Make Friends with Peanut Butter

How often have you felt that peanut butter is too full of energy to be included on your sandwich? It may lead you to leave the spread in the cupboard and just eat the plain bread or roll. Besides the lack of flavour, you are missing from the bread this choice of meal is leaving you wanting more soon after.

 If you enjoy a whole grain bread or whole grain bread substitute like Corn Thins slices you will not feel this hunger as quickly as whole grain provides your body with many nutrients including fibre which will keep you fuller for longer. If you cannot resist the white bread, this is almost like taking your blood sugar on a roller coaster, you will rise fast and crash even faster. So why is peanut butter a friend to your health and waistline?

1. Peanut Butter Keep You Full

Peanut butter contains protein, fibre, and fat, both which help keep you fuller for longer. Yes, fat does contain more energy than carbohydrates and protein, but it is mostly healthy type of fat. Healthy types of fat called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated can help your body in many ways including helping your metabolism work at its best. Peanut butter contains a whopping 75% combination of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat and 50% of this fat is monounsaturated. Fat works differently to carbohydrates and makes you feel full a little longer after eating but still has this positive effect.

2. Peanut butter is more than just calories.

Energy is not the only thing your body needs for health. Peanut butter gives your body many nutrients which include:

• Magnesium – needed to help your muscles work properly as well as to keep your bones strong.
• Niacin – a B vitamin which is needed to help convert the food you eat into energy and helps your nervous system function properly.
• Phosphorous – needed for strong bones and teeth.
• Vitamin E – which acts as an antioxidant and helps fight off nasties like free radicals which can damage your body and cause disease and illness.

Peanut butter energy breakdown

30g or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter counts as one of your serves of meat alternatives and will give you:

Calories: 95

Protein: 3.5g

Fat: 8g (sat fat 1.5g)

Cholesterol: 0g (like all plant products, peanut butter is naturally cholesterol free)

Carbohydrates: 3.5g

Fibre: 1g

Sugar: 1.5g

The key to enjoyment of this delicious spread is moderation. Try using a tablespoon as a serve as although there are many benefits to peanut butter, eating half the jar in one sitting is not recommended. By adding a tablespoon to a whole grain source like Corn Thins slices, this will help to satisfy your hunger with the perfect combination of healthy fat, protein and fibre.

Key points to look for when selecting you peanut butter:

1. Look for 100% peanut butter with no added sugar.
2. Look for the lowest sodium (120mg/100g or less is the gold medal and 400mg/100g or less is the silver medal standard).
3. Make sure there is no partially hydrogenated oils.

Take home message: You do not need to quit peanut butter to achieve the healthiest version of you. Moderation is the key to this delicious spread, and you will be doing both your taste buds and body a world of good.