Nuts, peanut butter-benefits vs calories?

They are not a good protein source at all. Heck bread and ice cream have as much protein for the calories, pretty much... I don't know why people always put nuts as a good protein source.

They are good fat though, and they are pretty filling. Yes, they are high calories, but typically paired with some fiber (either from whole grains or from fruit) they make a pretty filling snack. Plus they have a lot of health benefits - I'll leave you to Google for those.

Healthy fats are super good for you and fat has nothing to do with weight loss (actually a lot of research shows increasing healthy fats helps with weight loss). Its hard to get away from that "fat is bad for me" idea in our heads because it was thought for so long to be the thing that made us... well.. fat. But it really isn't.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/its-full-fat-and-helps-you-lose-weight

My only thing is nuts are hard to get in due to the high calories. But, I just eat a little in moderation (and weigh them) so I meet my macro goals and its not a problem. This morning I had 30grams of cashews with breakfast.

Peanuts and peanut butter are not good for you! They increase the amount of fungus in the body, which in result builds up candida(bad bacteria).

This is a first for me. Care to share where you got your information?

Peanuts and peanut butter are not good for you! They increase the amount of fungus in the body, which in result builds up candida(bad bacteria).

Please provide a clinical study published in a peer reviewed journal that proves this.

Nvm. Just found it.

"Aflatoxins are found not only in peanuts, but also in many other foods, including corn, milk, eggs, meat, nuts, almonds, figs and spices."

"Aflatoxins are not considered a problem in the United States, according to the Berkeley Wellness website. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows low levels of aflatoxins in foods because it considers them as unavoidable contaminants. In many developing countries, aflatoxins pose a more serious risk, but in the United States, peanuts, peanut butter and other foods that may contain aflatoxins undergo rigorous testing. FDA guidelines allow no more than 20 ppb, or parts per billion, of aflatoxin in human foods."

http://www.livestrong.com/article/553348-fungal-contamination-of-peanuts/

Sounds kinda like natural bacteria. Its in everything and its not something to freak out about unless you live in a 3rd world country where foods are not tested.

But fat is also important nutritionally. It helps your body absorb vitamins for one (many other uses). For many years people on a diet shunned fat (I was one of them).

I think you mean fiber, with regards to nutrient, vitamin and mineral absorption... not fats..

Fats help with processing foods.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20040727/fat-helps-vegetables-go-down

But fat is also important nutritionally. It helps your body absorb vitamins for one (many other uses). For many years people on a diet shunned fat (I was one of them).

I think you mean fiber, with regards to nutrient, vitamin and mineral absorption... not fats..

Fats help with processing foods.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20040727/fat-helps-vegetables-go-down

they also help lubricate the digestive tract helping people "go"

Peanuts and peanut butter are not good for you! They increase the amount of fungus in the body, which in result builds up candida(bad bacteria).

:huh:

Neither are bad for you, everything is about moderation. If I get hungry in the afternoon (after lunch, but still stuck at work and kinda far until dinner), I will have a tablespoon of peanut butter at my desk to hold me over. It works, too. It's filling enough so that I don't feel hungry and low enough calories that it doesn't screw me up for the day. I also put nuts in salads. Sure other foods have more protein, but that doesn't make them better for you. I am totally on the pro-nut team, I'd pick a sprinkle of pecans on my salad over a slice of modified bread any day. They have fats and proteins that are valuable, but like everything else, you can't sit and eat a pound of it and expect it to be ok long term.

But fat is also important nutritionally. It helps your body absorb vitamins for one (many other uses). For many years people on a diet shunned fat (I was one of them).

I think you mean fiber, with regards to nutrient, vitamin and mineral absorption... not fats..

"Dietary fat, which comes from the food you eat, is crucial to the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins, which includes vitamins A, D, K and E (water-soluble vitamins B and C don't need fat). Vitamin A is essential for good vision, vitamin D for bone health, K for blood clotting, and E for limiting the formation of harmful free radicals."

"When fat-soluble vitamins are ingested, they move from the mouth to the stomach to the small intestine. Their ability to dissolve in fat allows for their absorption: Fats are able to move across the cell walls of the small intestine and enter the body's general circulation. Any vitamins dissolved in that fat are absorbed into the body as well. The dietary-fat vehicles carry the vitamins through the intestine, into the bloodstream, and then to the liver, where they're stored until the body needs them."

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/vitamin-supplements/fat-absorb-vitamins.htm

But fat is also important nutritionally. It helps your body absorb vitamins for one (many other uses). For many years people on a diet shunned fat (I was one of them).

I think you mean fiber, with regards to nutrient, vitamin and mineral absorption... not fats..

Unlikely. The human body cannot digest fiber. There are, however, fat soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K.

Peanuts and peanut butter are not good for you! They increase the amount of fungus in the body, which in result builds up candida(bad bacteria).

1. Huh?
2. candida is a yeast, not a bacterium

Thank you all for your help. Seriously. This confirms most of what I have read. I think nuts are ok in small portions now. What I will prob end up doing is buying those small 100 calorie packs of natural almonds to control how many I eat.

Good luck to all.

I loooove those almonds! I have a pack almost everyday in my afternoon class. I get the smoked flavor, but they're all really good.

Other than that, I'm also a nut lover. I buy small portions of sliced almonds and walnut pieces in the bulk section of my grocery store for my overnight oats & my salads. I was never a huge fan of peanut butter in the first place, so I switched to PB2 to stave off those extra calories on the days I want to have peanut butter with my morning banana.

The problem with PB2 is that it doesn't fill me up at all compared to the real stuff... so I'm not sure it's worth the trade off.

My go-to snack is 3 chocolate covered hazelnuts with coffee.