Stop Believing These Myths About Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is often associated with sweet treats, but it's not the unhealthy sugar bomb that some may think it is, as dietitian Markita Lewis explains.

Lewis said, "the sugar in conventional peanut butter amounts to about ½ teaspoon per serving, which is a very small contribution [...]." To avoid it, opt for natural peanut butter.

Contrary to popular belief, peanut butter will not cause acne nor make it worse. It contains plenty of oil, but dietary fat doesn't correlate to oily skin.

Instead, acne has a number of other root causes, including hormonal and genetic factors, none of which can be affected by peanut butter.

Just as random as the causes of hiccups are the many remedies to stop them, which include a few spoonfuls of peanut butter. However, there's no evidence it works.

Moreover, it can be dangerous: swallowing a large spoonful of peanut butter quickly can lead to choking. Peanut butter is great, but a big gob of it stuck in your throat is not.

Some believe that an opened jar of peanut butter can last nearly forever in your pantry. However, this simply isn't true.

Lewis says that an open jar can "stay fresh for up to three months" in a pantry. After that, it should be stored in the fridge to maintain quality for another three to four months.

While it's unclear how the belief evolved, you need not worry about the old myth that peanut butter causes constipation. If anything, it has the opposite effect.

The oils in peanut butter can facilitate bowel movements, as can the natural fiber in peanuts and other nuts. It could only trigger constipation if you're sensitive to nuts.