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Constructing the PB&J : A Cultural Icon Abstract: In the last half-century, peanut butter & jelly has become an American icon- a true cultural phenomenon. In fact, the average American will have eaten 1,500 peanut butter and jelly (PB&J) sandwiches by the time they graduate high school. A staple for many since childhood, PB&J is a revered classic. We suspect that the sandwich is popular with children because of that salty-sweet flavor, and early on, parents may have appreciated how fast, simple, and inexpensive it was to make. Food historians do not know exactly when the peanut butter and jelly sandwich was first prepared. Peanut butter wasn't invented until 1890, and it became a hit at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. During the 1920s and 1930s, commercial brands of peanut butter such as Peter Pan and Skippy were introduced. Around the same time, pre-sliced bread became common in the U.S. It is known, however, that both peanut butter and jelly were on the U.S. Military ration menus in World War II, and some have suggested that the GIs added jelly to their peanut butter to make it taste better. It was an instant hit and returning GIs made peanut butter and jelly sales soar in the U.S. This paper details the formation of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as well as the importance of this food staple. Preparing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a ritual for many people. The type of jelly, bread, and way you cut the PB&J is said to be a very important part of the process. To date, the average American household consumes nearly six pounds of peanut butter a year. As for jelly, grape is the number one choice among most adults and children when selecting a fruit spread for their PB&J sandwich. Following closely behind is the other classic flavor, strawberry. Introduction: A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or picnics to be eaten as part of a packed lunch. They generally contain a combination of salad vegetables, meat, cheese, and a variety of sauces or savory spreads. The bread can be used as it is, or it can be coated with any condiments to enhance flavor and texture. They are widely sold in restaurants and cafes. The history of the sandwich is very interesting. There are reports from the 1st Century B.C. of people eating different foods like nuts, fruits and spices between two pieces of matzos. During the Middle Ages, meats and cheeses were combined with slices of thick bread during meal times. The thick bread served as both a plate to hold the food as well as help absorb the juices and gravies from the meat. The actual name “sandwich” occurred in 1762 in London’s Beef Steak Club, a gentlemen's gaming club held at the Shakespeare Tavern. It was named after John Montague (1718-1792), the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. The Sandwich Islands (now called the Hawaiian Islands) were named after him. Montague was a hardened gambler and usually gambled for hours at a time at this restaurant, sometimes refusing to get up even for meals. It is said that ordered his valet to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread. Because Montague also happened to be the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, others began to order "the same as Sandwich!" In 1840 the sandwich was introduced to America by Englishwoman Elizabeth Leslie (17871858). In her cookbook, Directions for Cookery, she has a recipe for ham sandwiches that she suggested as a main dish. “Ham Sandwiches - Cut some thin slices of bread very neatly, having slightly buttered them; and, if you choose, spread on a very little mustard. Have ready some very thin slices of cold boiled ham, and lay one between two slices of bread. You may either roll them up, or lay them flat on the plates. They are used at supper or at luncheon.” (Leslie, E; 1999) In the 1900’s the sandwich became very popular in the American diet when bakeries started selling pre-sliced bread, thus making sandwiches very easy to create. Sandwiches became an easy, portable meal for workers and school children alike. In the 1930s, sliced, soft, white bread is first sold by Wonder Bread. This ability to buy previously sliced bread was an incredible invention and the reason that many other discoveries are compared with the expression “the greatest thing since sliced white bread”. The baking of bread begins with planting wheat. Wheat is not actually a seed but rather a true fruit. The wheat grain has three parts. Bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernel and is high in fiber and nutrients. The germ is the "embryo" of the kernel, and when sprouted, it reproduces new wheat plants. The endosperm makes up most of the kernel and is the food reserve for the germ. The endosperm is extracted during the milling process to make common white flour. It takes 9 seconds for a farming combine to harvest enough wheat to make about 70 loaves of bread. Each American consumes, on average, 53 pounds of bread per year. Sandwiches today are found not only on all variety of breads (rye, sourdough, pumpernickel, wheat, etc.,) but also on all types of types of breads: tortillas, focaccia, matzo, pita, and more. Each culture seems to have created their own version of the sandwich, ideal for use with leftovers and/or convenient packaging of a product and its consumption. Americas favorite sandwich is, of course, the Peanut Butter and Jelly (PB&J) created by WWII soldiers. The soldiers combined bread, peanut butter and jelly from their c-rations (ready-pack meals). This filling treat spread through the ranks and they then brought the idea home to their families. One of the most famous sandwiches is the Elvis Presley favorite - fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Of course, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich requires 3 specific ingredients and each of them has an interesting history. These are now considered staples in Americans' kitchens. Peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts and were first known to exist in South America, as far back as 950 B.C., most likely in Brazil. The Incas were known to have made peanuts into a paste during this time, as well as to have peanut crops. Peanuts were actually said to have been found in the tombs of mummies in Peru. In America, peanuts were grown commercially in North Carolina as early as 1818 and in Virginia as early as the 1840's. In the 1890's, George Washington Carver, who worked at the Alabama Tuskegee Institute, started to use the peanut as a replacement crop for the cotton crops destroyed by weevils. George Washington Carver went on to find about 300 uses for the peanut with his research, such as in soups and desserts. He is said to be the father of the peanut industry, for his work with peanuts and their horticulture. Although Dr. George Washington Carver is generally believed to be the father of peanut butter, he didn't invent it. The beginnings of peanut butter began with a doctor in the city of St. Louis in the 1890's. It is said that this doctor was looking for a protein solution for poor people with bad teeth who could not chew meat. This doctor originally used his own meat grinder to grind peanuts into peanut paste. The doctor took his idea to George A. Bayle, Jr., who owned a food products company. The peanut paste began to be packaged and sold in barrels for about 6 cents per pound! Around this time, Dr. John Kellogg, the staff physician at Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, also began making peanut paste for his patients. He tried to get his patients to become vegetarian, so this was a way for them to get protein and avoid eating meat. He and his brother, W.K. Kellogg, actually patented a peanut butter process. The patent was granted in 1895, stating peanut butter to be "a pasty adhesive substance that is for convenience of distinction termed nut butter." The Kellogg brothers then focused on their cereal, which was sold as the Kellogg brand worldwide. One of the Kellogg's employees, Joseph Lambert, made hand-operated peanut grinders to make peanut butter in 1896. He developed the idea and created the Lambert Food Company. His wife actually made a cookbook about nuts and how to cook them (including peanut butter recipes.) The United States saw its public introduction of peanut butter into mainstream society in 1904, at the St. Louis World Fair (then called the Louisiana Purchase Expedition.) A local businessman C.H. Sumner sold the peanut butter at a concession stand at the fair, making a total of over $700 in sales. In 1908, Krema Products Company, located in Columbus, Ohio, started to sell peanut butter. This company is the oldest of the peanut butter producers still in business today. At that time, the peanut butter was only sold in Ohio, since the company's founder Benton Black wanted it this way. No matter, however, because barrels of peanut butter didn't keep too well anyway. The next state to produce peanut butter was California. Joseph Rosefield was selling different brands of peanut butter there, specifically a smooth variety that was churned like butter and unlike the previous gritty brands that had previously existed. Joseph also obtained a patent for a process that kept peanut butter fresh for up to a year, by preventing the oil from separating from the peanut butter. In 1928, Joseph Rosefield licensed his smooth peanut butter recipe to Pond Company. They sold the peanut butter as Peter Pan brand. Then, in 1932, Joseph and the Pond Company separated, and Joseph went on to create his own business called Rosefield Packing Company. It began selling peanut butter under the brand name of Skippy in 1933. Two years later, Rosefield made a crunchy version of peanut butter that added chopped peanuts after the peanut butter was processed. The actual production of peanut butter is an amazing process. Peanut butter cannot be made without first growing the peanut plant. There are a variety of peanut types available but the best for making peanut butter are runner peanuts because they have a uniform size optimal for even roasting. The vast majority of these nuts are grown in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia beginning around April of each year. Peanuts are also Georgia's official state crop, with at least 50% of the production being used for peanut butter. Other minor peanut producers are North and South Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia Ten days after planting, peanut plants sprout and begin to grow into green leafy plants which end up approximately a foot and a half tall. As the plant grows and the flowers fall off, vines known as "pegs" begin to grow out from the base of the plant, digging themselves into the ground where the peanut itself will form. In September and October, when conditions on the ground are perfect (not too wet or too dry), the peanuts are harvested by machines which start by pulling the plants from the ground, breaking away the roots, and shaking out excess soil. Peanut plants are placed in an upside down position for a few days to dry. When the dried plants are harvested, they are placed in wagons and given additional drying time, after which they are inspected by the Federal or State Inspection Bureaus for quantity and valuation purposes. One acre of peanut crop yields 2,860 pounds of peanuts, enough to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches. An 18oz jar of peanut butter needs 850 peanuts to be made. In addition, two presidents of the USA, Jimmy Carter and Thomas Jefferson, were peanut farmers. Peanuts are taken to shelling plants before they are sent on to manufacturing plants. In the shelling plants, the peanuts are sorted and excess debris such as dirt, sticks, and rocks are removed. After the peanuts are cleaned and separated by size they are shelled and packed for shipping. Peanut butter manufacturers receive the fresh peanuts and begin the process of turning them into peanut butter. The peanuts are first placed into a hot air roaster which raises them to a temperature of 240 degrees Celsius. The oven rocks back and forth to make sure the peanuts roast at an even pace, turning them from white to a light brown color. After roasting, the peanuts are cooled at room temperature, but at a fast pace. Suction fans are used to pull the warm air out of the room. The quick cooling process keeps the peanuts from continuing to cook and helps to ensure that the natural oils will remain in the peanut. Once roasted and cooled the peanuts are placed in a blancher machine. The blancher machine removes the outer skins by lightly rubbing the peanuts between two belts. The two kernels of each nut are then split and the heart in the middle is removed. The heart of the nut is not used in peanut butter because it is too bitter. No waste is created in the process of blanching and shelling the peanut. The skins are passed on to farmers for pig feed. The hearts are sold to manufacturers of bird food! The roasted and split peanuts quickly find themselves in a large stainless steel container. From there, the nuts are dropped into a grinder where they are ground into a paste at a reasonable pace. Care is taken to not grind the peanuts too quickly as doing so would produce heat and allow the peanuts to begin cooking again. Additional ingredients are added to the ground peanuts in order to create the peanut butter we all know and love. They include salt, sugar, and hydrogenated vegetable oil. The hydrogenated vegetable oil is considered a stabilizer as it keeps the natural peanut oil from separating from the peanut butter and rising to the top of the jar. No artificial ingredients or preservatives are ever added to peanut butter. Oddly enough, peanut butter is one of few foods that will never need refrigeration. Peanut butter is known as a healthy food. The tasty paste is packed with vitamins, protein, and minerals. While peanut butter does contain fat, it is not a source of cholesterol. A large percentage of the fat found in peanut butter (80%) is unsaturated or good fat. The other 20% of fat is transfat, or bad fat, and comes from the oil used as a stabilizer in the mixing process. It's possible to avoid the transfat by purchasing natural peanut butter, processed without the hydrogenated vegetable oil. The peanut oil will separate and float to the top of the jar, but mixing the oil back into the peanut butter will quickly solve that problem. The production of peanut butter enjoys a notably high standard of quality. The law states that peanuts must make up at least 90% of the final peanut butter product. The law also mandates that no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives are to be included. Due to its high fat and protein content, peanut butter is used as base emergency food for famine-stricken countries The other main ingredient is jelly. There are several types of this fruit based spread, like jelly, jam, marmalade and preservatives. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published standards of identity in 21 CFR 150, and treats jam and preserves as synonymous, but distinguish jelly from jams and preserves. All of these are cooked and pectin-gelled fruit products, but jellies are based entirely on fruit juice or other liquids, while jams and preserves are gelled fruit that may include the seeds and pulp. In addition, marmalades are similar to jams and preserves however they also contain pieces of the cooked and softened outer peel. As a result, they are usually made from citrus fruits. Jams and jellies come in dozens of flavors and varieties. Nine flavors account for more than 80 percent of total U.S. production. The most popular are grape jelly and strawberry jam. They are followed by grape jam, red raspberry jam, orange marmalade, apple jelly, apricot jam, peach jam and blackberry jam, in that order. An additional 28 flavors are commonly produced that account for less than 20 percent of total production. While the precise origin of preserved fruit remains a matter of historical debate, it is known that jams, jellies and preserves have a rich history and long have been recognized worldwide for their fragrance and rich fruit taste. The earliest cookbook, called "Of Culinary Matters", which dates back to 1st century Rome, contained recipes for making jam. It was part of the diet in the countries of the Middle East where there was an abundance of sugar that grew naturally. Honey was also used as a sweetener. This enabled the people to have vitamins from fruit all year round. It is believed that returning Crusaders first introduced jam and jelly to Europe. By the late Middle Ages, jams, jellies were popular there. In fact, the word “jelly” comes from the French word “gelée” which means to congeal. The use of cane sugar to make jam and jelly can be traced back to the 16th century when the Spanish came to the West Indies where they preserved fruit. Marmalade is thought to have been created in 1561 by the physician to Mary, Queen of Scots, when he mixed orange and crushed sugar to keep her seasickness at bay. It has been suggested, in fact, that the word marmalade derives from the words “Marie est malade” (Mary is sick). Louis X1V of France had a variety of jams at his feasts made from fruits from the palace gardens, which include pineapples and other exotic fruits. Once it became known that Vitamin C prevented scurvy, jam became part of the staple used on ships. Fresh fruit did not last long, but the jam lasted for the length of the trip providing the sailors with the vitamins they needed to stay well. Although the immigrants to the US brought their own recipes with them, the first book on making jam appeared in this country in the 17th century. Early settlers in New England used other ways of making jam, using molasses, honey and maple sugar to give it the sweet taste. They used pectin obtained from boiling apple peel to use as the thickening agent. In 1897, Jerome M. Smucker first pressed cider at a mill in Orrville, Ohio. Later, he prepared apple butter too, which he offered in crocks that each bore a hand-signed seal -- his personal guarantee of quality. A grape jam patent was first issued to Paul Welch in 1917 for the puréeing of grapes. He called the product “Grapelade.” The entire production was purchased by the U.S. Army and shipped to France for consumption by the troops during World War I. When the troops returned to the States after the war, they demanded more of this “Grapelade,” and it was produced in quantity. Jams are thick sweet spreads made by cooking chopped fruits or berries with sugar. They do tend to hold their shape, but are not as firm as jelly. Before you make any kind of jam, you first have to wash the fruit thoroughly, but do not soak them. Ripe fruit and berries are best. For fruit, remove the stems, skins and pits and cut the fruit into pieces and crush them. If you are using berries, remove the stems and leaves and crush. If the berries have seeds, you will have to put the crushed berries through a sieve to remove them if you don’t want to have seeds in the jam. In general, jam is produced by taking mashed or chopped fruit or vegetable pulp and boiling it with sugar and water. When the mixture reaches a temperature of 104 °C (219 °F), the acid and the pectin in the fruit react with the sugar, and the jam will set on cooling. You can also add pectin to the cooking process when making jam. This is a substance that causes fruit to gel. Additional pectin may be added where the original fruit does not supply enough, for example with grape. Commercially produced jams are usually produced using one of two methods. The first is the open pan method, which is essentially a larger scale version of the method a home jam maker would use. This gives a traditional flavor, with some caramelization of the sugars. The second commercial process involves the use of a vacuum vessel, where the jam is placed under a vacuum, which has the effect of reducing its boiling temperature to anywhere between 65-80 °C depending on the recipe and the end result desired. The lower boiling temperature enables the water to be driven off as it would be when using the traditional open pan method, but with the added benefit of retaining more of the volatile flavor compounds from the fruit, preventing caramelization of the sugars, and of course reducing the overall energy required to make the product. However, once the desired amount of water has been driven off, the jam still needs to be heated briefly to 95-100 °C to kill off any micro-organisms that may be present; the vacuum pan method does not kill them all. During the commercial filling of the jam into jars, it is common to use a flame to sterilize the rim of the jar and the lid to destroy any yeasts & molds which may cause spoilage during storage. It is also common practice to inject steam into the head space at the top of the jar immediately prior to the fitting of the lid, in order to create a vacuum. Not only does this vacuum help prevent the growth of spoilage organisms; it also pulls down the tamper evident safety button when lids of this type are employed. Methods: The assembly of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) is rather basic. All materials were collected. One jar of Skippy Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter and one jar of Smuckers Strawberry Preserves were obtained. Although there is a difference in the composition of jelly and preserves, for this study, the term jelly will be used as the standard and most general label of peanut butter and jelly. There should also be acknowledgement that this is not the only way to create the PB&J. As it became popular, more and more variants appeared. Some variants add honey, chocolate or maple syrup, the hazelnut-chocolate spread Nutella, marshmallows, raisins, bananas, butter, marshmallow fluff, potato chips, cheese, other dried fruit, or another slice of bread. Other variations include slices of fresh fruit besides bananas such as apples or strawberries. Almonds can also be included. One of the most well known versions was the favorite of Elvis Presley. His favorite was a sandwich that contained peanut butter, bacon and bananas and then fried. One paper plate (9 inch, made by “Natures Own” comprised of 100% recycled paper) was used as well. Two slices of Pepperidge Farm 15 grain Whole Grain bread were removed from their package and placed on the plate lying next to each other. The bread dimensions are 10cm x 11cm and approximately 1cm thick. One Dansk Torun “butter” style knife was used (knife: 8 1/2", crafted of 18/10 stainless steel). The jar of peanut butter was opened and the knife was inserted, twisting into the peanut butter to remove 2 tablespoons (29.573 cubic centimeters) of peanut butter. This peanut butter was then placed on one of the larger flat sides of one piece of bread. The peanut butter was then spread across the bread forming an even and consistent layer across the entire bread surface. Great care was used to ensure that the bread maintained its shape and integrity. For this study the peanut butter section was completed first. Although others may complete this sandwich using the jelly first, the results should be the same. Once completed, the knife was washed and dried thoroughly so as not to contaminate the remainder of the project. The same knife was then used to remove the strawberry preserves. The cover to the jar of strawberry preserves was removed. The knife was inserted into the jelly and twisted and lifted to remove 1 Tablespoon (14.786 cubic centimeters). The quantity of peanut Butter and Preserves used are the USDA recommended serving sizes. The strawberry preserves removed was then placed on one of the flat surfaces of the remaining piece of bread. As done before, the preserves was evenly spread and distributed across the entire surface. The covers to both peanut butter and preserves were then twisted back on to their respective jars and both samples were placed back into the refrigerator. Once both slices of bread contained their appropriate samples of peanut butter and jelly you can continue. Keeping the bread slice with the preserves lying flat and upright on the plate, the bread slice with the peanut butter was lifted by hand and gently flipped over. Using care, the peanut butter slice, now inverted with the peanut butter side of the bread facing downward and the plain bread side facing upward, the slice is slowly lowered and placed on top of the slice containing the preserves. Both bread slices should line up so that the edges and corners are lined up in a uniform manner on top of each other. After removing the preserves, the knife was then washed again and dried. The knife was then used to cut the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich into the preferred sample sizes. Two cuts were done diagonally from top right corner to bottom left corner and from top left corner to bottom right corner. Once completed, the two cuts should form an “X” on the bread originating from each corner. The result will be having 4 triangular shaped sandwich pieces on the plate. The knife was then washed using soap and hot water, dried and returned to its appropriate container. Now completed, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is now ready for the best and most important step: consumption. Each triangular piece was picked up one at a time and several bites were taken. Each bite was chewed the proper number of times for mastication by teeth and enzyme activity to begin from the amylase contained in the saliva. A large glass of cold water was also consumed while eating all 4 sandwich pieces. Once completed, the paper plate was discarded in the appropriate receptacle. Results: The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by high school graduation. Jelly is more popular among kids, while jams and preserves are favored by adults. Consumers, who regularly purchase jam, jelly and preserves usually buy two flavors to have at home. And at home, adults and children eat the products with equal frequency. Jams and jellies boast quick energy, delicious flavors and only 48 calories per tablespoon (less for jellies made with low-calorie sweeteners). On a tablespoon-for-tablespoon basis, jams and jellies have about half the calories of butter (or margarine) and they contain zero fat! For instance, a tablespoon of butter is loaded with 102 calories, not to mention 12 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat and 31 milligrams of cholesterol. In the U.S. approximately 1 billion pounds of fruit spreads are produced annually. Per capita consumption is approximately 4.4 pounds annually. Preserves currently represent 33.6% of the total sales of the overall fruit spread category (jams, jellies, preserves, fruit spreads, marmalades, fruit & honey butters). Jams make up 21.45% of sales with jelly sales close behind at 20% of sales. Fruit spreads are 16.45% of sales, marmalades comprise 5.2% of sales, and fruit and honey butters make up 1.2% of the overall category. ( Progressive Grocer, September 2004) The entire category of fruit spread product supermarket sales was $671.03 million in 2003, up 0.3% from 2002. Jam sales were down 0.1% from 2002 at $143.96 million. Marmalade sales were $34.77 million, up 0.4% from 2002. Sales of jelly were down 1.1% at $134.53 million, and preserve sales were $225.52 up 1.1% from 2002. Fruit spread (e.g., all-fruit spreads) sales were down 0.5% from the previous year at $110.36 million. Fruit spreads, jams, jellies and marmalades represent 40% of the “Jams/Jellies/Spreads” category as defined by Progressive Grocer which also includes peanut butter, honey, fruit and honey butters and garlic spreads. Peanut butter makes up 49% of the category, and fruit & honey butter make up 1.2% or $21.89 million in sales (up 5.7% since 2002). The two charts below graphically represent the overall fruit spread sales over the past three years and the sales per category of fruit spreads.(Progressive Grocer, September 2003) In 2001, each household spent approximately $5.80 on preserves, $4.47 on jams, $3.46 on jellies, $5.85 on fruit spreads and $3.85 on marmalade. ( Progressive Grocer, 2002) Source: Progressive Grocer, September 2003, 2004 Where Do People Buy Fruit Spreads?(Progressive Grocer, July 2000 & 2001) The table below provides additional insight into where fruit spreads are purchased in various retail outlets. Retail Outlet Fruit Spreads Jams Jelly Preserves Supermarket ($200 million+) 85.1% 85.5% 84.6% 79.1% Grocery (Under $200 million) 2.0 2.0 2.8 2.2 Mass Merchandiser 2.3 1.6 3.1 2.5 Warehouse Club 4.3 4.7 3.5 9.3 Drug Store 0.5 0.9 1.0 1.1 Convenience Store 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 Other 5.7 5.2 4.7 5.6 Today, many nuts are made into some type of butter. Nut butters, as you might call them, are made from different types of nuts including the almond and hazelnut. Of course you know, however, that peanuts aren't really nuts, they're legumes. A legume is a dry fruit that has a seam on two sides. Legumes are also known as pods. The United States happens to be the biggest supplier of peanut butter, and the biggest consumer. Argentina and Chile also export large amounts of peanut butter. Other countries harvest peanut crops, but the peanuts aren't generally used for peanut butter. They're used for animal feed and peanut oil for cooking. The details for peanut butter in the United States are staggering. Americans consume on average over 1.5 million pounds of peanut butter and peanut products each year. On average, each American consumes more than six pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products each year. In fact adults consume more peanut butter annually than children do. Peanuts contribute more than $4 billion to the USA economy each year and Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter. Peanut butter calorie breakdown: percentages indicate caloric share The calorie breakdown for peanut butter is: 71% calories from fats 14% calories from carbohydrates 15% calories from protein The total calorie content in 100 grams of peanut butter is 589Cal, placing it among the most caloric foods in the typical U.S kitchen. Most of the fats contained are however monounsaturated, and have been shown to improve the cholesterol profile by lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol. This effect is compounded by peanut butter containing polyunsaturated fats, which in turn help raising the "good" HDL cholesterol; the synergistic effect makes this spread a very good cholesterol regulator. Bread is also a great source of energy because it is rich in complex carbohydrates. The human body slowly turns these carbohydrates into sugars, which the body utilizes for energy. Breads and grain products occupy the first and largest rung of the widely accepted Food Pyramid. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated that all adults should eat six to eleven servings of carbohydrates daily (depending on age and gender), and bread can make up a large segment of this daily intake. As approved by the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), breads rich in whole grains can advertise that they help fight heart disease and cancer. Breads (and grain-based foods in general) that contain 51 percent or more whole grain ingredients by weight can use the following health claim on labels: "Diets rich in whole grains and other plant foods low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers." Whole grain breads are also a great source of fiber and roughage, which aid the body's digestive and waste elimination systems. An average slice of packaged bread contains only 1 gram of fat and 75 to 80 calories. One bushel of wheat will produce 73 one‐pound loaves of bread. In Kansas alone wheat farmers produce enough wheat to make 36.5 billion loaves of bread, or enough to provide each person on earth with 6 loaves of bread. In the U.S. each American consumes, on average, 53 pounds of bread per year. Bread is inexpensive. At an average cost of about $2 a loaf, bread is therefore a strong nutrition value for the dollar. Discussion: As can be easily seen, the consumption of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches has numerous advantages. Efficiency and ease in making and transporting has been vital for school kids for many years. Economic reasons also exist. The low cost in obtaining all ingredients is important for all Americans. When these are combined with the great taste and personal preference by so many, it creates an incredible positive scenario. With all these advantages, there also exist many health benefits that make the consumption of PB&J sandwiches an even better value. Peanut butter contains fairly high quantities of dietary fiber, amounting to about 8%, which again helps in regulating both blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Bread and grain products are enriched with iron, folic acid, and other B vitamins, including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin. Over the years this enrichment has helped eliminate nutritionrelated diseases, such as beriberi, pellagra, and severe nutritional anemia. Research has shown that folic acid helps prevent heart disease. Women of childbearing age also need folic acid. The daily minimum requirement of four hundred micrograms is essential in preventing birth defects of the spinal cord and brain. In addition, they contain large amounts of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber has also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (which is among the most common causes of death by cancer in civilized countries) and atherosclerosis (another common disease in the U.S. and Europe). Proteins are present in high amounts (about 24% in weight), together with very important micronutrients such as Vitamin E, Vitamin B3 and large amounts of beneficial minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and calcium. Vitamin E is one of the most powerful liposoluble antioxidants, shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases; Vitamin B3 (also known as Niacin) is a water-soluble vitamin that aids in the recovery of cell DNA damage (thus protecting from cancer) and in improving sexual bodily functions by assuring the proper secretion of sexual hormones. The minerals peanut butter contains are in variable amount (raw peanut butter with crushed skin contains much higher amounts than refined "nut-only" butter): iron is essential for the correct functioning of your red blood cells, while calcium promotes healthy bones and shields against muscle spasms. Although not among the richest foods in potassium, peanut butter still contains fairly good amounts of it, and research has indicated that diets rich in potassium reduce the risk of hypertension (bananas are, however, a better source of potassium, try making a banana and peanut butter sandwich!). As for health benefits, the unsaturated fat content in peanut butter helps reduce the risk of heart disease by 25% (if you eat 1oz per day), its rich folate and niacin (vitamin B3) content helps increase the HDL (good cholesterol) level by as much as 30%, all while being a very good source of proteins (up to 25% of peanuts consists of proteins) and dietary fiber; the most unique property of peanut butter, though, is its high content in Resveratrol, a substance that's been shown to have very strong anti-cancer properties. Peanut Butter - 100grams, not salted, smooth style Nutrient Units Value per 100 grams Number of Data Points Std. Error Water g 1.81 423 0.025 Energy kcal 588 0 0 Energy kj 2462 0 0 Protein g 25.09 633 0.03 Total lipid (fat) g 50.39 613 0.296 Fiber, total dietary g 6.0 12 0.287 Sugars, total g 9.22 0 0 Minerals Calcium, Ca mg 43 56 0.829 Iron, Fe mg 1.87 567 0.028 Magnesium, Mg mg 154 403 3.766 Phosphorus, P mg 358 397 2.92 Potassium, K mg 649 271 4.259 Sodium, Na mg 17 0 0 Zinc, Zn mg 2.91 382 0.031 Copper, Cu mg 0.473 57 0.026 Manganese, Mn mg 1.466 57 0.09 Vitamins Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 0.0 0 0 Thiamin mg 0.073 30 0.004 Riboflavin mg 0.105 30 0.004 Niacin mg 13.403 480 0.047 Pantothenic acid mg 1.060 16 0.036 Vitamin B-6 mg 0.543 17 0.028 Folate, total mcg 74 11 10.415 Folic acid mcg 0 0 0 Vitamin B-12 mcg 0.00 0 0 Conclusion: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have maintained their incredible popularity throughout the years and throughout people's lives for many reasons. Their ease in making and transporting, low cost and numerous beneficial healthy traits are all secondary to their great taste. This is the reason why children and adults have consumed them in such tremendous amounts for so many years. Although there is a small percentage of the population that possess allergies to specific ingredients in this sandwich (most notable peanuts and to a lesser degree gluten and/or wheat) this amazing sandwich still reigns supreme. Peanut butter is a very caloric, yet very healthy food. In general, raw peanut butter (as in less refined) is better than refined, because it retains many of the beneficial nutrients found in the skin; in addition, processed peanut butter might contain added trans-fatty acids (which have been shown to increase the risk of cardio circulatory diseases). In addition, substituting in whole grain breads as opposed to white bread, and fruit based jams, combine to make these ingredients a win-win for any sandwich. References: Bolden, T. 2008. George Washington Carver. Harry N. Abrams publishing. Leslie, E; 1999. Miss Leslie's Directions for Cookery: An Unabridged Reprint of the 1851 Classic Dover Publications. McCord, H; 2001. The Peanut Butter Diet. St. Martin's Paperbacks. Micucci, C. 2000. The Life and Times of the Peanut. Sandpiper publishing. Russo, S. 2011. The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches Quirk Books; First Edition. Tremblay, Y. 2003. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jams, Jellies & Preserves. Alpha publishing. Internet References: http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/bread http://www.jelly.org/lore.html http://peanut-butter.org/ http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/business-focus/id24228/more-consumersbrown-bagging-lunch-npd/ http://www.progressivegrocer.com Progressive Grocer, September 2004, Progressive Grocer, September 2003, Progressive Grocer, 2002, Progressive Grocer, July 2000 & 2001 http://www.purejam.com/History_of_Jam.htm http://www.smuckers.com/products/group.aspx?groupId=1 http://www.suu.edu/faculty/gubler/pdf/bread-preschool/BreadFacts.pdf http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/SandwichHistory.htm http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/PeanutButterJellySandwich.htm