Emile MackieAn important constituent of many kitchens today, peanut butter is loved by everybody, especially kids. People prefer to spread the palatability of peanut butter on bread, celery, toast, carrot, waffles, apple slices, etc. However, other than the deliciousness and calories punch that it contains, it has much more attributes to keep you fit. Read the article below and find out some of the wonderful health benefits of peanut butter.
What Is Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter is quite an unprocessed food. It basically just consists of peanuts, usually roasted, which are ground up until the become a paste.
However, a lot of commercial brands of peanut butter contain additional ingredients such as vegetable oils, sugar, and sometimes even trans fat.
Eating too much trans fat and sugar has been linked to the development of a number of different health problems including heart disease.
It is always better to choose natural, real peanut butter over the commercial processed versions. The best types of peanut butter will contain nothing but peanuts and sometimes a small amount of salt.
If you choose a good peanut butter which is solely made up of peanuts then the health benefits of this type of peanut butter will be the same as regular peanuts.
1. Keeps You Satiable for Long
Peanut butter is actually very healthy to be taken in the breakfast. It makes you feel full for long hours. The protein and fiber contents of peanut butter can reduce your cravings for junk and unwholesome eatables.
2. Heart Friendly
The balanced ratio of saturated and unsaturated fats in peanut butter trims down the harmful cholesterol in the blood, thereby, lowering the risk of development of heart ailments. Vitamin E and the monounsaturated fat in peanuts take care of your cardiovascular health.
3. Contains Healthy Fat
Most of the people avoid consuming peanut butter due to its high-fat content. But, the fact is that it is a good source of ‘healthy fats’. The percentage of unsaturated fat is higher than that of saturated fat. So, you can have it without any worry.
4. Rich in Fiber
Consumption of sufficient quantity of fiber is imperative for the healthy functioning of the digestive tract. Peanut butter is an excellent supplement of fiber for the body.
5. Packed With Nutrients
Peanut butter is bundled with nutritional things, like fiber, protein, potassium, antioxidants, healthy fats, magnesium, and many others. These nutrients are superb for bone building, muscle recuperation, and immunity boost up.
6. Boosts Energy
The generous quantity of unsaturated fats and protein in peanut butter makes it outstanding in boosting the energy levels of the body. It has plenty of calories that are sufficient to keep you energetic for the whole day.
7. Anti-Aging
The presence of resveratrol in peanut butter assists in decreasing the hazards of cancer and heart disorders. It is also believed that resveratrol also aids in curtailing the risk of untimely aging.
8. Better Blood Circulation
Being an enormous source of iron, copper, magnesium, and potassium, peanut butter is helpful in maintaining the proper blood flow in the body.
9. Prevents Cancer
The antioxidants present in peanut butter reduce the activity of free radicals, and the fiber efficiently removes waste through the intestines, thereby, diminishing the peril of colon cancer.
10. Supports Your Metabolism
Peanut butter is blessed with a profuse amount of niacin (vitamin B-3) and manganese, which look after the metabolic activities of your body. Manganese stimulates enzymes that are responsible for eliminating harmful ammonia. It also protects the cells from physiological stress. Niacin regulates cell development and growth.
11. Blood Sugar Control
For regulating and stabilizing the levels of blood sugar in your body, peanut butter is a healthy choice because of the protein and fibrous components that it encloses.
12. Helps in Muscle Building
Relatively high quantity of protein in peanut butter is considered enormously helpful for maintaining the strength of the body and building muscle.
Easy Ways to Eat Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is one of the best healthy snacks around. Many people enjoy it so much that they are surprised to hear about all the health effects it produces in the body. Though it is great by itself, there are so many ways to incorporate this super food into your day to day diet in a way that is tasty, exciting, and easy.
Create Your Own
It is a good decision to have peanut butter, but it is an even better one to have homemade peanut butter! There are tons of recipes there that allow you to add in your favorite ingredients such as honey, brown sugar, or sea salt, but they all involve you putting them in a good processor and creating delicious, homemade peanut butter in minutes.
On Bread
This way of eating peanut butter is as old as time itself. You can eat it with any type of bread, and even pair it with jelly or honey, as many people enjoy it. Peanut butter goes well with any and all sweet spreads, especially if they are made from fruit.
With Banana’s
Eating peanut butter is even more delicious and nutritious when it is paired with bananas. This may mean putting small dollops on banana slices, it could mean creating an elaborate banana/peanut butter/yogurt/granola mix, or it could mean making banana and peanut butter ice cream. No matter what, choosing to pair these two cannot steer you wrong.
In Desserts
One of my favorite ways to eat peanut butter is in s’mores as a substitute for chocolate. It can be baked in cookies, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, and pretty much any other goodie you enjoy. Adding in peanut butter allows you to get the nutrients from something actually delicious.
Health Benefits of Peanut Butter: Conclusion
There are a lot of positives associated with peanut butter, however, there are also a few negatives.
Peanut butter is overall fairly rich in nutrients and is a good source of protein. It is also a brilliant source of fiber, minerals, and vitamins. However, this is not significant when you take into account the calorie load.
It has been found that peanut butter is a potential source of aflatoxins and these are associated with some harmful effects in the long run.
With these points in mind, you shouldn’t choose peanut butter as a dominant part of your diet, but it is okay to eat every now and again in small amounts.
If you eat small amounts of peanut butter at a time, it is unlikely to cause any negative effects.
Cloe Ratliff
