Peanut butter

UhmazzingMarie
UhmazzingMarie Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been told that peanut butter is good for you and then I've been told that's it's bad for because it's real fattening and stuff. Is it healthy? Because I love peanut butter but I also want to lose weight and get fit.. Is there a healthier choice of peanut butter?
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Replies

  • syntaxxor
    syntaxxor Posts: 86
    Peanut butter is a healthy fat.


    All things in too high of a quantity are bad for you, as such, enjoy peanut butter in moderation.
  • beautifulmess87
    beautifulmess87 Posts: 41 Member
    peanut butter is high in calories and fat.
    if your using it for shakes or recipies try pb2.
    its a dehydrated peanut butter powder.
    i however love peanut butter and would rather just use my calories than try to substitute it.
  • ctpeace
    ctpeace Posts: 327 Member
    If it fits into your calorie plan, go for it. Let's face it , it's yummy! But you may find that the calories and fat in it are not "worth it" when you have to cut out other, more filling foods to reach your calorie goal. It is not inherently bad, but it's easy to eat too much (as with about 90% of the things people call "bad").
  • writetomab
    writetomab Posts: 226
    Its good for you in moderation as with anything. Go for a brand that has a high peanut content (i.e. 99.5% or more). A lot of brands out there add sugars, palm oil etc, so find the most natural version you can. I think The Peanut Butter Co Crunchy version is the best. Its also high in protein so will help with satiety and of course heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
  • KickyLegs
    KickyLegs Posts: 53
    I know that natural peanut butter is healthy in moderation. Here's something that bothers me though, I read that all peanut butter varieties contain unhealthy mould and therefore, should be avoided. :(
  • jabrock9
    jabrock9 Posts: 65
    I eat peanut butter everyday, I just make sure to portion it out. Love the stuff!
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    peanut butter is high in calories and fat.

    Fat doesn't make you fat.

    Too much fat makes you fat, just like too much of anything makes you fat.
  • UhmazzingMarie
    UhmazzingMarie Posts: 9
    I try to limit myself to 2 tbsp and I eat it everyday in my breakfast and stuff. I also heard that they put unhealthy stuff in peanut butter. I kinda want to make some homemade Peanut butter, that seems like the healthiest since u know what's in it
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
    As far as I know, you can create a lot of healthy snack alternatives with peanut butter as an ingredient. So, like anything really, in moderation it's fine.
  • StheK
    StheK Posts: 443 Member
    I love peanut butter and often find that it's worth it to find room for it in my meal plan. I used to really love the flax seed peanut butter at Trader Joe's, because it had even higher protein content and a fun crunch, but they haven't stocked it since there was a salmonella scare last year. I am ever so sad about it :(
  • aikasm
    aikasm Posts: 63
    if you want lower calories, try PB2. it's a powdered peanut butter that you mix with water and once its prepared it tastes just like regular peanut butter. You can find it in the health section of the grocery store
  • drchimpanzee
    drchimpanzee Posts: 892 Member
    No food is fattening. Eating too many calories is fattening. PB in moderation is fine but it is pretty high calorie by volume so just watch your portions :)
  • missylee117
    missylee117 Posts: 66 Member
    couldn't live without my jif.........................just sayin, but use it in moderation
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Peanut butter and Nilla wafers...YUM!
  • tanashai
    tanashai Posts: 207 Member
    I know that natural peanut butter is healthy in moderation. Here's something that bothers me though, I read that all peanut butter varieties contain unhealthy mould and therefore, should be avoided. :(

    Not true. Peanut butter contains small (like minute) amounts of aflatoxins that can contribute to mold growth, however this only happens if you leave peanut butter in a really humid environment for a long time or if you grind your own peanut butter in a supermarket. But the odds are really against you getting sick from it.

    http://www.emagazine.com/daily-news/a-new-peanut-butter-scare

    I've been eating peanut butter all my life-never got sick. I love peanut butter on toast and it keeps me full all morning! (Important with a preschooler rampaging across the house, ha ha).
  • _Brown_Eyed_Girl_
    _Brown_Eyed_Girl_ Posts: 39 Member
    Adam's natural Peanut butter is awesome. It is just peanuts and salt. No sugar or other garbage added. I agree with everyone else that has said "Everything in Moderation". I like to mix 1 tbsp of peanut butter with 4 oz of greek yogurt and use that as a dip for apples. :)
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    Peanut butter and Nilla wafers...YUM!

    ^this or gram crackers... or w/banana or... list goes on...

    @OP moderation or work out harder, try to find the balanced amount. Try to make sure your macros make sense. :)
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
    Peanut butter is a healthy fat.


    All things in too high of a quantity are bad for you, as such, enjoy peanut butter in moderation.

    ^This and look for a natural peanut butter without added oils and sugar.
  • UhmazzingMarie
    UhmazzingMarie Posts: 9
    Adam's natural Peanut butter is awesome. It is just peanuts and salt. No sugar or other garbage added. I agree with everyone else that has said "Everything in Moderation". I like to mix 1 tbsp of peanut butter with 4 oz of greek yogurt and use that as a dip for apples. :)

    That sounds really good. I like put mine in oatmeal or on some toast.
  • _Brown_Eyed_Girl_
    _Brown_Eyed_Girl_ Posts: 39 Member
    It's delish! And since the yogurt tastes all peanut buttery you don't feel like you're missing out.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I've been told that peanut butter is good for you and then I've been told that's it's bad for because it's real fattening and stuff. Is it healthy? Because I love peanut butter but I also want to lose weight and get fit.. Is there a healthier choice of peanut butter?
    A healthier choice of peanut butter would be one without added sugar or salt.

    Most foods aren't just "good" or "bad" - most have some form of nutritional benefit, and all will make you gain weight if you eat too much of them. So, peanut butter (even the added sugar stuff) is only "fattening" if you eat so much of it that you exceed the amount of calories you burn. It is calorie dense though, so it would be far easier to exceed your calorie goal with peanut butter than, say, cabbage. You can eat peanut butter and lose weight - just make sure you log it.

    MFP is actually a pretty good tool for helping you understand the nutritional quality of different foods. Log things, and see how they fit into your nutritional targets. See how they fit in with the other foods you're eating. It's all about balance.
  • mrsfoster102613
    mrsfoster102613 Posts: 126 Member
    It's all a matter of perspective whether something like peanut butter is good for you or not. I personally don't like the taste, so I don't eat it. That being said, I love raw almond butter.

    You can read a comparison between peanut butter to almond butter via this article:

    http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/f/Are-Nut-Butters-Better-For-You-Than-Peanut-Butter.htm

    As mentioned in the article, peanuts are technically legumes, not nuts. They are related to peas, dry beans and lentils. Legumes typically do not digest as quickly or as nuts, so in that sense, I feel almond butter is better for you. But mostly, I eat it for the taste. In moderation, of course!
  • rchilders217
    rchilders217 Posts: 3
    I use peanut butter on my pancakes. This is something that I learned years ago on a diet that I was on at the time. The pancake is the "bread", peanut butter is the protein, and I use applesauce on top of that for the fruit. I drink 8 oz. of fat free milk with it and I have hit all of the food groups. One bisquick pancake is about 140 calories, 2 tsp. of peanut butter is somewhere around 90, and sugar free applesauce is not many calories at all. It fills me up and I am able to eat it within my allotted daily calorie intake.
  • tiffsting
    tiffsting Posts: 23 Member
    I recently discovered PB2 - a dehydrated peanut butter. It's seriously amazing in your shakes, you can make a thai peanut type sauce with it, I add it to my Medifast brownies.... the possibilities are endless! And it's only 45 calories for 2 TB.
  • TheRightWeigh
    TheRightWeigh Posts: 249 Member
    A tablespoon is 195 calories...I can deal with that...For me...Peanut butter is ALWAYS worth the calories.
  • swilk627
    swilk627 Posts: 245 Member
    I <3 PB and refuse to give it up. I typically plan part of my day around reserving calories for an organic apple and PB at night. It's my indulgence that I look forward to all day. :)
  • beautifulmess87
    beautifulmess87 Posts: 41 Member
    peanut butter is high in calories and fat.

    Fat doesn't make you fat.

    Too much fat makes you fat, just like too much of anything makes you fat.

    Excuse my snarky reply- but - did i say fat makes you fat? nope! i said- peanut butter is high in calories and fat.... which is true...
  • KickyLegs
    KickyLegs Posts: 53
    I know that natural peanut butter is healthy in moderation. Here's something that bothers me though, I read that all peanut butter varieties contain unhealthy mould and therefore, should be avoided. :(

    Not true. Peanut butter contains small (like minute) amounts of aflatoxins that can contribute to mold growth, however this only happens if you leave peanut butter in a really humid environment for a long time or if you grind your own peanut butter in a supermarket. But the odds are really against you getting sick from it.

    http://www.emagazine.com/daily-news/a-new-peanut-butter-scare

    I've been eating peanut butter all my life-never got sick. I love peanut butter on toast and it keeps me full all morning! (Important with a preschooler rampaging across the house, ha ha).

    Thanks for sharing that!
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  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Peanut butter packs a lot of nutrition. It also packs a lot of calories. A lot of nutrition is a good thing. A lot of calories is not always a good thing.

    Moral of the story - peanut butter can definitely be part of a healthy diet.

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