Mamacado: SunButterElizabeth spreads delicious food allergy solutions

I'm delighted to share this guest post today from SunButterElizabeth. For those of you who may not know about SunButterElizabeth, she's the real person who represents SunButter. I met Elizabeth at the Food Allergy Blogger Conference (FABlogCon) in September. She's just as nice in person as she is online. And isn't it appropriate that she represents a sunny brand like SunButter!?

We use SunButter EVERY DAY in our house since Little Guy has multiple food allergies, including peanuts. Out of all the peanut-free spreads, SunButter is our favorite. I think it has the most similar consistency and taste to peanut butter. It also offers a similar amount of protein and less sugar than many peanut butter brands. Thankfully it's safe for Little Guy and widely available in our local stores!

In case you haven't tried SunButter yet (gasp!), I encourage you to do so.

Now, I give you today's guest blogger, SunButterElizabeth!

SunButterElizabeth spreads delicious food allergy solutions

How can such a serious challenge be so enjoyable? It’s all about the people! That’s the view of SunButterElizabeth, a real person who represents the SunButter brand of sunflower seed spread in the food allergy, nutrition, paleo, fitness and other communities. She shares some of the SunButter story, and her own experiences in representing this delicious solution.

SunButter was actually “invented” for a young lady who has a peanut allergy. She is the company founder’s niece! Here’s more of the story:

The number of U.S. children with peanut allergies more than tripled from 1997 - 2008. About that same time, SunButter’s founder and others were curious about the rise in peanut allergies. He imagined a peanut butter substitute made from sunflower seeds, grown by farmers in the Upper Midwestern United States. SunButter’s processing facility, in Fargo, N.D., was already handling sunflower seeds for other uses.

He started working with folks at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At first, he figured the product would be for other food companies to use in their products. Then, it became clear the spread would safely take the place of peanut butter! SunButter was born.

We're especially proud to be involved in the food allergy community. We’re also active in the fitness, paleo, gluten-free and other custom eating communities. We’ve met smart, creative people who have sparked many ideas. As a fellow parent to three kids (including two teenagers, yikes!), I especially appreciate parents’ efforts to fuel their kids with the right foods—including food sensitivities. Some of SunButter’s most successful initiatives have come right from these parents and their kids, such as:

The elementary school student who continually had to talk her way to the “Peanut Free” table in her cafeteria because the lunch room staff members thought her SunButter sandwich was made with peanut butter. We created these SunButter downloadableID stickers!
Parents of kids newly diagnosed with allergies to peanuts and or tree nuts, who need tangible solutions. We distribute thousands of SunButter Snack Packs through physicians, allergists and others each year.
School-lunch-packing parents looking to make allergy friendly eating fun like Keeley McGuire
Fitness-minded folks looking for nut-free protein sources, including those on Paleo or Detox eating plans (peanut butter is typically not allowed; SunButter is!)

A Few of Our Favorite Things

We’ve tried SunButter with nearly everything (some epic fails included). Lately, our favorite creations are (all recipes on the SunButter blog):

Pretzels coated with a blend of SunButter, nut-free caramels and a tiny bit of apple juice.

Photo credit: SunButter

SunBlossoms
SunButter is a direct substitute for peanut butter in this recipe, so even those with nut allergies can enjoy these traditional favorites! (We do adapt recipes with less baking soda and/or powder to accommodate the potential “green” when baking. See, the chlorophyll in sunflower seeds can interact with baking soda/powder when baked and create a green hue. That’s fun for St. Patrick’s Day, but not the rest of the year!)