peanut butter, good or bad?

You can get peanut butter without added salt and sugar...you want it all natural without hydrogenated oils...

Even though it's high in fat, they are good fats that your body needs, and it will keep you feeling full.

Just don't eat too much more than a tablespoon at a time :-)

I belong to the school of "everything in moderation". When I do have peanut butter, I have half a serving on a nice half of toasted bagel. Helps get rid of the peanut butter cravings. (cause I used to sit in a dark closet with the jar and a spoon!!!!)

Peanut butter should be high in fat. It's primary ingredient is peanuts, after all, but those that are there are healthy fats. DO NOT BUY REDUCED FAT PB! They replace the healthy fats with fillers like maltodextrin and sugar and all it saves you is 10 calories. PB does NOT, however, have to be high in sugar. There are plenty of options out there that do not have any sugar in them, and they are fantastic. The one I buy has two ingredients: Peanuts and salt. Sometimes I make my own with unsalted peanuts (I add a little sea salt so I know how much goes in) and a little honey. Since there's not any sugar in my PB (except when I use honey), I pair it with an apple or banana (I just can't get myself to like celery no matter how many times I try it).

I agree moderation. I eat Smart Balance. It's creamy and an excellent source of Omega-3 and a good fat. When I went to Weight Watchers, I was told we need 2 servings of a good fat each day to keep our bodies oiled just like a car.

Peanut Butter is awesome. I eat it every single day, without fail. Like other's have mentioned, DO NOT get the Reduced fat Peanut Butter. They take out some of the healthy fats and and replace it with sugars, and the calories end up being the same.

You can get natural peanut butter brands like Adams, or in a lot of grocery stores you can even grind your own. Just look at the label and find something that only has peanuts on the ingredients list.

Organic Peanut Butter is the best!!! The only thing in it is peanuts...no extra oils or additives. Very healthy as long as you limit your intake to about a serving a day. The fats in it are healthy fats (non saturated), plus it has tons of protein.

You might also want to try to find organic almond butter. It's the same thing, but made from almonds instead. Very tasty and good for you!

I belong to the school of "everything in moderation". When I do have peanut butter, I have half a serving on a nice half of toasted bagel. Helps get rid of the peanut butter cravings. (cause I used to sit in a dark closet with the jar and a spoon!!!!)

Totally agree! There is no such thing as a "bad" food or a "good" food. It's all about moderation. Look at it like this--carrots are "good" for you, however, a pound a day will probably turn your skin orange, which is not so great. Chips are "bad" for you, however, I doubt if a snack size bag once a month is going to make you gain 40 pounds overnight. Half a serving on a bagel, banana or apple is delish!!

I am scared to death to eat peanut butter - it's so high in fat and sugar. Haven't had it in ages.
Yet I see many of you are enjoying it. So what's the deal....is it good for me? Should I add it to my diet? And if so, how?
Thanks!
Ruth

I too believe everything in moderation, but sometimes, certain things just make us forget what moderation and portion size means. I have a few of those foods, where I know that 1 piece or 1 serving isn't enough so I'd rather do without than sabotage myself in trying to resist eating more.

If you're reducing calories and most people probably watch their carbs/sugars intake when they diet, you will need to replace that quick burning sugar fuel with fat fuel. Just make sure you don't eat the entire jar. I have found most have a serving of 2 tablespoons which I find to be more than adequate for two slices of whole wheat or multigrain toast. Really filling and the protein keeps you full long after the bread has been burned up like a paper match.

Spend a few minutes at your grocery and actually look at all the brands, label to label - compare for yourself the reduced fat and other "healthy" varieties of PB out there. I did that the other day and ended up buying the regular one because of all the additives (including artificial sweeteners in some even though they use sugars too) and bad fats compared to the unsaturated fats in the regular. See it with your own eyes. The best option is to grind peanuts or find a variety that only has the 2 ingredients previously mentioned. I haven't found those in a regular store but maybe I'm not looking in the right place. TJ and your local health food store should carry them. Here in Charlotte we have a Home Economist (now called Home Market or something) as well as Whole Foods (too far for me to travel to) but they carry more of the natural things. The HE store even has grinders by the bulk section to make your own peanut butter, almond butter, (some have) cashew butter, and one even has a blend of peanuts and carob or chocolate (forget which) so you can make a chocolatey peanut butter. I've never tried it, but I guess it would be like eating a healthy peanut butter cup if ever there was one.

You want to retrain your body to be a fat burner so you will have to eat more fats than you think can be good. Burn fat as our primary fuel source- more efficient and less toxic than burning sugars. The single greatest determinant of our longevity is which fuel we burn... don’t be a sugar burner. Learn more at healthy-living.org

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:

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.

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

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.

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

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.