Peanut Butter Benefits

image001Peanut butter is a smooth paste made from ground and dry-roasted peanuts, sometimes with added salt or sugar. It is a popular food in Australia, parts of Asia, parts of Europe and North America. The U.S. and China are the world’s leading exporters of peanut butter. It is most commonly served as a sandwich spread and has been traditionally paired with jelly or jam.

Peanut Butter Benefits

1. Protect Heart

The unsaturated fats in peanut butter play an important role in lowering LDL cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol. This greatly decreases the chances of heart disease and cardiovascular issues. Basically, peanut butter helps prevent the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries that carry fresh blood to and from the heart.

2. Keep Healthy Skin

Peanut butter is high in vitamin B12 which is great for promoting healthy skin. It also contains riboflavin (vitamin B2), which keeps skin hydrated and looking fresh. Those with rosacea and other skin conditions use B2 supplements to help their skin.

3. Maintain Hair Health

Riboflavin is also a key player in maintaining healthy hair. As hair is also a form of skin, the benefits from the vitamin B2 in peanut butter are the same for your hair as for your skin.

4. Strengthen Bones

Calcium and magnesium rich peanut butter promotes healthy development of strong bones. This is great for growing kids and people who are losing bone density as they age.

5. Prevent Birth Defects

Folic acid is crucial during pregnancy to ensure that a baby is delivered free of birth defects. Peanut butter is chock full of folic acid and is great for expectant mothers to snack on. Pregnant women should start eating peanut butter very early on in their pregnancy as that is the time when the risk of developing defects in the baby is most prominent.

Peanut Butter Nutrition

Nutrient

Content

Protein

For every 2 tablespoon serving of peanut butter you get 10 percent of your daily value of protein. Our bodies need plenty of protein for energy and muscle maintenance and peanut butter provides quite a bit in such a small serving.

Fiber

Two tablespoons of peanut butter has just as much fiber in it as a ½ cup serving of broccoli. The fiber in peanut butter may help reduce cholesterol and help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Vitamins

Vitamin E, which is essential for a strong immune system and protects cells and muscles from damage is found in high quantity in peanut butter. You can get 25 percent of your daily value from one serving. Peanut butter also packs in tons of B vitamins like niacin, folate and riboflavin.

Minerals

Peanut Butter is full of magnesium, copper, phosphorus and potassium. One serving provides 12 percent of your daily value of magnesium and 10 percent of the others mentioned.

Fat

A single serving of peanut butter provides 16.1 grams of fat. Do not let this scare you, though! The majority of this is unsaturated fat which helps to lower the levels of LDL cholesterol in your system. It also has 33 g of phytosterols per serving which also aid in lowering cholesterol.

Calories

There are about 188 calories in one serving of peanut butter, but very few of them are from carbohydrates as peanut butter is quite low in carbs and sugars. It is still important to watch your serving size since it is easy to overeat peanut butter and take in too many calories.

Resveratrol

A natural antimicrobial product, resveratrol is created by the peanut plant itself. This nutrient helps protect the body against bacteria, viruses and fungal infections.

Peanut Butter Diet Plan

Meal

Recipe and Comment

Breakfast

If you like drinking milk in the morning, you can…

  • Stir two teaspoons of peanut butter into a glass of warmed milk.
  • Spread peanut butter over whole wheat toast in place of butter or cheese.
  • Stir some peanut butter into beaten eggs and make a protein filled scramble.
  • Adding 2 teaspoons of peanut butter to oatmeal is a delicious and popular dish.
  • Add peanut butter and some olive oil to their fruit smoothies in the morning.

Lunch

So long as you are eating healthy foods you can use peanut butter with your lunches to help you lose weight.

  • Adding peanut butter to brown rice or spreading it over tortillas is a healthy option that can add a little more substance to your lunch.
  • Eat salads made from leafy vegetables like cabbage, cucumber and spinach. Add colorful vegetables to your salads like beets, carrots, bell peppers and onions, then toss it all in a peanut butter dressing.

Snack

A light snack in between lunch and dinner is a crucial part to sticking with a peanut butter diet. It keeps you from getting too hungry and overeating at dinner time.

  • You can use a tablespoon of peanut butter for dipping or smear some onto popcorn, crackers or rice crackers for a filling and nutritious snack option.

Diner

Peanut butter diets can get a bit tricky when it comes to dinner time, but there are some great things you can do with peanut butter to incorporate it into these meals.

  • Boil some pulses and stir in 2 teaspoons of peanut butter.
  • Soups made from cabbage, spinach and broccoli help with weight loss and peanut butter can be added to the stock for protein and taste.
  • You can also bake or grill fish, chicken and turkey in peanut butter for a healthy dinner option that will be more filling.

Also, be sure to drink calorie free beverages or water with your dinner.