate them in four easy steps.

Remember… everything in moderation! The more natural you eat, the healthier you’ll be. Just keep in mind that eating a ton of peanut butter (natural or not) will not do you any good. Happy peanut butter making!