Peanut Butter: spreadable, delectable, and oh so healthful

As a kid, one my my all time favorite snacks was peanut butter. No, not on a sandwich, but straight off the spoon.  I would open up the jar of peanut butter, take out a nice big spoonful, and lick the peanut butter off. The urge to dig my spoon into a jar has yet to go away, and I'm perfectly alright with that. Peanut butter is a great source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, so it provides you with a load of nutrients. Many people stray away from peanut butter because of its high fat content, but it's important to remember that it's mostly made up of good fats, the type you actually want to be incorporating into your diet!

The average 2 tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains about 190 calories and 16 grams of fat. This fat is comprised of around 3.3 grams of saturated fat and 12.3 grams of unsaturated fat, which Walter C. Willett points out amounts to about 80% unsaturated fat in an article on Harvard Health Publications. Unsaturated fats keep our hearts healthy by helping to prevent against heart disease and stroke. It also helps keep us feeling satiated, which in effect can prevent overeating. So even though you'd be eating a food higher in fat and calories, you could actually be saving yourself quite a few calories at the end of the day. This doesn't mean to go on a full-out peanut butter binge (no matter how amazing that would be), for fat intake needs to be monitored. 

I spoke to dietician Catherine Kruppa of Advice for Eating to find out the recommended daily intake of healthy fats, and she informed me that "the recommendation by the American Heart Association is 30% or less of your calories from fat and 10% or less from saturated fat."She also said that the AHA says to limit monounsaturated fat to 10% as well, but that she is more lenient if intake is a bit over 10% if the saturated fat content is low. In order to keep my fat intake in check, I sometimes opt for Better n' Peanut Butter (a peanut butter with 85% less fat— you may recall me mentioning it in previous posts) on days that I've had my fill of healthy fats, be it from avocados, salmon, KIND bars, etc. Eating healthy fats can be very good for you, but you have to be careful to do so in moderation.

With so many varieties lining the grocery store shelves, choosing which peanut butter to buy can be a difficult decision. For the healthiest pick, look at the nutrition labels to see what exactly is going into the peanut butter. In terms of calories, most varieties will be about the same, but they can differ when it comes to sugar, sodium, and additives. While some types like Jif Creamy Peanut Butter are on the sugary side, have higher amounts of sodium, and contain additives, there are others like MaraNatha Creamy and Roasted Peanut Butter that have only 1 gram of sugar, less sodium, and are comprised of nothing but peanuts and salt. This is what you're likely to find in the all-natural peanut butters with the oil on top. Many people drain the oil before consumption, but what a mistake this is! The oil contains those healthy monounsaturated fats that are so great for you, though the all-natural types must be refrigerated after stirring. 

There's also the natural peanut butter that doesn't involve any of the stirring (or refrigeration), but this type contains added sugar and palm oil. Palm oil is high in saturated fat and is used to give the peanut butter a smooth, velvety texture. While this type may not be the healthiest way to go, it's said to be a better choice than the kinds made with hydrogenated oil, which can raise LDL cholesterol. 

Faced with a peanut allergy? Not to worry, there are plenty of other nut butters available! I happen to be a huge fan of almond butter (I absolutely love the freshly ground almond butter from Whole Foods), though this variety of nut butter tends to be on the pricier side. You can also opt for cashew, sunflower seed, hazelnut, macadamia, and so on. You name the nut, and chances are there's a butter form of it. Each type will vary in calories, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals, but you're sure to benefit from them either way. For a list of peanut butter substitutes and their breakdowns, check out this link from Greatist!