Peanut Butter: Healthy Snack, or Fatty Filler

It has been a popular snack for years. Our moms used it as a staple in our lunches. So, why now, after all these years, is peanut butter getting a bad rep from nutritionists and profesional athletes?

It could be fake peanut butter. Sadly, not too many people are keen to purchase natural food like peanut butter. Many caim the same reason that they do not buy organic: cost. While many off brand items are the exact same thing, Kroger and Great Value peanut butter seems to be the exception. JIF and Peter Pan brands each claim 2% hydrogenated oil (trans fat), while the off brands remark "fully hydrogenated oil." Our bodies were not meant to process the additives and preservatives meant to expand shelf life.

Since the 1990's the dietary trend, unfortunately, has been low calorie, low fat, low nutrient. Aside from the fact that low calories mean a food is not a particular source of a nutrient, or bodies need fat. Fat is merely stored energy. Peanut butter is high in fat (which is to say that there is more fat than protein in each serving.) Peanut butter is high in saturated fat (which it what makes it a superfood.) The saturated fat is what helps to keep cholesterol down. Whether related or not, studies have also shown a decrease in those with Type II diabetes and heart disease among those who eat peanuts and peanut butter.

Peanut butter is not particularly high in protein or carbs (but it couple well with foods that are such as bread.) It is, however, high in fiber. This is why it helps to keep you fuller longer. People who eat peanut butter habitually have been shown to eat less daily calories, and to eat less frequently than those who don't. This may also have to do with the items peanut butter is coupled with being high in the essiential amino acids that peanut butter does not have. However, peanut butter does contain Folsate, Vitamin E, and Magnesium. It also contains Zinc- good for the immune system and the libido.

In fact, it would seem that the Trans Fat (which is more common in bargain brands) is the worst part of peanut butter. So, while we might never admit them to them face to face, perhaps our moms did know what they were doing filling us to the brim with Peanut Butter sandwiches!