No. 63 - PB&J

I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch today. I remember for many years after college and before having kids when the PB&J completely fell off the radar screen. Thankfully it's back on.

Because of its low cost and high nutritional content the peanut butter sandwich was one of the top children's meals during our country's First Great Depression.

The combination of peanut butter with jelly became popular in the 1940s when Americans were returning from the Second World War. It is speculated that since the U.S. military rations included both peanut butter and jelly, soldiers combined the two spreads to make them easier to eat.

PB&J is a high energy food, with peanut butter providing calories from fat, jelly supplying calories from sugar, and bread adding calories from starch. Peanut butter also provides protein and bread usually has some fiber.

It is estimated that an average American will eat 1,500 PB&J sandwiches before graduating from high school.