peanut butter, good or bad?

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  • loupammac
    loupammac Posts: 194 Member
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    Peanut butter is delicious and definitely included in my life. I used to eat it by the tablespoon as a kid. Now I like it spread over corn thins as a snack or on my morning toast. I also have snacks that have peanuts and other nuts as well. Provided you don't decide to live off it, you should be fine with incorporating it into your lifestyle.
  • torrtorrr
    torrtorrr Posts: 33
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    it is high in calories for amount you get, but its a great way to incorporate healthy fats into your diet. i know i personally have a hard time eating all the fat i need because i tend to stick with fat free everything, and am always under. peanut butter should always be eaten in moderation, but its not too bad for you! get a natural kind. they also have 25% less sugar ones and stuff like that.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    This is not the first post if I have seen insinuating that peanut butter is high in sugar. Why do so many people have that misconception? Most regular PB's only have 3-4 G and while it may be added, it is still less than any fruit, some vegetables, and many "reduced sugar" foods!! I agree about eating "natural" peanut butter, but even the regular stuff is is NOT high in sugar.
  • Mirabilis
    Mirabilis Posts: 312 Member
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    Even Kraft (!) has a no salt no sugar peanut butter. I've had that and it's just fine, but not, imho as good as the nuts themselves *crunch crunch crunch*.. texture's very important since I'm eating so much less now :)
  • rschmmidt
    rschmmidt Posts: 296
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    Thanks so much for the responses, I've learned so much. A nearby market does actually have the peanut grinding machine, so I'll put that on my shoping list. I really feel like I've been stuck at this weight for a year (the plateau?) so maybe adding more fat will actually help, I keep reading that I might be in what you call starvation mode. I try to eat as little fat as possible.
    I'm still really scared that once I start with the PB, I'll gain even more weight. Oh well, I just have to get over myself and trust you guys!!
    Thanks for the advice!
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
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    Thanks so much for the responses, I've learned so much. A nearby market does actually have the peanut grinding machine, so I'll put that on my shoping list. I really feel like I've been stuck at this weight for a year (the plateau?) so maybe adding more fat will actually help, I keep reading that I might be in what you call starvation mode. I try to eat as little fat as possible.
    I'm still really scared that once I start with the PB, I'll gain even more weight. Oh well, I just have to get over myself and trust you guys!!
    Thanks for the advice!

    If you've plateaued, you could try having a relaxed day - eat what you want (healthy choices and in moderation of course) but don't worry about the non-fat stuff, calories etc. You need to shake up your eating routine because your body has become accustomed to what you are eating. You might want to change around your meals too. If your calories are spread out evenly through the day, try eating a higher fat (good ones of course) and protein meal at breakfast, maybe skip a morning snack, have a moderately larger lunch and then a lighter dinner. You could also have a day or two where (if you're exercising) you don't eat back your work out calories but add them to another day later in the week. Consider your weekly allotments and move them around without still going over (or over by much). This should help jump start your metabolism again.
  • seniorfaye
    seniorfaye Posts: 295 Member
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    I just bought a jar of pb yesterday that says its all natural no stir pb. The ingredients are dry roasted peanuts,organic palm oil,organic unrefined cane sugar,and sea salt. Did I mess up. Is the palm oil bad???
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    I just bought a jar of pb yesterday that says its all natural no stir pb. The ingredients are dry roasted peanuts,organic palm oil,organic unrefined cane sugar,and sea salt. Did I mess up. Is the palm oil bad???
    You can read up on Palm Oil here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    I'm using a product called Better'n Peanut Butter...it's way less fat and calories and taste the same - at least I think so :)

    I'd stick with the real deal with this ingredient list... Not as I bad as I expected. I've seen much worse, but still 4 kinds of sugar just unnecessary. Enjoy "real food" as real food and save your sugar for dessert .

    PEANUTS (AS DEFATTED PEANUT FLOUR AND NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER),
    TAPIOCA SYRUP, (aka sugar)
    PURE WATER,
    DEHYDRATED CANE JUICE, (aka sugar)
    RICE SYRUP, (aka sugar)
    VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, (aka sugar)
    SOY FLOUR,
    SALT,
    TAPIOCA STARCH,
    NATURAL FOOD FLAVORS,
    PAPRIKA & ANNATO,
    CALCIUM CARBONATE,
    LECITHIN,
    VITAMINS E & C (ANTIOXIDANTS).
  • IreneAdler
    IreneAdler Posts: 69
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    I can't give up peanut butter. My evening splurge (if I have the calories) is 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 3 Lindor Truffles.
  • whittrusty
    whittrusty Posts: 533 Member
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    That depends on the brand. Watch them closely -- most of them have hydrogenated oils in them, which simply is no longer necessary. I buy Skippy Natural because it tastes like my old favorite Jiff but its not made with the hydrogenated oils that Jiff is.

    And the labeling is misleading. I was walking through Sam's Club the other day and saw the new Jiff label that said something along the lines of "no partially hydrogenated oils!". Excited to see my old favorite reformulated, I turned the jar around and learned that while the label was technically true (there were no partially hydrogenated oils), there were plenty of FULLY hydrogenated oils. Hardly something to be excited about when there are healthier options. I know the natural stuff is also healthy, but I like the texture and flavor closer to the Jiff I grew up with and for me, that's Skippy's Natural (which isn't at all like the "natural" stuff that you have to mix together).

    For the days that I have had plenty of healthy fats and don't need the extra calories, I opt for PB2 -- a powdered peanut product that you mix with water to return to a peanut butter like texture. The company makes peanut oil and the PB2 is simply the peanut with the oil squeezed out (and some salt and sugar added, like regular peanut butter). The texture is fine for a PBJ sandwich and is GREAT in peanut butter chocolate protein shake. Plus it's only 45 calories for a two tablespoon serving instead of 190 but still has the good stuff of the peanut (minus the oil).

    For those of you that may have the urge to defend hydrogenated oils in any form, we'll just have to agree to disagree on the notion that any of them are good for you. Both of my parents died early from heart disease and I have had numerous in-depth discussions with their cardiologists on the subject of hydrogenated oils. Between that and my experience hydrogenating liquid oils in my chemistry class (we actually added a hydrogen atom to an oil that was fluid at room temperature to make them thick enough that they stuck to the inside of the tubs they previously flowed through), I'm thoroughly against the danged "products" be they partially or fully hydrogenated.

    Stepping off my soapbox. :drinker:

    They have a Jif Natural that only has Peanuts and salt. It tastes amazing. :smile:

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