Peanut Butter - Bad or Good?

PB is a fat, not protein.

False. Peanut butter is made from peanuts, which is a protein and a meat replacement. It contains omega fatty acids, which are necessary for proper cell function and just happens to be excellent brain food. So, as long as you don't eat half a jar a day, keep at it. Some other good sources of protein are cottage cheese, lean turkey and chicken, greek yogurt and kefir, and of course all other nuts and seeds. Hope this helps! Happy snacking.

PS: For some really great snack ideas that are high in protein, I recommend Women's Health Magazine and The Daily Bite newsletter on Web MD. I'm subscribed, and the recipes on that site look absolutely amazing!!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Moderation is key with anything, if your lathering up your fruits and veggies with peanut butter then yeah it's going to have a negative toll. On the other hand if you have about a tbsp on your whole grain toast it's doing more good than bad.

PB is a fat, not protein.

7g of fat
4g of protein per tablespoon.

It does have protein, mainly because it contain nuts.

Here is a really good read on peanuts.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=101

PB is a fat, not protein.

^^^ THIS ^^. The trade off for protein Vs fat and calories, you might as well eat peanut M&m's...but sure, if you like peanut butter and enjoy it, then why not eat it? But it would be more ethan a little amiss to fool yourself into thinking it's a 'healthy' food.

NOT this.

I am surprised that common sense is not prevalent on these forums some of the time.

Peanut butter DOES contain protein, this is because peanut butter actually contain peanuts, which are protein.

Healthy food? Define healthy.

Personally, I do not touch peanut butter, I find it far too moreish and once I start, I crave more of it.

There is minimal protein in PB. Not enough to make it worth while at all.

There is minimal protein in PB. Not enough to make it worth while at all.

Perhaps not enough to consider it a sole source of protein... but when considering all the other things that are IN peanut butter, it IS worthwhile.

It has antioxidants comparable to fruits, along with the minerals listed in my previous post, plus monounsaturated fats, etc.

It's more worthwhile than intentionally adding olive oil to one's diet (not talking about switching, but adding as many do) because of the minerals and antioxidants. The protein, to me, is just a bonus.

I think peanut butter in moderation, especially the natural stuff, is good for you. Nuts in general, very good for you but you want to moderate. I am a vegetarian, so I don't eat a lot of other protein sources. Eggs, soy, seeds, and nuts are the big ones. It also depends what kind of workouts you are doing. I eat a small serving of nuts a day but my sister who works out 2 - 3 hours a day then goes for a 20-60 mile bike ride, eats a whole lot more.

I saw that somebody suggested hummus! Hummus is awesome. It can also be fairly high calorie, if you buy it at the store. I like to make mine myself.

I would suggest eating your pb on a rice cake or with some celery, instead of bread. I don't really do bread ha.

And 4g of protein per 90 calories is not enough to be a worthwhile protein source.

Eat it if you want, especially if you are lacking in calories, but don't pretend you are doing it for health reasons. It contains a lot of fat.


Personally it gives me hives and asthma so I'm not touching it with a bargepole.

There's a lot of nutritional value to nut products other than protein. They do contain fat, but it's 'good' fat that's an important and healthy part of your diet. I agree that there are much better protein alternatives to meat than peanut butter, since it has relatively low protein/calorie, but that doesn't mean that it's bad for you....unless it causes you to break out in hives o_O

I try to stick to the 'natural' or 'just nuts' brands, since the regular peanut butter tends to have a lot of unnecessary sugar and sodium. As long as you measure it, and log it accurately, then it's fine.

I eat a lot of peanut butter. It's a good source of protein. Just stay in your calories and watch your fat.

Peanut Butter is awesome, let me start with that. I also eat it every day, but it is NOT a good source of protein. 7g of protein for 190 calories is not a good source. You need to be at least 10g for every 100 calories to be a good souce. It IS an excellent source of fats though.

All that being said, it is just awesome stuff.

-M

Peanut butter can be good. I use PB2 to add to my chocolate meal replacement shake in the morning. Tastes like a reeses peanut butter cup! But sometimes I do indulge in creamy peanut butter, if I'm under calories & need some quick cals. But almond butter is a lot healthier of a choice which can be aquired at any whole foods store. More stores are starting to carry it though, just have to check your local store.