HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ...

Comparatively speaking these are not the best of times. Visits to the grocery store and the gas station are shocking traumatic experiences It is a challenge to find some good news in papers, radio, or TV.

So, dear readers, it is my pleasure and joy to share with you some GOOD NEWS!

For those who meet these three conditions, it is great news: 1. You care about your health, realizing as the Bible says, "your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit" (I Cor. 6:19). 2. You would like to lose weight, especially belly fat. 3. Peanut butter is one of your favorite foods.

Yes, I know. You are puzzled, So am I. We have always been told peanut butter will make us fatter and thus is not conducive to good health.

Well, maybe you can disregard such thoughts. While browsing recently in a used book store, I found a book published in 2001 by Prevention editors and Rodale, Inc. titled, THE PEANUT BUTTER DIET Since I meet the three qualifications above, I gladly bought the book. While reading it I have rejoiced over new possibilities for a food I, and most people unless allergic to peanuts, love to eat.

More recently I just received an announcement of a newly published book by the same people entitled, FLAT BELLY DIET proclaiming the same benefits of eating peanut butter.

The first book is based on updated dietary guidelines released in May 2001 by the National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institute of Health. Not too shabby a source for information.

The second book is based on later research confirming and advancing the earlier dietary guidelines. In summary the theory is a diet that gets 35 percent of its calories from fat - provided it's low in unsaturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat - is very beneficial. It is important to keep your intake of saturated fat - from foods like meat, butter, and cheese - as low as possible. The key is a diet high in monounsaturated fat, of which peanut butter is one of the prime sources.

The beneficial health claims for such a diet are fantastic. The MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acid) found in foods like peanut butter, olive oil and avocados target and reduce belly fat and help prevent it from returning. This reduction in belly fat is reported by researchers to help prevent heart attacks and disease, diabetes and blood sugar problems, breast cancer and lower high blood pressure and cholesterol. Researchers report MUFAs slash your risk of heart disease by up to 36 percent; reduce your risk of stroke by 37 percent and cut your risk of Type 2 diabetes by as much as 27 percent. To be most effective it advises this diet be accompanied by other weight loss factors such as exercise, stress reduction, sensible portions and healthy food choices..

So, there you have it, friends ... THE GOOD NEWS! ... The peanut butter you love will reduce the belly fat you hate. Now, does that make peanut butter a "miracle food" or what? Like me, you can probably recall (with a good imagination) the time when your abs were flat and didn't jiggle when you walked. When your abs looked like an undulated washboard rather than an old pot-bellied stove. Dream on, all is well. Supposedly, the abs will appear again. Just stock up on that peanut butter, preferably natural with only ground peanuts. Read the labels carefully. Some natural brands add some unhealthy oils.

Are there any restrictions? Yes, too much peanut butter will add weight so the amount must be limited. The recommended serving is two tablespoons. The limit for women is two servings a day, and three for men. Always eat peanut butter on bread crackers, or fruit Never eat it alone to prevent it getting into your lungs and causing damage.

The big question is ... WILL IT WORK? ... I do not know. But I am grabbing the peanut butter jar and giving it a try. I will let you know.

In the meantime - it may take me awhile - while you wait you may play peanut butter trivia with your family with facts from The National Peanut Butter Board:

When was p/b introduced in the U.S.? (At the 1904 World's Fair. $705.11 sold.)

Each year how much of the U.S. peanut crop is used to make p/b? (One third to one half). How many p/b sandwiches can be made from the peanuts grown on one acre? (30,000). How many p/b sandwiches will the average child eat by high school graduation? (1,500). How many pounds of p/b do Americans eat each year? (700 million).

What two peanut farmers have been elected president? (J. Carter and T. Jefferson). Join me. Eat and enjoy your peanut butter. Let me know how it works for you. DISCLAIMER: This writer will not claim credit for your weight loss, nor be liable should you gain.

(Dr. French O'Shields is a Gaffney native and a retired Presbyterian minister.)