He just wanted to be helpful. I was making my lunch, and Junius asked if he could join in. Seemed like a good idea at the time.But when I watched, stunned, as his eyes began to swell shut and welts broke out across his face, I suddenly realized he was allergic to my sandwich. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the kind I'd eaten a hundred times since he was born, the kind he'd never wanted to eat himself but had just helped me make.
Somehow we made it three-and-a-half years without discovering that Junius has a peanut allergy -- but last December, it was painfully obvious why he never liked peanut butter. He hadn't even eaten any of it that day -- just got a little on his hands closing my sandwich, then rubbed his eyes. After a quick dose of benedryl, a frantic trip to the pediatrician (thankfully it was a weekday and his breathing remained normal), an epi shot and a long nap, he recovered from the reaction unscathed. A few weeks later we visited the allergist to officially confirm what we already knew.
Since then, we've stopped buying peanut butter altogether, even though my husband and I both love it. Just seems too risky to have it in the house. But I miss the ease and the tastiness of a good PB&J for lunch. So when my neighbor offered me a sample of SunButter that she'd gotten in the mail, I figured it was worth a try.
Turns out I can't get Juni even to taste it -- he is understandably afraid of anything that looks remotely like peanut butter. But Pippi and I have really enjoyed it. Although you wouldn't mistake it for real peanut butter, it has enough of the consitency, texture and flavor to make a good sandwich. And in addition to being Juni-safe, it's also "nutritionally superior" to peanut butter (according to its website).
All that to say, if you're not allergic to peanuts, you're probably happier with the real deal. But if you're looking for a substitute, this is a good one.
Note: I have received no compensation from SunButter to write this post. There's a lot of hullabaloo these days about blogging with integrity. I'm assuming the six of you who read this blog aren't worried about that, but please let me know if you have concerns. Trust me when I tell you that none of the marketers seem to have discovered my little blog, despite my hopes for lots of free "blogola."
I've heard rave reviews of sunbutter from other friends. One of these days I'll have to try it.
ReplyDeleteDan and I love peanut butter, too - and we still eat it quite often, even though I think Abby's still a bit young to try out the nuts.
It's crazy how many kids have allergies to nuts these days! I swear I remember when I was a kid, hardly anyone I knew had nut allergies. And I was a kid, errr, not that long ago. ;)
I like almond butter, amy... not so much. bummer about the peanut allergy
ReplyDeleteOh man, that's scary! I know a few little ones with peanut allergies, I've only ever met one person older than me that was allergic.
ReplyDeleteOh and I'm totally looking for some blogola too, in the form of beautiful chandeliers, furniture, hotel stays and the odd designer shoe - ha! ;o)