National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day: April 2

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If you left peanut butter and jelly sandwiches behind in your childhood, it just might be time to try one again. This lunchtime staple is healthier than you might have thought.  Even though jelly has sugar, the combination of peanut butter and bread provides protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc. Peanut butter is also a good choice for healthy unsaturated fats.

Basics

A sandwich made from 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of any flavor of jelly and two slices of white bread has 376 calories, 13 grams of protein and 3.5 grams of dietary fiber. It has 16 grams of total sugar, which is a significant amount considering that the American Heart Association recommends limiting sugar intake to 12 grams daily for children, 20 grams for women and 36 grams for men. Honey has more sugar than jelly, but replace them with half of a small banana and you’ll lose about 6 grams of sugar. If you use whole-wheat bread, you’ll get a little more protein and triple the fiber.

Healthy Fats

A classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich has 18 grams of fat. This could be a good chunk of your total daily fat, depending on how many calories you consume. The American Heart Association recommends limiting fat to less than 25 to 35 percent of your total calories. Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, the fat in one sandwich equals 23 to 32 percent of total calories. But there’s good news. The sandwich doesn’t have any cholesterol, and 80 percent of the total fat consists of healthy unsaturated fats that lower cholesterol.

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Vitamins

One sandwich has 20 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin E, 27 percent of folate and 42 percent of niacin. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects vital lipids in the body from free radical damage. Niacin metabolizes food into energy and helps keep your skin and nervous system healthy. Folate is so essential for the production of DNA and growth of new cells that it prevents birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. It also lowers levels of homocysteine, which helps your heart because high levels are associated with cardiovascular disease.

Minerals

You’ll get many of the essential minerals in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, including 14 percent of the daily intake of calcium and magnesium -- but the sandwich is a better source of iron and zinc. Iron doesn’t just deliver oxygen to cells; it also stores it in muscles so that you have enough during exercise. Zinc is needed to make proteins and new cells. It also helps support your immune system. From one peanut butter and jelly sandwich, men get 30 percent of their daily intake of iron and 12 percent of zinc, while women get 13 percent of their daily iron and 17 percent of zinc.

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Conclusion

So the "lowly" PB & J sandwich isn't really so bad for us after all.  Add a piece of fresh fruit and a cup of 1% milk, and you have a pretty healthy meal.

Who'dathunk?

(c) Copyright 2014 Robyn King.  All Rights Reserved.

Sources:  http://nationalpeanutboard.org/the-facts/fun-facts/
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-peanut-butter-jelly-sandwiches-5553.html

Images courtesy of Google Images unless otherwise noted.
(c) Robyn King. All Rights Reserved.

Tangible Karma Day: April 5

 

Karma:  The Buddhist belief that whatever you do comes back to you, e.g. if you do something good, something good will happen to you, and vice versa.

Giving of your time, of your love, of your talents, of your “extras”… Tangible Karma™ Day (the first Saturday in April) celebrates when giving feels as good as receiving.   Nationwide, groups and individuals set aside one hour of this day to purposefully become aware of the needs of those they are in contact with and actively do something to help fulfill those needs.

Some of the ideas that others have incorporated into this event have included:

House Parties: An individual has a give-away party in which everyone brings something to donate. The host registers a Tangible Karma pack to his or her email address, then keeps a list of which donated item is paired with which guests. When a response arrives, the host can forward it to the correct individual.

Even Ally McBeal and Indiana Jones get in on the act.

Visiting or volunteering at a shelter: Becoming aware of the needs of a charity first-hand can make it much clearer which of your goods would be needed and appreciated.  Helping to serve the daily hot meal is another great way to connect with those who need you.

Help a friend: This may be the perfect opportunity for you to help someone you know gain the courage and incentive to let go of things that no longer enhance their lives. Tangible Karma Day is a wonderful time to offer your support and encouragement to a friend going through some tough times.

If you or your group have a special event planned in conjunction with Tangible Karma Day, let them know and they may share your story on their website.

"My mom and I spent Tangible Karma Day together cleaning out our closets.  It was a great way to spend time with her.  I'm always on the go and even though we live in the same house we rarely see each other.  It's also great to know that the clothes and purses I gave away will be appreciated by someone and I'll know about it!!!  I'm excited to see the responses."

- Courtney, Chicago, IL, 2007 participant

(c) Copyright 2014 Robyn King.  All Rights Reserved.

Source:  http://tangiblekarma.com/organize.php
(c) Copyright 2014 Robyn M. King. All Rights Reserved.