F.A.Q
Frequently Asked Questions
PB is not inherently fattening. If anything, people who eat peanuts, nuts, and nut butters are slimmer than nut avoiders. This fact is based on data compiled from ~576,000 people followed for, on average, about 18 years (1). Higher nut and PB intake was associated with lower body weight, a smaller waist, and weight loss. PB eaters did not have a higher BMI or percent body fat. If anything, eating PB, nuts, and nut butters seemed to have a protective effect against weight gain.Is Peanut Butter Fattening?Is Peanut Butter Fattening?
The warning we once heard to limit foods high in fat and calories has proven to be unwarranted. The fat in PB is satiating. A PB sandwich keeps you feeling fed for longer than, let’s say, a turkey sandwich. Having fat in each meal also makes the meal taste better. Fat carries flavor. A spoonful of PB pleases the taste buds, so you’ll be less likely to go poking around the kitchen looking for something yummy to eat, like ice cream. This can spare you from excess calories.
Pouring off the oil can save you calories, but if you replace those calories with, let’s say, a cookie, you are going down the wrong path. Of the 14 grams of fat in a tablespoon of peanut oil, 10.5 are from “good” health-enhancing fats. Peanut oil is a source of vitamin E, an anti-oxidant that knocks down inflammation. People who eat Peanut butter, nuts, and other health-promoting oils five or more times a week have a reduced risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Why suffer through dry, less tasty, less health-protective PB when PB is not “fattening”? Storing the jar upside down can erase the oil-on-the-top issue.
Peanut butter, being primarily protein and fat, is a slow-to-digest fuel as compared to grains, fruits, and vegetables (carbohydrates). Protein and fat take far longer to digest, so they are a poor choice for quick energy before you exercise. That said, if you will be doing a long workout that lasts for more than 1 to 1.5 hours, having Peanut butter before you exercise will offer sustained energy. It also can help buffer an influx of sugary gels and sport drinks.
After exercise, the fat and protein in the peanut butter will poorly refuel your muscles. The preferred recovery food offers three times more carbs than protein. Hence, a better choice is a Peanut butter & banana sandwich or pasta with a spicy Thai peanut butter sauce. That spoonful of PB straight from the jar will fill your tummy, but it will not rapidly refuel your muscles
Prevent yourself from getting too hungry. Curbing your appetite can keep you from overeating too much of any yummy food. Eat PB as often as you want. Trying to limit it can easily contribute to binges on peanut butter-by-the-spoonful. PB binges typically happen before dieters put themselves in “food-jail” — or when they break out of “food-jail.” If you give yourself permission to enjoy PB every day, if not every meal, it will soon lose its power. Give it a try?