Addicted to Peanut Butter

[Justin Bieber]

I need to break this addiction.... badly. Any tips? I'm already addicted to gum.... I can't take another addiction. I'm currently eating like 3 containers of peanut butter a week.... and I'm gaining unnecessary weight from it. Not even taking into consideration how bad that much fat is for me....

HELP.

[JKmadu619]

I was going to come into this thread and point out how no one can be addicted to peanut butter, but holy crap, three jars? I would recomend first buying low, or no fat peanut butter. It doesn't taste as good, but it is healthier. Secondly I would try to cut down on consumption, or just stop buying it. If it's not around, you can't have it.

- Justin

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I'm not sure how you can be addicted to gum because you chew it and there's only a certain amount you can fit in your mouth... . I'm always skeptical whether such bizarre threads are legit and not trolling but I'll assume this is legit.

How did you get hooked on peanut butter? To me it seems like a compulsion rather than an addiction, although if you want to call it an addiction, it's purely a psychological one.

The problem with this "addiction" isn't simply the weight gain but the risk of aflatoxicosis, which isn't something you want. Aflatoxin is a mold that grows on the peanut plants and thanks to modern science, it's reduced to such a small amount it poses no harm to people who eat peanut butter every now and then, as most do. However, when you gobble down a hell of a lot for quite some time, you risk high levels of aflatoxin, which is a carcinogen and first hits your liver very hard, as demonstrated in dog studies (although not all dogs were affected immediately and once the dosage of aflatoxin stopped, their liver slowly recovered to a degree). For those that kept receiving aflatoxin, they eventually hemorraged, limbs swelled up like a balloon, behavioural changes and their entire GI system took a hit. In extremes it can cause coma, although I don't believe any occurred in the dog studies.

[Revolution]

Hey Amy,

I'm not sure any physical addiction can come from peanut butter, but dang, this is a lot of peanut butter. I thought my Nutella addiction was bad, for I eat a big container of Nutella a month. But this is pretty extreme.

I am not a doctor, and I can't say exactly why you are doing this, but they say that you crave food because of a deficiency in a similar area. I would say that you might be deficient in protein or the kinds of healthy fat that are in peanut butter (Mono/Poloy-Unsaturated). You probably tend to avoid these nutrients, making it that your body craves a very pure source of them, like peanut butter. Though I'm not sure, and this is only a skeptical idea.

First, I would stop buying it completely, get the temptation away from you. Second, start eating a very well balanced diet that does have a good amount of protein and good fats (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3s). And I really would talk to a professional about this. These kind of food addictions are hard to deal with alone, and might be best to talk to with a professional.

Good luck!

[sammip78]

you can certainly have any kind of food addiction. i am overweight and im addicted to all foods. its like my drug. im an emotional eater. i eat whenever my anxiety and depression is really bad. my advice to you is that start off by taking the consumption of peanut butter that you are eating down to maybe 1 jar a week and then take it down even more. i dont know if you want to stop eating it all together, but i would definitely try to slow down on how much your eating. smile! everything happens for a reason!

[Maverick.]

Simple food addiction. I had a peanut butter period myself. You will eventually get tired of it and you will possibly find some other food to love. Don't worry.

[Justin Bieber]

I just trashed all the peanut butter I had left, which was definitely anything but low fat haha. I bought a tiny container of hummus (with four ingredients, all natural). Hummus seems a little better for me, plus I don't like it as much so I won't be tempted to eat it all. I didn't know peanut butter what that awful for you. I am on Atkins, so I assume some of the cravings for starch/sugar is all from that.

As for the gum-- I'm chewing about 6 packs of orbit a day. But I'm not ready to give that up <3

Thanks for all the advice you guys-- I'm really working on it. I already feel better NOT having access to it. Although if I get a craving....

[Revolution]

Peanutbutter isn't bad for you, especially on a low carb diet. But in that quantity is. Gum is a bit healthier, since it isn't adding weight, but maybe you can start chewing gum by half pieces? That's what I do to save my money.

[Dream]

I would say just go cold turkey. It is only peanut butter- the withdrawal can't be that bad.

Throw it away and do not buy any when you go to the store, and don't buy any until you feel better able to control yourself.

I know someone who cannot keep peanut butter in their house because they will eat the whole container in a day or two. You might be like them, maybe not. But yeah the stuff can be problematic if you overdo it.

[Samrz]

Umm. I've never heard of this before. Just...don't buy peanut butter. Or buy two jars a week. If you have no more peanut butter, DON'T BUY IT TIL NEXT WEEK. Then cut down to one jar a week. Then one jar every other week. Good Luck.