Peanut butter: Good for you or "junk food"....?

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JenMarie8781
JenMarie8781 Posts: 377 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What do you all think? I'm not really sure how I feel about peanut butter. lol. I don't eat A LOT of it and I have started buying the "natural" peanut butter... which I'm not even sure if that really makes any difference ...? But anyway, I love peanut butter but it's sooo high in calories for such a small serving!

So what do you all think about peanut butter?
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Replies

  • wofford16
    wofford16 Posts: 63
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    Love It, Need It, I have it almost everyday.
  • slyder432
    slyder432 Posts: 475 Member
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    Love It, Need It, I have it almost everyday.


    This^^^
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    Get peanut butter that doesn't have a ton of ingredients.
    ideally the label should say

    ingredients: peanuts
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 756 Member
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    NOBODY can tell me peanut butter is bad for me.. I will kill them! :mad:
  • Ali_TSO
    Ali_TSO Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I love it! I don't consider it junk food at all.....unless it's on white bread, accompanied by a huge pile of chips. lol

    For me, I usually have eggs and bacon in the morning, with a piece of whole wheat toast with pnb and banana.

    Then my afternoon snack is usually celery and pnb.

    But my cals are set to 1900....I almost have to eat it to keep my cals that high (with healthy choices). :)
  • Meatsies
    Meatsies Posts: 351 Member
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    Love it love it love it love it love it love it love it.
    I eat it daily.
    I want to live on an apple island in the middle of a peanut butter sea.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
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    I love peanut butter - it's awesome - I buy big tubs of crunchy stuff, the only ingredient is peanuts. I don't eat a lot of it though.
  • Microfiber_wechange
    Microfiber_wechange Posts: 640
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    My confession: I only started eating peanut butter after reading it on MFP so if y'all now want to tell me it's junk food ..........:explode:
  • Kimmy79Ford
    Kimmy79Ford Posts: 3 Member
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    it is super high in calories. I only eat it when I need alot of energy and I know I am going to be burning it off -something extra strenuous - not just normal exercising -like an all day hike or kayak trip - i pack it and some multi-grain Wasa Crisbread crackers (45 cal for one huge slice) tastes like a cracker -
    Ever try Nutella?? or Flaxseed Butter??
  • PixEm
    PixEm Posts: 190 Member
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    Awesome source of protein!
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Not junk, but there are other nut butters that are considered "better."

    Most peanut butters have a lot of added crap, including sugar, so the fewer ingredients you can get, the better. Bonus points if you make it yourself. :smile:

    However, things like almond butter are considered better for you, because they're "pure" nuts (peanuts are considered a legume, from what I've seen) and have more nutrients and protein for fewer calories per serving.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    As long as you don't get the *kitten* with trans-fats I would consider it healthy. Most brand name peanut butter has trans-fats and a bunch of additive. Try looking for ones where ingredients are just peanuts, to get the healthiest version.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
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    Love It, Need It, I have it almost everyday.


    This^^^

    Me too. I can't live without it. I eat it at a minimum of once a day, if not more. Keep it healthy by buying the natural stuff - the less ingredients, the better.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    it is super high in calories. I only eat it when I need alot of energy and I know I am going to be burning it off -something extra strenuous - not just normal exercising -like an all day hike or kayak trip - i pack it and some multi-grain Wasa Crisbread crackers (45 cal for one huge slice) tastes like a cracker -
    Ever try Nutella?? or Flaxseed Butter??

    Nutella?! That is barely food. And it's not healthy in any way. Go for peanut butter... just count the calories for it. I eat it on days I'm active.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
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    My confession: I only started eating peanut butter after reading it on MFP so if y'all now want to tell me it's junk food ..........:explode:

    It's not, although a few people will tell you otherwise. Keep eating it :drinker:
  • JLArispe
    JLArispe Posts: 62
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    I love peanut butter as well. It is a "poor man's" meat because of the high amounts of protein you can get in it. With anything else, moderation is key. Enjoy what you like to eat!
  • amyjslp
    amyjslp Posts: 3
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    It is definitely healthy if it is the ALL NATURAL kind with no other ingredients besides peanuts....no sugar, no added oils, etc. Just be sure to watch your portion sizes as calories and fat can add up. I have 1-2 tbsp per day and count it towards my healthy fats. You can also buy powdered peanut butter such as PB2, which has a lot less fat than traditional peanut butter. I add it to my smoothies and cottage cheese all the time, or if you mix it with water it tastes pretty close to real peanut butter. Also, all natural almond butter is the BEST!!!!! Give it a try if you haven't tried it yet.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    Peanut Butter, along with a select few other foods, is the reason I've been able to lose weight. Budget it into your diet and enjoy it (assuming you like PB of course).
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
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    I had a spoonful this morning. We switched to Skippy Natural which has less junk in it but it's still high fat/calorie. If you just want it in a protein shake or something lower calorie, check out PB2, it’s powdered PB with pretty much all the fat taken out and is WONDERFUL!
  • ruggedBear
    ruggedBear Posts: 295
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    A nutritionist explained to me recently that all the major brands of peanut butter (Jif, Skippy, etc) are essentially peanut flavored Crisco! The peanut oil is the most valuable part of the peanut, so they extract the oil and sell it separately, then add the hydrogenated oils back in to give it that consistency. I eat 2 tbsp Teddie All Natural Peanut Butter with Flaxseed now (4-5 times a week) and consider it a very healthy part of my diet (good oils, omega-3, flax seed). I've also switched my kids to this (they get a PB&J for lunch once a week for a treat) and there have been no complaints. A no-salt-added version is also available.

    They also get homemade peanut butter crackers for snack on some days - much healthier than the store-bought snacks!

    Editing to add: agree with above poster - the only ingredient should be peanuts. It's actually pretty easy to make your own if you want - my Ninja blender does a pretty good job if you don't mind a somewhat grainy texture.

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