Natural Peanut butter low in carbs high in calories - does it work?

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benalexe
benalexe Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So here is the one thing i don't really understand. Peanut butter is (Natural - no sugar added) is so high in calories but low in carbs and high in protein - same with a few serving of nuts. So under the limited calories we eat on this plan, for me it often falls under the category of it's just not worth it. But my question is, Shouldn't foods that are higher in protein, lower in carbs count for less calories - (or less based on our allowance) as these food are so much healthier than say eating 200 calories of doritos.

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  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    No, a calorie is a calorie. Nutrition is a different matter.

    I think you have to pick either WW of MFP, mixing them up only creates confusion.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited February 2018
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    You're forgetting fat. Peanut butter is high in fat, it contains more fat than protein/carbs. Fat is 9 calories per gram, carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram.

    ETA; 200 calories of peanut butter would satisfy me more than 200 calories of doritos. Your mileage may vary.
  • TyTravis007
    TyTravis007 Posts: 77 Member
    edited February 2018
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    A calorie is a calorie, no matter where it's coming from. What you should consider is whether or not the calories are empty or nutritional. You may benefit more from the 200 calories of peanut butter as its more nutritious than the 200 calories of doritos, which has no nutritional value. In the realm of Keto peanut butter is an source of fat (which is what we want), sodium (to avoid hyponatremia), Potassium, protein, fiber, etc. However, you want to avoid any peanut butter that has anything but peanut butter and salt. For us the amount of calories it has doesn't really matter, but for you it may.

    A good resource in terms of penut butter and keto:

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=5vc0gJmrXgU

    Note: The above content is based off of my own independent research, experience, and knowledge. This is not intended to be used for or considered as real medical advice, and does not represent the company/association/group I am either employed or associated with. Consult your own healthcare provider if you have any medical concerns.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    benalexe wrote: »
    So here is the one thing i don't really understand. Peanut butter is (Natural - no sugar added) is so high in calories but low in carbs and high in protein - same with a few serving of nuts. So under the limited calories we eat on this plan, for me it often falls under the category of it's just not worth it. But my question is, Shouldn't foods that are higher in protein, lower in carbs count for less calories - (or less based on our allowance) as these food are so much healthier than say eating 200 calories of doritos.

    The calorie target you are provided is based on your stats and your goal rate of loss. Not everyone is on the same “plan” and the calories are just the number - the food you eat in order to fill that calorie target is entirely up to you. Some people do low carb, some people eat paleo, vegan, vegetarian or follow IIFYM - some people don’t have a plan at all they just eat all foods in moderation. Calories are what drive weight loss, but the types of foods you eat have different nutritional profiles and some may be more filling than others but again, satiety is very individualized.

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I didn't think peanut butter was a particularly good protein source. It's more a fat source.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    A calorie is a measure of the amount of heat a substance produces when burned in a device called a calorimeter. Proteins and carbs have the same number of calories per gram (4) whereas fat has over twice as many calories per gram (9). Whether a food is healthful or not is a different issue unrelated to the relative percent of calories from fat vs. carbs vs protein.

    A serving of peanut butter (2 Tb) has 7-10g of protein depending on the brand. 4oz of chicken breast by contrast has around 24g of protein, 5.3oz of plain Chobani yogurt has around 15g of protein. You can pump up the protein in a meal including peanut butter by the other choices you make for the meal.

    For example: a peanut butter sandwich made with 2Tb of peanut butter and a Thomas high-fiber English muffin, eaten with a cup of Silk Protein Nut Milk, would have 22-25g of protein, 430 calories, and 15.2g of fiber. Whether or not that number of calories fits into your budget is another issue.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited February 2018
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    Calories and health are different things. You can gain weight eating only nutritious healthy food and you can lose weight eating only "junk food".

    Understand, calories aren't points MFP gives you. A calorie is a scientific measurement of how much fuel is in a food. There's no one giving extra credit or penalties based on the "healthiness" of a food.

    If you've eaten all the calories your body needs for the day, and then you eat 200 cals more, that fuel will be stored (gaining weight) whether it's 200 cals of Doritos or natural PB or carrots.

    I think of PB as a fat BTW.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
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    benalexe wrote: »
    So here is the one thing i don't really understand. Peanut butter is (Natural - no sugar added) is so high in calories but low in carbs and high in protein - same with a few serving of nuts. So under the limited calories we eat on this plan, for me it often falls under the category of it's just not worth it. But my question is, Shouldn't foods that are higher in protein, lower in carbs count for less calories - (or less based on our allowance) as these food are so much healthier than say eating 200 calories of doritos.

    This is such a phenomenal question. With all the crazy diet woo out there I completely understand why this would be confusing to you.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    My daughter told me a story of a teacher in her middle school who was obese and warned students of "THE CALORIES!!!" in peanut butter.

    Meanwhile, I keep a jar of 'natural' chunky peanut butter on hand because sometimes I've got about 400 calories left at the end of the day and I can use that to cut off a piece of my homemade whole wheat bread, spread a teaspoon or two of either honey or molasses on it and top it with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Yum, yum. That's good eating. I checked in this morning at 191.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited February 2018
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    TyTravis007 wrote: »
    A calorie is a calorie, no matter where it's coming from. What you should consider is whether or not the calories are empty or nutritional. You may benefit more from the 200 calories of peanut butter as its more nutritious than the 200 calories of doritos, which has no nutritional value. In the realm of Keto peanut butter is an source of fat (which is what we want), sodium (to avoid hyponatremia), Potassium, protein, fiber, etc. However, you want to avoid any peanut butter that has anything but peanut butter and salt. For us the amount of calories it has doesn't really matter, but for you it may.

    A good resource in terms of penut butter and keto:

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=5vc0gJmrXgU

    Note: The above content is based off of my own independent research, experience, and knowledge. This is not intended to be used for or considered as real medical advice, and does not represent the company/association/group I am either employed or associated with. Consult your own healthcare provider if you have any medical concerns.

    Except OP says nothing about doing keto.
    And calories do matter in Keto, but some people fill up on fat so quickly they don't actually have to count the calories, they just naturally end up in a deficit.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
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    TyTravis007 wrote: »
    A calorie is a calorie, no matter where it's coming from. What you should consider is whether or not the calories are empty or nutritional. You may benefit more from the 200 calories of peanut butter as its more nutritious than the 200 calories of doritos, which has no nutritional value. In the realm of Keto peanut butter is an source of fat (which is what we want), sodium (to avoid hyponatremia), Potassium, protein, fiber, etc. However, you want to avoid any peanut butter that has anything but peanut butter and salt. For us the amount of calories it has doesn't really matter, but for you it may.

    A good resource in terms of penut butter and keto:

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=5vc0gJmrXgU

    Note: The above content is based off of my own independent research, experience, and knowledge. This is not intended to be used for or considered as real medical advice, and does not represent the company/association/group I am either employed or associated with. Consult your own healthcare provider if you have any medical concerns.

    While you're technically correct, the OP didn't ask about keto which is a very specific way of eating. I just want to clarify that outside your specific example this doesn't apply. Although it's debatable whether it's preferable to eat pb with no added ingredients.

    But great explanation of how it would apply to a keto diet.

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