Peanut butter has long been a staple of the American diet. The creamy goodness is consumed in a variety of ways, and apparently, we can never get enough of it. According to the National Peanut Board, people in the United States spend an average of $800 million on peanut butter every year, while peanuts also provide the U.S. economy with $4 billion annually.
But is our passion for peanut butter healthy? The bad reputation associated with the spread has often been a subject of scrutiny for its abundance of fat and calories and major presence in the American diet. However, don’t write off peanut butter just yet! It also has a number of beneficial qualities that can help your body out when consumed in moderation. Here is a list of some of the lesser known health advantages of consuming peanut butter:
Protein
If you haven’t figured it out by now, having protein in your diet is vital for your health. Just a few of the ways protein help strengthen your body include:
- Boosting your immune system.
- Preserving and repairing muscles.
- Increasing metabolism and burning calories.
Just two tablespoons of peanut butter can provide you with eight grams of protein. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, children ages 4 to 8 should eat an average of 19 grams of protein, while teenagers and adults should consume around 50 grams per day. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein for kids, and spreading it on a slice of toast and finishing it with a glass of milk in the morning will provide you with the protein you need to get going in the morning.
Weight loss
Normally when a food item is constantly ridiculed at being high in fat and calories , it tends to be the last thing we want to implement into our weight loss dieting plan. However, peanut butter is one of the rare exceptions because when used in moderation, its protein and fiber content will actually make your stomach feel fuller throughout the day. So on the surface, eating a few tablespoons of peanut butter in a PB&J sandwich might seem like a bad choice, you will actually be less likely to indulge in afternoon snacks or bigger dinners that are the real causes of weight gain. Fiber also has a wide variety of uses for your body, including the ability to provide relief for your digestion system, keeping skin smooth and clean as well as help lower cholesterol.
Antioxidants
Peanut butter contains more than 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients, such as folate, riboflavin, magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin E. Vitamin E is normally a rare antioxidant to find in most foods, but you will receive enough of it from peanut butter to help improve cell signaling, which is crucial for providing a stable immune system defense.These antioxidants are essential in assisting you to fight back against clearing out free radical molecules from entering your bloodstream.
Alternative peanut butter
There are many different types of peanut butters out there that pack all the same health benefits. Try switching over to organic peanut butter, which has even more percentage of iron and fiber, while not sacrificing its signature sweet and creamy goodness.
