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Peanut butter may be relatively high in calories compared to other foods, but it packs a wallop for good health, as well as nutrition! If you can, buy raw or less refined peanut butter, because it retains many of the beneficial nutrients found in the skin of the peanut. Here is the general caloric breakdown from 2 tablespoons of peanut butter:
Serving size – 2 tablespoons
- Total calories – 192
- Total fat – 16 g
- Saturated fat – 3 g
- Trans fat – 12 mg
- Cholesterol – 0 g
- Sodium - 100g
- Total carbohydrates – 7 g
- Dietary fiber – 2 g
- Sugar – 3 g
- Protein – 8 g
Despite the fact that peanut butter is high in fats, most of those fats are mono-unsaturated, and have been shown to improve the cholesterol profile by lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol. This effect in compounded by the poly-unsaturated fats, which raises the “good” HDL cholesterol. Peanut butter is a very good cholesterol regulator! A 2 tablespoon ‘dose’ of peanut butter each day, may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by 21%, compared to the average American diet—but be sure to include the calories in you daily intake count!
Peanut butter contains fairly high quantities of dietary fiber, for its bulk, amounting to about 8%, which again helps in regulating both blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Dietary fiber has also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and atherosclerosis (both are common diseases in the U.S. and Europe).
This delicious snack includes proteins, along with very important vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin B3, (niacin), Iron, Calcium, and Potassium. It also contains Vitamin E, an anti-oxidant. If you really want to get a potassium-rich snack, try making a sandwich with bananas and peanut butter!
One of the most interesting and peculiar nutrients found in peanuts is resveratrol: this is reported to be a natural antimicrobial agent, produced by the peanut plant (and in even larger quantities by red grapes) to ward off potential pathogens (bacteria, virii and fungi). Resveratrol is actually believed to be the cause of the "French paradox" (French people having a lower risk of cardiovascular disease despite their diet rich in fats). Although harmless to humans, resveratrol is still active when ingested, and it provides the same anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties to the person consuming it.
Another peculiar substance contained in peanut butter is p-coumaric acid, a polyphenol that helps combat oxidative stress (a syndrome believed to cause some neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases). Scientific sources such as the Food Chemistry concluded that roasting peanuts leads to a higher content in p-coumaric acid by as much as 22%.
In a test conducted during 20 years, on 80,000 female subjects by the Nurses' Health Study, it was observed that women who eat least 1 ounce of nuts, peanuts or peanut butter each week have a 25% lower risk of developing gallstones. This quantity can easily be reached by eating one peanut butter sandwich per week!
According to the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, the niacin contained in peanuts, when eaten regularly, will likely provide some protection against Alzheimer's disease. The study was carried on 3000 elder men (65 or older) from Chicago, who were interviewed about their diet and subsequently tested for cognitive skills: those getting 22mg of niacin/day were 70% less likely to have developed Alzheimer's disease than those consuming 13 mg/day. In addition to this, peanut butter contains much higher quantities of antioxidants than apples or carrots!
All things considered, peanut butter deserves a place in a healthy diet for the vast range of important nutrients it contains.
Because of its high fat and caloric content, however, some doctors argue that obese people should consume only little amounts of it: there is a lot of controversy about this, and there are many studies claiming that eating nuts more than twice a week actually reduces the risk of weight gain.
One of these studies was published on the journal Obesity, it involved 8865 adult men and women in Spain and was carried out during a 28-month period: the subjects who ate nuts at least twice a week were 31% less likely to gain weight (> 5kg) than the others.
Please keep in mind that you should consult your doctor before adding a significant amount of peanut butter to your diet, especially if you have allergies!
You can make your own peanut butter, too!
What you need:
15 ounces of shelled and skinned roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of honey
1 1/2 tablespoons of peanut oil
What you do:
- Put the peanuts, salt, and honey into the bowl of a food processor.
- Process for a minute or until the mixture begins to smoothen.
- Drizzle the oil in while it continues to process.
- Process this mixture until creamy (2-3 minutes) or whatever texture you like.
- It will store in an air tight container, safely for up to two months!
Thanks for coming by!
Research materials:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-health-benefits-of-peanut-butter.htm
http://peanut-butter.org/peanut-butter/Health+Benefits+of+Peanut+Butter
http://www.womenfitness.net/peanut.htm
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/homemade-peanut-butter-recipe.html
