You're celebrating and you didn't even know it -- November marks National Peanut Butter Month. Unless you've got a nut allergy, it's a big month for the creamy stuff.
PB fans love it spread on a sandwich, smeared on hot toast or stirred in oatmeal. Those living diet-dangerously lace that heaping tablespoon with semi-sweet chocolate chips, then rationalize it all down saying peanut butter is a terrific source of protein.

If you're a regular pb-lover, it's time to arm yourself with the nutritional facts. For starters, how many calories in two tablespoons of peanut butter?

I was making out a grocery list the other day and realized we were almost out of peanut butter. We don't make many peanut butter sandwiches around here, but celery with peanut butter is one of my son's favorite snacks. Even though I know most major brands of peanut butter aren't on the growing list of recalled peanut products, I have to admit that I paused. The whole salmonella scare is enough to put a person off peanut butter entirely.

Planet Green has a great solution; make your own peanut butter. Not only does DIY peanut butter eliminate any worries about salmonella, it also means you control the ingredients -- there's no partially hydrogenated oil in sight! All you'll need is shelled and skinned roasted peanuts, honey, sea salt and peanut oil. Homemade peanut butter lasts about two months when sealed in an airtight container.

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The peanut/salmonella debacle just keeps getting bigger ... and grosser.

The Georgia processing plant that has been determined as the source of the tainted peanut paste was previously cited for sanitation concerns. Things like dirty surfaces, greasy residue, exposed rust (in areas where it could fall into the food), and gaps in doors large enough for rodents to get through.

Do you have the heebie-jeebies yet? I know I do. The plant, thankfully, has been shut down.

Parnell's Pride and King Nut peanut butter and many products that use peanut paste from the plant have been recalled. To date, nearly 500 people have become ill after consuming tainted peanut butter products; seven have died.

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Recently, a school bus full of commuting kids had to be evacuated and decontaminated. Surely that kind of drastic measure would only be taken for something serious like a chemical spill or an outbreak of TB? Nope -- that's not what happened at all.

Students were rushed off the bus because a peanut fell on the floor. Yes, peanuts on a bus can pose a danger for kids with nut allergies, but I think the real problem here is the fact that the kids on the bus couldn't be trusted to not eat off the floor.

Isn't this nut allergy craze getting a bit out of hand?

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Last year, my son had a classmate with a peanut allergy. In consideration for this child, parents were asked not to send in treats for the class that contained peanuts. But there was no school-wide ban on peanuts or peanut butter. Kids were still welcome to bring the old PB&J standby in their lunch boxes. Many schools, however, are choosing to make school-wide peanut bans to protect kids with allergies.

I'm not allergic to peanuts, but I am allergic to tree nuts. As an adult, it's difficult to know exactly what foods contain nuts that I may be allergic to. So, as a safety measure, I just don't eat anything that I'm not sure of. I can imagine that this type of self-monitoring is even harder for school-age children. And seeing how kids trade things in their lunch boxes so frequently, I can see where a peanut ban could be wise. (Imagine a kid bringing in a chocolate chip cookie that has some peanut butter in the batter. If that was given to a kid who has allergies, the child may not guess that there are peanuts in there, and then have an allergic reaction.)

So I wouldn't mind if there were a ban on peanut-based products altogether at my son's school. But some parents disagree and feel that the needs of a few shouldn't dictate what the majority does.

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Need a healthy snack you won't find addicting? Then peanuts should be your pick. Why? Because they don't cause a direct release of the pleasure neurotransmitter dopamine, like some foods do -- foods like sugary cereals, which release dopamine, make you feel great, and then cause you to crash and reach for more of the item that made you feel so good. Not the case with peanuts.

Peanuts satisfy without a roller-coaster effect. They're also good for your heart, full of healthy fats, and powered with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory goods. Just an ounce of peanuts per day will do you good, minus the major cravings.

More articles on the merits of nuts here.

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Man, nuts are expensive. A strange way to open a discussion, I know, but I needed to get right to the point. And as I take a quick look back at that first sentence, I'm thankful for the way a comma can help clarify the meaning of a statement. Anyway, back to what I was saying: nuts are not cheap these days. Where I shop, a good sized package of almonds can run about six bucks. Walnuts are only slightly cheaper. With the exception of peanuts, it seems as though the price of nuts has become ... well, for lack of a better term, nuts.

This is too bad, really. Nuts are an excellent source of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat -- the kind that helps reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol. In addition, studies have shown that nuts may also reduce inflammation in blood vessels, helping to prevent against the development of heart disease.

Considering that nuts contain the antioxidant vitamin E, as well as a fair amount of folate and niacin (among myriad other nutrients), you'd think there would be government action taken to make them more affordable. A handful of almonds, for example, would make for a much healthier snack in a kid's lunchbox than would a bag of potato chips; yet, the small container of almonds cost twice as much as an overstuffed bag of the latter. With the growing problem of obesity (no pun intended) in this country among kids and adults, efforts should be made to make healthy foods such as nuts the better financial option than sugary and salty snacks.

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Several years ago a friend of mine moved down to the Atlanta area. I flew down for a visit before they even had their boxes unpacked. As we were driving along a road we saw a big stand advertising boiled peanuts. Being from the north we were both a bit puzzled and had never heard of such a thing. Curiosity got the better of us and we pulled over to try it out. My first impression wasn't too great as boiled peanuts don't smell all that great. But the flavor was good -- soft and a bit salty. It turns out that roadside treat had some health value as well.

Boiled peanuts have up to four times the phytochemicals of raw peanuts. Researchers think that antioxidants from the shell are absorbed during boiling -- making these tiny treats a nutritional powerhouse.

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Peanuts make for great, healthy snacks when you're on-the-go. Rich in healthy fat, protein, and even antioxidants, noshing on a handful is an excellent way to tide you over.

But as healthy as the peanuts you're eating are, they actually could be healthier. How? By boiling them, say the folks at Men's Health.

A study conducted at Alabama A&M University revealed that boiled peanuts contain the highest amount of antioxidants, much more so than roasted or raw. Evidently, the most antioxidants in a peanut are found in the shell, and boiling helps transfer most of them into the nut (or legume. Whatever a peanut actually is) itself.

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Zinc is more than just a way to use a 'z' in scrabble -- it's an essential nutrient that your body needs, both to heal wounds and injuries and help your body break down carbohydrates. How do you know if you're getting enough? Here are some signs that you're not, according to Everyday Health:

• Wounds, lesions and infections are difficult to heal.
  
• Your appetite is decreased.
  
• You experience an abnormal sense of taste and smell.
  
• You have difficulty seeing in the dark
• You experience abnormal hair loss.
  

Think you might be low on zinc? Load up on protein sources like red meat, turkey, seafood and legumes, as well as veggies like spinach and peas. Whole wheat bread, yogurt and milk are also good sources.

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People who eat a bag of peanuts a week can trigger peanut allergies in their children, according to recent reports out of the UK. This goes completely against the common belief the exposing children to an allergen early in life can cut their chances of developing a lifelong allergy to that item.

So what's causing this? It's thought that dust and oil from the nuts can enter a child's body through the nose and skin, affecting the immune system, which leads to an allergic reaction when the child eats peanuts themselves. Still, that's purely speculative at this point, but if you're worried about your child having an allergy, it might be a good idea to eliminate nuts from the home completely.

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Based on a new study out this week, dangerous peanut allergies are being developed by some kids at earlier ages -- and more parents are giving younger kids peanuts at earlier ages as well.

Peanuts are healthy when eaten in the correct form, but that doesn't stop them from being very allergic in many kids. It's estimated that 1.8 million Americans are allergic to peanuts.

On top of that, the number of people diagnosed with a peanut allergy has doubled in the last 10 years. Is it because of bio-engineered peanuts crops or that more people are eating peanuts (especially kids)? the study was not definitive on that one.

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You may not need this remedy unless you're likely to be stranded in freezing outdoor temperatures for extended periods of time. Still, you never know what lies ahead. So be prepared -- with a dose of sugar, that is.

Besides adding layers and applying heat, another speedy way to warm the body is to eat or drink something sweet, says one Alaska state trooper who coordinates search and rescue missions. Sugars help build an internal "fire," says Lieutenant Barry Wilson in the December 2007 issue of The Oprah Magazine. Sugar creates brief heat and quick energy. Keep in mind the "brief" and "quick" terminology. Make a habit out of consuming sugar and that jolt of energy will lead to an inevitable crash.

Even better for warming up: a little GORP (granola, oats, raisins, and peanuts). This combo provides more slowly-released carbs -- think of these as the fire's "sticks" -- as well as protein and fat, or the "logs."

Got sugar? Got GORP? Then you're all set.

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Usually boiling something takes away from the nutritional content of the food, but in the case of peanuts, research is shown that boiled peanuts are better than raw or roasted. Apparently, it's all down to phytochemicals, which have antioxidant qualities. Boiling peanuts is more effective at bringing out the phytochemicals than roasting.

I don't know if I've ever had boiled peanuts, unless peanut butter is boiled. But apparently, eating boiled peanuts is popular in the south.

For more information, check out this article.

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