Milk, Peanut Butter & Nuts?

hatethegame

Three questions... I would greatly appreciate feedback on any or all of the three....

I like milk (and dairy overall) but I was thinking about switching to Almond Milk. Best I can tell it offers as much nutritional value as milk right but without as many calories? I'm reading more and more that dairy shouldn't be as big of a part of the daily diet but there doesn't seem to be a lot of science behind those claims. Do you drink milk or use an alternate product like almond or soy milk?

PEANUT BUTTER... I love peanut butter. What is the best kind of peanut butter to eat? (nutrition wise). I don't like the low fat crap. It tastes bad. Is the regular stuff you find in the grocery store bad to eat? (Jiffy, Reeses - not the candy, etc...)

NUTS.. Whats the best combo of nutrition and taste? Almonds, walnuts, etc... It's good to steer clear of peanuts right?

japruzze

1. Milk...I've gotten used to non-fat simply smart milk. Took a while to "train" my pallet but I did it. I stepped down slowing to make it work for me. Major dislike almond and soy. Tried but just couldn't do it. I'm trying to reduce dairy but milk, yogurt and cheese are staples. I'm reducing due to sugar. A lot of my sugar comes from dairy.

2. No substitute for real peanut butter. I limit to once a week as a treat.

3. Almonds and walnuts are best. There are "flavored" walnuts. I like the 100 calorie pack with drak chocolate, otherwise they taste
Iike nothing. I use them as an emergency food and have a few packs in my glove box in the car.

Good luck!

Chinadorian

Three questions... I would greatly appreciate feedback on any or all of the three....

I like milk (and dairy overall) but I was thinking about switching to Almond Milk. Best I can tell it offers as much nutritional value as milk right but without as many calories? I'm reading more and more that dairy shouldn't be as big of a part of the daily diet but there doesn't seem to be a lot of science behind those claims. Do you drink milk or use an alternate product like almond or soy milk?

PEANUT BUTTER... I love peanut butter. What is the best kind of peanut butter to eat? (nutrition wise). I don't like the low fat crap. It tastes bad. Is the regular stuff you find in the grocery store bad to eat? (Jiffy, Reeses - not the candy, etc...)

NUTS.. Whats the best combo of nutrition and taste? Almonds, walnuts, etc... It's good to steer clear of peanuts right?

peanut butter lovers wont want to hear this but most conventional peanut butters (jiffy, etc) are sitting ont he shelf, rancid, by the time you buy them. the nutritional value of a peanut lies basically only in its protein. If you are looking for protein but dont mind fat, raw almond butter would be good.

I use almond breeze, because soy milk is IMO a bad substitute. If you love milk, just drink the kind from happy organic cows and drink it in moderation.

bronnyd

I use unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk mainly because I don't like to have too much dairy in my diet. I do eat cheeses and creams but regular milk is so easy to substitute and the fact that unsweetened almond milk has way less calories, fat and sugar is just an added bonus.

For peanut butter I only eat natural peanut butter with one ingredient: PEANUTS. Stay away from all that crap like Kraft and Jiffy with hydrogenated oils and added sugar. I'll admit that natural peanut butter takes a bit of getting used to, but now I love the taste of it so much better than the "junk" peanut butter.

BigGuy47

Almond milk (unsweetened)

PB2 (peanut butter)

Almonds or walnuts (in moderation)

YoungDoc2B

Almond milk doesn't have the amount of protein that cow's milk does, but it has about half the calories.

alexbusnello

I use unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk mainly because I don't like to have too much dairy in my diet. I do eat cheeses and creams but regular milk is so easy to substitute and the fact that unsweetened almond milk has way less calories, fat and sugar is just an added bonus.

For peanut butter I only eat natural peanut butter with one ingredient: PEANUTS. Stay away from all that crap like Kraft and Jiffy with hydrogenated oils and added sugar. I'll admit that natural peanut butter takes a bit of getting used to, but now I love the taste of it so much better than the "junk" peanut butter.

I have Kraft natural peanut butter and it has no ADDED sugars, no ADDED oils, no salt, ect. Just peanuts. With the oil on top.

mariellajo

Oh, I drink low fat deslactosada milk in my coffee, I have to. It is my one indulgence. I try to keep it to one cup a day but now during the Holidays I having more. And Peanutbutter.....well, I enjoy that very sparingly I eat the Skippy brand. Nuts also I only have them once in a while.

IrishHarpy1

1.) I use almond milk in my protein shakes and a lot of my recipes (makes AMAZING overnight CrockPot oatmeal!), but as a previous poster said if you stick to low-fat organic milk and drink in moderation you should be OK.

2.) I'm now a convert to natural peanut butter -- it's MUCH more flavorful and satisfying than the Skippy I'd known and loved since I was little. As far as PB2 is concerned, it's OK for adding to things like shakes/smoothies/etc., but as a substitute for real peanut butter? Bleh. It has the consistency of spackle. I've had to add peanut oil to it to make it palatable (which kinda defeats the purpose of the whole "low fat" thing), and it's far less expensive to just buy a jar of plain ol'PB. Besides, the fats in natural peanut butter are the GOOD kind.

3.) Nuts are a source of good fats and a bit of protein, but only a handful at a time as they also pack in the calories. I'm a huge fan of flavored almonds - I always have a pack of the dark roast cocoa ones on me for "emergency snacking."

The key to all three? Moderation.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

There's a lot of fear mongering around dairy. It seems to be mostly a philosophical/ethical debate. If you have no problems digesting dairy and it fits your calorie goal and macros there's no reason why you shouldn't drink it.

Personally I don't eat a lot of peanut butter because of the calories, but if it was important to me I'd make room. When I do eat it I get the low sodium low sugar kind.

As far as nuts go I like cashews and unsalted almonds. Again, whatever fits your macros and calorie goal.

hattie491145

I make my own peanut butter. buy the nuts you like (honey roasted if you want sweeter pnb) chuck in the food processor and whizz til smooth and runny. the heat of the motor helps it get there - it will firm up again in the fridge. No added oil, preservatives and you can make fresh as often as you like. add other flavours if thats what you like - cocoa, coffee etc.

neverstray

All the foods you mention are good for you. Eat them and enjoy and ignore the bullsh!t.

NaomiJFoster

I grew up on Skim Milk, so it has never bothered me or seemed unusual to me. We have 1% milk at work (I teach preschool) and I'll have a cup of that at snack time and it tastes so SWEET! I keep flavored almonds (Blue Diamond and Emerald brands, so many varieties of flavors!!!) in my classroom and have a small handful at snacktime (with my cup of milk). I think it's a healthy snack, and it sure gets me all the way from breakfast to lunchtime with lots of energy and no hunger pangs.

stephdeeable

All the foods you mention are good for you. Eat them and enjoy and ignore the bullsh!t.

This!

I've never liked the taste of milk, so I don't drink it. I do use it in cereal, coffee, cooking though. I also drink chocolate milk, yogurt, cheese...etc. I also really enjoy the taste of chocolate soy milk. I tried chocolate almond milk once and it made my mouth so sad...a lot of people really like it though.

Peanut butter...I buy natural peanut butter. I eat it occasionally, I'm not worried about the calories or fat...but it's pretty expensive, so it's not a staple for me.

Nuts are great. I find it hard to have moderation with nuts, especially pistachios and cashews, but there are a lot of benefits to them. Eat them up!

CoderGal

Three questions... I would greatly appreciate feedback on any or all of the three....

I like milk (and dairy overall) but I was thinking about switching to Almond Milk. Best I can tell it offers as much nutritional value as milk right but without as many calories? I'm reading more and more that dairy shouldn't be as big of a part of the daily diet but there doesn't seem to be a lot of science behind those claims. Do you drink milk or use an alternate product like almond or soy milk?

PEANUT BUTTER... I love peanut butter. What is the best kind of peanut butter to eat? (nutrition wise). I don't like the low fat crap. It tastes bad. Is the regular stuff you find in the grocery store bad to eat? (Jiffy, Reeses - not the candy, etc...)

NUTS.. Whats the best combo of nutrition and taste? Almonds, walnuts, etc... It's good to steer clear of peanuts right?

I did the switch to almond milk because I thought it was healthier for me, it was not. Especially since I can't find a brand that doesn't contain additives and didn't want to make it myself and lost out on the nutrients that were in milk. And no, it does not contain the same nutritional value at all. If you plan on switching to almond milk, make sure you're getting the nutrients you're losing out on somewhere else. First off, milk is a 'complete' protein. It's very important for your body to get that, and protein in general. It also has a fair amount of protein, which almond milk does not. MFP protein values are the minimum to avoid deficiency...so that number should always be red at the end of the day. If you want to know more, look up 'protein nutrient' on wikipedia. There's some info there.

peanut butter is pretty full of additives, try the natural stuff? Personally, I still have peanut butter as my junk food. Chocoalte protein powder mixed with an egg poored into avocado rings topped with peanut butter makes a mean pancake.

Also, the 'nutrition combo' question is hard to answer. You may benefit off a different variety as someone else. There's no superultra 'best' nut. But if you can find a nut that has a nutrient in it that you don't get very often, have at it. Taste wise, I'm a fan of roasted pinenuts....or any roasted nut really.

JESSJESJ

Within moderation - its all probably fine. People seem to lose the forest for the trees.

I'll use almond milk in smoothies, because milk tends to bother my stomach, and I save on some calories and can't taste the difference, but use milk in my coffee and use real cheese and greek yogurt.

I like the fresher natural PB, if just eating a spoon of it or using it with apples. But i'm not really a fan of it on sandwiches. If I'm having PB&J sandwich I like the skippy natural (It doesn't have hydrogenated oil in it)

as for nuts - I eat all kinds - almonds, walnuts, pistachios, just depends on what i'm eating them with / what I have available. Pistachios I think are lower in fat than others, Walnuts & almonds have different compounds which make them beneficial.

It really for me,(which is probably one reason among many, why I haven't lost all that much weight) but I need to enjoy the food I'm eating too.

dancinrascal

i like almond breeze!
buy natural peanut butter, skippy and jiff's regular versions have rapeseed and hydrogenated oils. also, don't buy reduced fat because there are more chemicals.
i personally like cashews and almonds.