not quite It’s time to eat, but you’re hungry. What’s the trick? Yes, maybe a spoonful or two of peanut butter.
This nutrient-dense staple is a favorite of endurance athletes and powerlifters alike. Besides being very tasty, it’s also a boon for healthy eating.
“Peanut butter, and especially peanut flour, is a very healthy food that’s packed with healthy fiber, monounsaturated fats that are great for our heart, and packed with plant-based protein that supports muscle health,” he says Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, Research and Development., author Survival Tips.
Eating peanut butter may even help keep you feeling full and help regulate blood sugar. “People who ate peanut butter were no heavier than their non-peanut butter peers and generally may have weighed less because they ate fewer calories throughout the day and generally ate healthier snacks,” Ellis Hunnes said.
Served with fruit, veggies, or whole grain bread/crackers, peanut butter has just the right mix of healthy fats, carbs, and protein to keep you going for hours.
Here’s the scoop on everything you ever wanted to know about peanut butter and your health.
What is peanut butter?
The name itself is pretty self-explanatory: Peanut butter is a buttery spread made from peanuts.
More specifically: “Peanut butter is made from dry-roasted peanuts, which are then ground. In the past, peanut butter had extra ingredients to maintain shelf life and to mix everything well (emulsifiers),” says Blanca Garcia, RDN, a nutrition expert. MIDSS.
Of course, you can easily buy peanut butter without any added sugar, preservatives or emulsifiers.
“Typically, you can get smooth peanut butter or chunks of peanuts. The most common peanut butter usually has 10 percent salt, added sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and emulsifiers to keep everything blended,” says Garcia. “For a smoother style, ingredients can be added to create a thick paste that’s easy to apply.”
The best way to do this is all-natural peanut butter, which is usually made with just peanuts and sometimes a little salt is added for flavor.
Want to dig deeper?here is Even Questions about peanut butter and health – answered.
Is Peanut Butter Good For You?
Yes, peanut butter is an excellent choice for a healthy diet.
“Peanut butter contains 22 grams per 100 grams (3.5 ounces). Its highest nutrient is fat, containing 55 grams per 100 grams. It is also an excellent source of vitamin B3, accounting for 89 percent of the recommended daily intake of this vitamin important for metabolism and DNA repair responses,” Garcia said.
It also contains a good amount of vitamin E, containing 60 percent of the recommended daily value per serving.Vitamin E “acts as an antioxidant that stabilizes free radicals and minimizes damage to the body,” Garcia said. “It’s also known that help the immune system By protecting the body from infectious pathogens. “
While fat can increase your calorie intake, the type of fat in peanut butter is monounsaturated fat, already shown reduce Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.
“Peanut butter, when it’s just ground peanuts, is a very healthy food, full of healthy fats, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein,” reiterates Ellis Hunnes, adding that you should eat about an ounce (up to two ounces) per day; one ounce is two tablespoons of peanut butter.
Is Peanut Butter Good for Building Muscle?
If you’re trying to gain weight, peanut butter is your friend.
Ellis Hunnes Says Peanut Butter Is A Good Choice For Building Muscle Because It’s Packed With Protein and calories. “A lot of people just focus on protein, don’t eat enough calories, and then wonder why they’re having a hard time building muscle,” she says. “It’s because we really need both (actually, there’s less protein than most people think). So, yes, it’s great added to smoothies, eaten alone, with fruit, etc., and helps Muscle growth.”
Is Peanut Butter Good For Weight Loss?
Yes, peanut butter can also help people who want to lose weight.
That’s because eating a spoonful or two of peanut butter can help stave off hunger and help you consume fewer calories later on. “A 160-calorie serving (two tablespoons) might actually keep you from eating an extra 300 or 400 calories later in the day as a snack or other ‘snack’, so it saves calories, which is exactly what you need weight loss.”
Peanut butter, along with its protein and fiber, help trap sugar molecules and keep them from being absorbed in full, Garcia says. “Excess sugar can be sent to the liver to be stored as fat, and the idea is to eat foods that help eliminate excess sugar before it can be absorbed,” she said.
All this said, “Because [peanut butter’s] With a high calorie content of 597 calories per 3.5 oz serving, the calories can add up quickly. “So, it’s important to realize that more than 3.5 ounces of peanut butter a day can easily amount to one meal,” says Garcia. “
Whether you’re buying peanut butter to strengthen your biceps or lose weight, you should always look for products with as few ingredients as possible to ensure you’re getting a high-quality, nutrient-dense food without additives or excess sugar.
Perri is a New York City-born and domiciled author; she holds a BA in Psychology from Columbia University and is a culinary school graduate of the Institute of Plant-Based Natural Cuisine, now the Center for Natural Cuisine at the Institute of Culinary Education. Her work has appeared in The New York Post, Men’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Oprah Daily, Insider.com, Architectural Digest, Southern Living, and more. She probably watched the Dave Matthews Band in your hometown, and she would never say no to a Bloody Mary. Learn more at VeganWhenSober.com.